2024-2025 Federation Board of Directors Slate
Approved at Federation’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 7pm
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Marla Linderman Richelew, President
Debra Chopp, Co-Vice President
Julie Grand, Co-Vice President
Annie Wolock, Secretary
Marla Chinsky, Treasurer
RETURNING/CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS
Decky Alexander, Immediate Past President
Jeremy Bloom, Allocations Chair
Susan Fisher, Foundation Chair
Murray Rebner
Marty Shichtman
Larry Adler, Annual Community Campaign Co-Chair
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Jack Fuchsman, NextGen Rep
Bruce Kutinsky, Allocations Co-Chair
Jennifer Rosenberg
Alicia Simon, Partnership2Gether Chair
About the Board Members
New Board Members
Jack Fuchsman, a Dayton, Ohio native, grew up in a family very devoted to their Judaism. He attended Jewish day school and spent his summers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. He then attended Bowling Green State University where he studied Communications and also received his masters in Jewish Professional Studies from Spertus Institute in Chicago. Following college graduation, he moved to Israel for a year, teaching English. Over the last few years Jack has worked for Oklahoma Hillel and spent three years working for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in the Young Leadership Division. He now works at U of M as a major giving officer associate for the College of Engineering.
Outside of Jewish life, Jack is an avid sports fan and has become an even bigger Michigan fan. Now engaged to his fiancée Haley, an Ann Arbor native, he has taken on the full Michigan identity. They attend every home football game, go to Shabbat weekly at Hillel and attend their summers at Camp Michigania, a Michigan alumni family camp. Jack is excited to finally find his forever home in Ann Arbor with his dog Joey and cat Zuzy (Mezuzah) and can’t wait to get more involved in the community.
Bruce Kutinsky came to Ann Arbor for college in 1984 and, other than a brief three-year period, has called Ann Arbor his home since. He graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the UM College of Pharmacy in 1990 and immediately embarked on an entrepreneurial business career that included starting and selling an Ann Arbor based pharmacy business and working in C-Suite roles for multiple companies in the pharmacy services and manufacturing sectors. He recently started a new venture as the CEO of a private equity backed home and specialty infusion company.
Bruce is deeply honored to join the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. Driven by a profound passion for the Jewish faith and its significance in history, Bruce is looking forward to working with the Federation in fostering a vibrant Jewish community, Bruce lives with his wife, Decky Alexander. He has two children that live in Chicago, Aaron and Becca and a son-in-law, Mark. Decky and Bruce were proud to recently host the baby naming of their first Grandchild, Emma Ashton Knight.
Jennifer (Erlich) Rosenberg grew up in the metropolitan Detroit area, attended undergrad at the University of Wisconsin and graduate school at Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Jen has dedicated her career to Jewish education, and in her 30+ years in the field has served as a Head of School, Principal, Vice Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, Instructional Coach, Educational Consultant, and Teacher. She proudly spent 21 of those years at Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor. At the end of the 2021 school year, Jen left the headship to launch her own venture, Jen Rosenberg Consulting, where she serves as a coach, mentor, and consultant, mainly serving educational leaders and Jewish communal professionals. She holds a professional coaching credential (PCC) from the International Coaching Federation. Jen is passionate about education, building community, and music. She met her husband, Eric, at Camp Tamarack, and together they have three incredible sons, Gabriel 23, Jesse 21, and Levi 17, and an aging Jack Russell terrier. They love doing almost anything outdoors and are getting ready for some extensive world travels together.
Alicia Simon has lived in Ann Arbor for over 12 years and currently works at the University of Michigan in faculty affairs. She has prior professional experience in studio art, higher education (both teaching and administration), and continuing education program management. Originally from the Washington, DC area, Alicia, and her family have also lived in New York and Las Vegas. Alicia has previously served on boards for charter schools, arts organizations, and higher education professional organizations. Alicia has participated in the Partnership2Gather Committee since 2022, and she is looking forward to strengthening and growing Ann Arbor’s connection and communication with Israel and Moshav Nahalal.
Continuing Board Members
Larry Adler joined Huron Gastro in 1989, after completing his Gastroenterology training at the Cleveland Clinic. He served as President from 2007-2020 and retired at the end of 2022. He met his wife Sue at age 15, through BBYO, and dated through high school and college before marrying in 1981. They raised 2 children, Stephanie and Evan, and welcomed their daughter-in-law Marina to the family in October of 2021. They have been blessed with the arrival of their granddaughter, Myla, on New Year’s Eve 2022.
The Adlers have been committed to the Ann Arbor community, notably supporting local Jewish organizations. Collectively they have volunteered, served on the Boards and various fundraising committees of JFS, JCC, Hadassah, ORT, Beth Israel and the Federation. Sue and Larry enjoy travel, movies at the Michigan Theater, the camaraderie of their friends, and their extended family. Larry is an avid, yet struggling, golfer.
As a child of Holocaust survivor and one who has generationally benefited from JDC, the international humanitarian partner for the Jewish Federations of North America, Larry has become a default ambassador for Jewish organizations locally and abroad.
Jessica ‘Decky’ Alexander grew up on the North Shore of Chicago (Highland Park) and has lived in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti since 1993, arriving here to attend graduate school. Decky received a BA in Theatre from Lawrence University and an MFA in Educational Theatre from Eastern Michigan University. She is a professor of Applied Drama/Theatre and the Director of Engage@EMU, EMU’s office dedicated to academic, community and business engagement. Decky currently is a founding faculty associate and board member for EMU’S Center for Jewish Studies, which led to involvement with the greater Washtenaw Jewish Community and the Federation. Here, she has coordinated several of its Salon events, focused on local issues around unconscious bias, profiling, and the Flint Water Crisis. Currently, Decky chairs the Jewish Community Relations Committee, coordinating its Conversation with 7 series. A member of Temple Beth Emeth, Decky lives in Ann Arbor and is married to Bruce Kutinsky.
