Board of Directors
2020-2021
King David High School is a community of individuals working together to create an exceptional educational environment. At King David students, administration and staff, parents and families, donors and community all strive together to define excellence in Jewish high school education in Vancouver.
The Board of Directors serves to give a voice to all of these interest groups, move the strategic vision of the school forward, and ensure financial viability. The Board is organized along portfolio lines in order to more effectively support administration, deal with the complexities of governing a high school, and involve more stakeholders in setting the strategic focus of the school.
Each portfolio chairperson oversees a committee that meets regularly and works with administration and staff to help define goals and implement strategies. Each chairperson then reports regularly to the entire Board when important issues are discussed and voted on at monthly Board meetings.
We are privileged to have a first-rate Board of committed, hard-working volunteers who are dedicated to improving every area of the school. We invite you to get know these individuals through the snapshot bios of each that follow.
We are always looking for new committee members. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the committee chairperson directly.
Together, we are educating the future of Jewish Vancouver.
The Board of Directors serves to give a voice to all of these interest groups, move the strategic vision of the school forward, and ensure financial viability. The Board is organized along portfolio lines in order to more effectively support administration, deal with the complexities of governing a high school, and involve more stakeholders in setting the strategic focus of the school.
Each portfolio chairperson oversees a committee that meets regularly and works with administration and staff to help define goals and implement strategies. Each chairperson then reports regularly to the entire Board when important issues are discussed and voted on at monthly Board meetings.
We are privileged to have a first-rate Board of committed, hard-working volunteers who are dedicated to improving every area of the school. We invite you to get know these individuals through the snapshot bios of each that follow.
We are always looking for new committee members. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the committee chairperson directly.
Together, we are educating the future of Jewish Vancouver.
– Jackie Cristall Morris and Neville Israel, Co-Presidents
Ronit Berger
Ronit spent much of her childhood growing up in Vancouver. After graduating from VTT in 1987, her family moved to the United States, where she continued her Jewish education and later received a BA from The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in Modern Jewish Studies alongside a BA in English from Barnard College of Columbia University. She met her husband, Tadd, while working at Camp Solomon Schechter, and the two finally returned to the lower mainland in 2007, after Ronit completed her PhD in English from Rice University in Houston, TX. Ronit currently works for Pearson Education as an online writing consultant, working with both writing instructors and post-secondary students globally to improve their writing and teaching skills. Ronit has worked remotely since 2007, allowing her the time and energy to raise her three children and work within the Richmond Jewish community as PAC Chair and later Board Chair at RJDS as well as Religious School Educator at Beth Tikvah Congregation. Ronit and Tadd currently have one child at King David, and she is excited to get more involved with the school and continue to work on supporting and improving Jewish educational opportunities in Greater Vancouver.
Chana Charach
Member: Development Committee
Chana attended UBC Sauder School of Business, and became a licensed mortgage broker in 1997. In 2004, she incorporated her own mortgage company, Synergy Mortgage. She is a member in good standing of the Mortgage Broker’s Association of BC (MBABC) and the Canadian Mortgage Broker’s Association. Chana is a volunteer director for the Mortgage Broker Institute of BC (MBIBC) which provides professional education to mortgage brokers as set out by the BC Financial Services Authority (FSA) for the purpose of licensing. Chana is also a volunteer director for the Hebrew Free Loan Association, which provides interest-free loans to those that need a “hand up,” not a “hand‐out,” in difficult circumstances. Chana and her husband, Randy, have strong ties to King David, as they have 2 daughters, Kyla and Talia, currently attending and another daughter, Shira, who graduated in 2019 and is currently at McGill University in Sciences.
William Clark
Member: Governance Committee
William, aka Billy, is a litigation lawyer and partner at Harper Grey LLP. His practice focuses on administrative and public law, including the representation of professionals in a wide variety of situations. He advises a number of public and non-profit bodies, as well as professional organizations, in matters of regulatory compliance, privacy, and member and Board accountability.
William has three children: Barbie, Adam, and David (aka the BADs). Barbie graduated from King David in 2016, Adam graduated in 2017, and David currently attends King David.
