Sherman Minkoff
Sherman is a retired cardiologist who has been active in the local Jewish community during the past 40 years. He is a co-founder of the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix and currently serves as its president. In earlier leadership positions he has served as president of Congregation Beth El and as president of the Bureau of Jewish Education. He currently is on the Executive Committee of the Pardes Jewish Day School where his 3 grandchildren attend school and he serves as well on the board of the Jewish Community Foundation. He and is wife, Andi, are active members of Congregation Or Chadash of the Northeast Valley.
Andi Minkoff
Andi Minkoff and her husband Sherman are the co-founders of the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center. She currently serves as Treasurer. Andi has been a volunteer in the community for more than 40 years. She is a past Campaign Chair and President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. She served on the National Executive Committee of the Council of Jewish Federations and on the National Women's Board of the United Jewish Appeal both of which combined to become the Jewish Federations of North America.
She served as President of Brandeis Women's Committee and the Jewish Education Council (forerunner of the Bureau of Jewish Education) as well as on the Board of her synagogue. She has travelled to communities throughout the Western United States to teach fundraising seminars and to solicit major donors.
Andi also served as Vice-Chair of the inaugural Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission from 2001 until 2010.
Elly Bycer, a new resident of the Valley, has been involved with the local Jewish community since she moved here in 2010. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Elly now lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Matthew. Professionally, Elly is an attorney and a member of the Arizona, New York and New Jersey bars. She currently practices law with a Phoenix-based law firm concentrating in securities law and business transactions. Elly and her husband are members of the synagogue Ahavas Torah in Scottsdale.
Toby Amir Fox joined the Jewish Genetics Disease Board in August 2011. Professionally, Toby is the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Arizona Science Center, where she is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and directing all aspects of the Center’s corporate and foundation giving program. She is also an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and currently serves on their board of directors.
Since moving back to Phoenix in 2004 she has held a variety of leadership positions with Hadassah, the Valley of the Sun JCC Early Childhood Center and Congregation Or Chadash.
A native Phoenician, Toby earned a BA in Religious Studies from DePauw University (Greencastle, IN), as well as an MPA in Non-Profit Management and an MA in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy (Indianapolis, IN). She resides in Phoenix with her husband Dan and her children, Noah, Hannah and Abigail.
Joan Mollen has a 30+ year history of volunteering in the Valley, including board positions at Temple Chai, the Bureau of Jewish Education, the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and the Tucson, Israel, Phoenix Seattle Partnership (TIPS). She co-chaired the third and last capital campaign at Temple Chai, chaired the Phoenix Baptist Hospital Ball Committee for many years, and served as community representative for the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. In her work through the Jewish Federation, she chaired the Israel Experience committee which oversaw Birthright Israel, the Gift of Israel Program and the Grossman Grant. She chaired the Israel Center for six years and was the Phoenix chair of Partnership 2000. Currently, she continues to serve on the TIPS board as past chairman and on the allocations committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. She has visited Israel 12 times, and with her husband Marty, she has four children and two grandchildren.
Robert "Bob" Myers has been President of Valley Big Brothers, a lawyer, Superior Court Judge, Chief Deputy Attorney General, General Counsel to the Arizona Department of Corrections and an Adjunct Professor at ASU College of Law and Phoenix International School of Law.
Becca Hornstein is the executive director of the Council For Jews With Special Needs in Scottsdale, Arizona. She spent over 20 years as an instructor in Maricopa County Community Colleges and guest lecturer at Arizona State University. She has been a national consultant on disability issues to public and private schools as well as other organizations since 1981. Her articles have been published in a variety of print and online media. Becca is a popular guest speaker in the field of religious inclusion and disability related concerns.
Wendy Horwitch is a native Phoenician who has been involved with the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center from before its first screening. She now serves on the first Board of Directors as one of its founding members. Wendy is also on the Executive Committee of The Council For Jews With Special Needs. Wendy has a Master of Architecture from UCLA and owns a graphic and web design business.
Jaime Stern joined the Jewish Genetics Disease Board in August 2011. Prior to joining the board Jaime was a not-for-profit professional. The majority of her training and experience has been applied and used in the aging/active adult and elderly fields, specifically senior housing. Jaime is also a Phoenix AIPAC board member and an active member in her synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel. Jaime holds a Master in Gerontological Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Gerontology from the University of North Texas. She and her husband have one daughter.
Ann Zinman joined the Board of the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix in 2007. She also served on the JNF board for the past four years and is currently the President of the Board of Directors of Arizona Region. At the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, she served on the Board of Directors and also served as General Campaign Chair, Women’s Campaign Chair and President of Women’s Philanthropy. She was the recipient of the Golda Meir Award in 2008. Ann was also on the National Women’s Philanthropy Board of United Jewish Communities (UJC), co-chairing their NWP Machar Mission in 2007. In addition, she served on the National Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Board of UJC, the Boards of the American Jewish Committee, Council for Jews with Special Needs and Phoenix chapter of Brandeis.
Additional Board Members:
Bryan Wollheim, Secretary
Halle Farber has served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix since August, 2010. Originally from New York, she worked as a human resources and benefit consultant and as an executive in family-owned businesses prior to her current position. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University.
Halle has been active in the Jewish community for 20+ years, having founded a Jewish Women International Chapter, a Hadassah Special Interest Group for young families, and a Jewish Girl Scout Troop for the Greater Phoenix area. She currently serves on the Committee on Trustees at Pardes Jewish Day School and as Board Secretary of the Jewish Tuition Organization. A recent graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program, she has devoted herself to Jewish communal causes, particularly those dealing with health, education, and the arts.
The experience of a close family member with Gaucher Disease has led her to become an advocate for those with Jewish genetic diseases. She and her husband are the proud parents of one daughter, and they have resided in the Valley since 2004.
