Marlene Canter

Marlene Canter (she/her) began her career as a special education teacher. She went on to co-found and serve as the co-CEO of Canter and Associates, now Laureate Education, Inc. Drawing on her 30-year career in education, Marlene ran for the LAUSD School Board in 2001 and was overwhelmingly elected twice. She served two terms as a board member and during that time she was elected President by her peers for 2 years. Marlene graduated in May 2015 from the Academy for Jewish Religion with an MA in Jewish Studies and a Chaplaincy degree. After graduating Marlene worked part time as a Spiritual Counselor at Beit T’shuvah with addicts for three years. After the death of her parents, Marlene decided to utilize her chaplaincy training in working with end of life and grief. She now facilitates grief groups at griefHaven. She is the Chair of the Academy for Jewish Religion and is also a member of the Joseph Drown Foundation Board of Directors. Marlene led the process of creating a partnership between Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJRCA) which focuses on creating a Center for Interfaith Dialogue. AJRCA now lives on the LMU campus. Marlene divides her time between her Chaplaincy work; her leadership activities in education; and her work with LMU and AJRCA. She resides in Playa Vista and has 2 children and three granddaughters.

Dr Patrick Auerbach

Patrick Auerbach (he/him), a seasoned executive leader with three decades of experience across non-profit, higher education and sport-related enterprises, is Founder & President of PAUER Consulting LLC.  Throughout his career, he has led strategic, innovative and mission-driven programs in community and institutional impact, audience building, volunteer leadership development and engagement, fundraising and constituent relations. In December 2023, Auerbach completed a 23.5-year tenure at the University of Southern California during which he served for 11 years as Associate Senior Vice President for Alumni Relations. In this role, he managed all operations of the USC Alumni Association, served as the University’s chief alumni relations officer to engage the Trojan Family’s diverse alumni constituency of more than 480,000 worldwide members. Nationally, Auerbach has served in a variety of roles in higher education and intercollegiate athletics, and he served on the USC Hillel Board of Directors from 2017-21. Auerbach earned his B.A. from UCLA in 1992, his M.S. from the University of Tennessee in 1994, and his Ed.D. from USC in 2008 upon completion of his dissertation, “Decisions Under Influence:  College Presidents’ Athletics-Related Decision-Making Behavior at NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Institutions.” He is a native of the San Fernando Valley, Calif., and currently resides in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Adlai Wertman

Adlai Wertman (he/him) is the retired David C. Bohnett Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business. He was the founding director of the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab at Marshall —a University-wide center focused on educating and supporting USC students, faculty, staff, and community members on using business models to address global social, environmental and health challenges. Prior to joining the faculty at Marshall, Adlai spent seven years as president and CEO of Chrysalis, before which Adlai spent 18 years as an investment banker in New York and Los Angeles. Adlai is an advisory board member of REDF and the Sydney Harmon Academy of Polymathic Studies, as well as a Trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation. He is a Senior Fellow at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, the Price Center on Social Innovation and the Casden Institute. Prior to joining USC, he was a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and a Wexner Heritage Fellow. He has also served as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Fund. Adlai is a frequent speaker on the topics of social entrepreneurship, social enterprise and CSR. He earned his BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his MBA in Finance, Public Policy Management and Strategic Planning from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Trudy Morse

Trudy Morse (she/her) is the Senior Manager of Jewish Education at Repair the World. She, her fiance Marlee, and their dog Leo live in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles and are avid Shabbat and holiday hosts. In her free time you can find Trudy speed-walking the streets of Pico-Robertson, cozying up to a nice book, or cooking an elaborate meal for friends. Trudy brings to the board a great passion for experiential Jewish education, and excitement for this wonderful model that allows folks all over to connect and learn with one another.

Rabbi Calvin Dox-Da Costa

Rabbi Calvin (he/him) serves as a member of the clergy team at Temple Israel of Hollywood. There, he leads the community in prayerful gatherings, oversees the b’nai mitzvah program, supports the youth and family in the three schools of TIOH, officiates lifecycle events, offers pastoral counseling, and engages learners of all ages. Rabbi Calvin strongly believes that the power of community derives from the individuals who make up that community, and he wants to continue helping to create and support communities where each and every person feels engaged and valued.