Yaron David
Ron Ezekiel
Secretary
Chair: Governance Committee
Ron is a graduate of Vancouver Talmud Torah and received his LLB degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He is a partner with Fasken Martineau, practicing business law.
Ron’s goal is to maintain and reinforce the good governance practices already in place at King David, and to assist the executive with the proper and efficient functioning of the Board and the school.
Ron and his wife Shelley live in Vancouver and have three children.
Diane Friedman
Treasurer
Chair: Finance Committee
Member: Investment Committee
Diane is a corporate director and business advisor. She is the Board Chair at the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC where she previously chaired both the Audit & Finance and Governance & HR committees. Diane spent five years as a corporate director with Community Living BC, a Crown corporation.
Diane has nearly 30 years experience in finance including corporate finance, subordinated debt, mezzanine finance and commercial credit. As a business and finance consultant, Diane works with First Nations, private companies, and not-for-profits, advising on Corporate Finance matters including business and succession planning, acquisitions and divestitures, and financing to support growth, acquisitions and management buyouts.
Diane has been an active volunteer in the Jewish community. She continues to serve on the Board of the Hebrew Free Loan Association, where she was the Board President for 9 years, and she is a past President of Jewish Family Services. Diane and her husband Mark are proud parents of their son Isaac, a King David student.
Alain Guez
Vice-President
Chair: Development Committee
Alain Guez was born and raised in Paris and came to Vancouver in 2011 with his wife, Michelle, and their three children. He received a Computer Engineering degree from the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne, and as of April 2015, he is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems.
Alain is a computer science engineer who became a sales and business development specialist. He has spent the 20 last years in both large publicly-traded and smaller private equity companies, where he succeeded in bringing to market some new and innovative technologies. After 15 years in the Telecommunications industry, he moved to health care, where he used his enthusiasm and leadership skills to promote new and innovative solutions.
Alain was always involved in his community in France and was member of the Board of his Jewish congregation in Paris. Alain is excited to bring his multiculturalism, his professional experience, and his enthusiasm for Jewish education to the King David Board. Alain has three children: Nathan, King David Class of 2019, Ilana, a student at King David, and Eva, a student at VTT.
Neville Israel
Co-President
Member: Development Committee
Member: Finance Committee
Neville is a native of Cape Town, where he received a Bachelor of Commerce and postgraduate accounting degree with honours from the University of Cape Town.
He brings to the King David Board solid expertise and experience in finance, corporate services, accounting information systems, and human resources, acquired over many years in the food services industry and spanning three continents. Neville hopes to share with King David the same leadership skills he uses as executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Sun Rich Fresh Foods.
Neville has served on the Boards of Sha’arey Tefilah and Richmond Country Club. He spends his free time with his wife, Michal, and sons Simon, King David Class of 2015, and Gabe, King David Class of 2019, and on the courts and greens where he pursues his dual passions for tennis and golf.
Joel Kallner
Member: Finance Committee
Member: Investment Committee
Joel was born in South Africa, and has grown up in Richmond. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from UBC, and then his Chartered Accountant designation. He is a Vice President, Finance, with Univar, a global wholesale chemical distribution company listed on the NYSE. Joel has been actively involved in the Vancouver Jewish community for over a decade, including serving on the Boards of Camp Hatikvah (Finance Chair), Temple Shalom, and Louis Brier Home and Hospital (Finance Committee), and is now on the King David Finance Committee. Joel and his wife Tara have three children – Noah, King David Class of 2016, Maya, King David Class of 2019, and Shayna, a student at VTT.
Joe Khalifa
Chair: House Committee
Joe has lived in Vancouver his whole life. He has a background in business and works in real estate development.
He has been an active and interested member of the Jewish community, with previous Board portfolios with Congregation Schara Tzedeck, Vancouver Talmud Torah, and Congregation Beth Hamidrash.
The House Committee will guide the expansion process for King David. Joe is currently on the Board of the Jewish Community Centre and serves as liaison between King David and the JCC. He has three children, all of whom have graduated from King David: Sam, Class of 2014, Izzy, Class of 2016, and Solly, Class of 2019.
