Meet Your Federation Team
President & CEO
Heidi Gantwerk
Heidi Gantwerk is president and CEO of Jewish Federation of San Diego. After acting as a consultant for Federation for a number of years, Heidi joined Federation as interim CEO in June 2021 before taking the reins full-time at the end of that same year. She brings to her role decades of expertise in strategic planning, community and stakeholder relations, and civic engagement.
Heidi has a deep connection to Jewish life in San Diego, having formerly served as the Board Chair of the San Diego Jewish Academy, and on the Boards of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, San Diego Center for Jewish Culture and Hillel of San Diego. She is also an active member of Congregation Beth Israel, lending her voice each week as part of the Chai Band.
Before joining Federation, Heidi founded HG Consulting Group, LLC, where she provided customized design and facilitation for the public and private sectors, with diverse clients including the San Diego Airport Authority, the Port of San Diego, the United Way of San Diego, the Jewish Community Foundation, Palomar Health, San Diego Grantmakers, Hillel of San Diego, the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Stennis Center for Public Service among many others.
Heidi holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Yale University.
Senior Management
David Fuhriman
Chief Financial Officer
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Carly Ezell Lobenstein
Chief Operating Officer
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Michael Rabkin
Chief Development Officer
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Darren Schwartz
Chief Planning & Strategy Officer
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Our Staff
Moy Arbitman
Director, Israel & Global Peoplehood
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Ashley Bendas
Sr. Director, Marketing & Public Relations
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Dustin Biton
Director, Major Gifts
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Candice Bucky
Sr. Manager, Executive Office - Board & Special Projects
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Janese Cassel
Program Manager, Israel & Global Peoplehood
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Joanna Chiu
Controller
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Tracey Corea & Olivia Corea
Consultant, Human Resource
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Rabbi Ralph Dalin
Jewish Community Chaplain
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Robyn Feinberg
Manager, Creative & Content
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Bill Ganley
Director, Community Security
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Steve Gerard
Sr. Director, Annual Campaign
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Matt Goldberg
Director, Caring & Community Relations
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Julie Gordon
Manager, Community Planning
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Alex Kaufman
Program Manager, Resilient & Secure Community
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Dana Koenig
Director, Global Experiences
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Jessica Kretzer
Sr. Manager, Center for Holocaust Education
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Deena Libman
Development Officer
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Adam Maslia
Director, The Finest Community Coalition
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Jessica McGregor
Manager, Finance & Donor Data
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Henri Migala
Director, Research, Evaluation & Innovation
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Josh Minzer
Director, Leadership Development & Engagement
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Shoshana Munk
Manager, Immersive Experiences
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James Parthemer
Manager, Accounting
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Hailey Pryce-Shidler
Manager, Events & Missions
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Miliah Rodriguez
Coordinator, Office & Donor Services
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Paul Sapiano
Director, Information Systems & Donor Operations
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Debbie Tirouda
Specialist, Development & Events
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Zane Vanderberg
Manager, Creative & Content
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Sharon B. Veksler
Manager, Marketing & Donor Systems
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Lee Weinstein
Director, Marketing
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Erica Whinston
Director, Operations & Special Projects - Center for Holocaust Education
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