Jeremy Bloom grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He attended undergraduate school and law school at the University of Michigan. After living in New York, Florida, and New Jersey, he then returned to Ann Arbor in 2014 with his husband, Chris, and his children, Jackson and Chloe (both now 10). Jeremy is an Executive Director at UBS where he leads the team responsible for responding to regulatory requests relating to employee conduct. He has been a member of the Allocations Committee for two years. Jeremy and his family are members of Temple Beth Emeth. His husband, Chris, is on the Board of Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor.
Marla Chinsky grew up in Richmond, Virginia. She received her BS in Accounting from the College of Charleston and her Masters degree in Accounting from the University of Virginia. She worked in both Audit and Advisory for Deloitte in Washington D.C. before moving to Ann Arbor four years ago and transferring to an internal Financial Planning and Analysis role. Marla grew up with her parents serving in Federation volunteer roles and was active in the Federation community in DC. She served on the Finance Committee here in Ann Arbor for two years before taking on the role as Treasurer and chair of the committee last year. Marla and her husband, Josh, have three small children, Evelyn, Caleb, and Jackson.
Debra Chopp grew up in Southfield, Michigan. She received her BA from the University of Michigan and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After moving up and down the east coast for a few years, she settled in Ann Arbor with her family in 2005. She is a clinical law professor at the University of Michigan Law School where she directs the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic and serves as the Associate Dean for Experiential Education. She is the proud mother of three boys, Jonah, Ilan, and Gabrial, all of whom graduated from the Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor. Debra and her husband, Gil, love the Jewish community in Ann Arbor and are deeply committed to helping it thrive.
Susan Fisher came to Ann Arbor as a student in 1959 and has lived in AA ever since. She holds BS, MA, Ph.D Candidate and MBA degrees from UM. She served in various academic and non-academic positions at UM and as a visiting lecturer at EMU. After completing her MBA she took a position with Michigan Bell. She retired from ATT as Director of Project Management. She has served various organizations (both secular and sacred) as both a board/committee member and chair. She is a past-president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and JFS. She currently serves on the Boards of JFS (Treasurer) and JCC. She is the current chair of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Ann Arbor. Susan also volunteers at the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop and chairs the OLLI-UM Development committee. Susan has been a member of TBE since its inception. Susan and her late husband traveled and cycled extensively around the world. Her son David, his wife Patty, and their three sons live in Ann Arbor.
Julie Grand was born and raised in Greenfield, Massachusetts. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, she received an MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education and a PhD in Health, Services, Organization and Policy from the University of Michigan. Julie has spent the majority of her career in higher education, working as a health educator, lecturer in health policy, and academic advisor. For the past eight years, she has also served on the Ann Arbor City Council, focusing on policies that make Ann Arbor a more inclusive, welcoming, and exciting community. Julie is a member of Temple Beth Emeth and lives with her husband, David, and two teenage children, Maddie and Sam. There is a strong chance that she is currently en route to a child’s sporting event.
Marla Linderman Richelew grew up in Southfield and Bloomfield Hills. Her husband Josh is a Sports Administrator for U of M and their kids, Naomi and Josh, attend Skyline High School. Marla is the founder of the Ann Arbor law firm, Linderman Law PLLC, where she specializes in employment and business law, and is a Past President of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, at the State and Washtenaw County levels, a Past President of the Washtenaw Association for Justice and Past President of Washtenaw County’s New Lawyers Section. She is on the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice, is a Co-Chair of the Federal Bar Association’s Federal Pro Bono Project, serves on the PTSO Board for Skyline High School and also volunteers with Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor. In 2006, the State Bar of Michigan awarded Marla the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, as did the Washtenaw County Bar Association. Marla has been named a Leader in the Law, Top 20 Women in the Law and Up and Coming Lawyer by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, has been designated a Michigan Super Lawyer since 2009 and as a Top 25 Women Consumer Michigan Super Lawyer since 2013. She was Bat Mitzvahed at Temple Israel and is a member of Temple Beth Emeth.
Murray Rebner is a diagnostic radiologist who works at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak. He has lived in Ann Arbor since 1981 when he trained at U of M. Murray married his lovely wife Sue in 1985, and they have two adult children, Rachel and Max, who graduated from the Hebrew Day School.
Marty Shichtman, from Brooklyn, NY, is founding Director of the Center for Jewish Studies and Professor of English Language and Literature at Eastern Michigan University. He has been a fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and at Brandeis University’s Schusterman Institute for Israel Studies. He received of a Mellon Partnership grant with Smith College for Jewish Studies programming, has directed a Covenant Foundation grant for Jewish education, several National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars for School Teachers, an NEH Focus Grant, and a number of summer seminars for school teachers at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills Michigan.
Annie Wolock was born in Detroit and moved to Southfield in 1965. In 1975 she moved again to this area to attend Eastern Michigan University. She found a home in Ann Arbor not too long after graduating with her BBA in Marketing. Annie founded her current company (ask her about her first), Keystone Media, in 1994. Keystone is a boutique website design and digital marketing firm located in Downtown Ann Arbor. Annie, a digital marketing strategist, has been on the Federation’s strategic communications committee for six years and chaired the committee for three. Annie teaches digital strategy at Washtenaw Community College.