Megan Laskin
Member at-large
After moving from Winnipeg to BC as a young girl, Megan has called Vancouver home ever since. She graduated from UBC Arts and then from UBC Law School and practiced criminal law as a prosecutor for more than 10 years. She retired to raise her two young children and increase her volunteer involvement in the Jewish community. Megan has served as a director on the Beth Israel Synagogue Board and the VTT School Board, where she helped initiate the PAC, has co-chaired Choices, was a director on the Federation Board, and recently completed her role as Women’s Philanthropy Chair for the Federation Annual Campaign. Megan’s daughter Rebecca graduated from King David in 2019, and her son Max is currently at King David. She is so grateful for the amazing community, education, and experiences offered at King David and is very excited to be able to contribute and give back to the school as a member of the Board.
Jonathan Layton
Member: Governance Committee
Jonathan is a father of three children, with his twin girls, Indy and Jasi, currently attending King David. Originally from Australia, his family moved to Vancouver in 2014. Jewish education is important to him, with all of his children attending Jewish Day schools. He considers joining the Board as an opportunity to give back to the Jewish school community, which has been very welcoming. Jonathan heads the Drugstore division of Save On Foods. He has an accomplished record in executive management in the pharmaceutical, health, and beauty retail industries. His success has come about through strong leadership, effectively growing brands by developing clear and relevant consumer propositions.
Jonathon Leipsic
Member at-large: while Past President, VTT
Dr. Jonathon A. Leipsic is the Chairman of the Department of Radiology VCH/PHC. He is Professor of Radiology and Cardiology with the University of British Columbia. Dr. Leipsic is also a Canada Research Chair in Advanced Cardiopulmonary Imaging, and Past President of the Society of Cardiovascular CT. Jonathan has two children at King David: Isabella and Carsyn.
Tamar Lipton
Member: Judaics Committee
Tamar was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and immigrated to Vancouver in 1994. A proud alumna of Vancouver Talmud Torah and King David, she graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Kinetics. She is excited to help contribute to the sustainability and future successes of King David, so that her two children can one day follow in her footsteps. A strong Jewish education is very important to Tamar, and she is eager to give back to the school and community that helped shape her Jewish identity. Tamar is especially keen to draw on her experience as an alumna of King David, and help encourage other alumni of the school to become involved in supporting King David to ensure it continues to be a strong pillar of the Vancouver Jewish community.
Jackie Cristall Morris
Co-President
Member: Development Committee
Member: Finance Committee
Jackie is a native Vancouverite. She spent 20 years in Toronto, where she met her husband, Gary, and started a family before returning home in 2006. They have two children: Ashley, King David Class of 2016, and Justin, King David Class of 2018.
Since her return to Vancouver, Jackie has been actively involved in the Jewish community, where she volunteers her time at the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. She previously served on the Board for Camp Hatikvah and the Jewish Family Services Agency.
Jackie is gratified to be contributing to the ongoing success of the school, building its reputation in the community, and strengthening its financial security.
Brett Sandler
Member: Development Committee
Member: Finance Committee
Member: House Committee
Brett is a Canadian and South African chartered accountant with 25 years of experience in the real estate and financial industries. He has been the group chief financial officer of Bosa Properties for the past 16 years. Brett has been involved with the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver for the past 10 years in a variety of capacities, including Director of the Board, member of the Executive Committee, member of the Building Development Committee, and Treasurer, and he is a past Sports Dinner Chair. Brett and his wife Jacci have a daughter at King David and a son at VTT.
Lori Satov
Chair: Investment Committee
Member: Finance Committee
Lori is an actuary with more than 15 years of consulting experience. She joined Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. in May 2011 as a member of the Client Solutions Team. She became a CFA Charter holder in 2013, and in 2015 became a partner of the firm. Her clients include large pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies, and foundations. In 2014, she and her husband moved their older son, Benjy, to VTT, and were so thrilled with the experience that they also moved their younger son, Oliver. Since both sons are now students at King David, Lori is keen to be a part of the strategic direction that the school undertakes in the next years. She is a graduate of the Montreal Jewish day school system, and believes that she can make a valuable contribution to King David’s educational and strategic initiatives.
