Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MESSAGE​

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 members all strive to achieve excellence in Jewish high school education in Vancouver.

The Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in providing strategic oversight, amplifying the voices of all stakeholders. Collaborating closely with the School Leadership Team, the Board shapes and executes the school’s strategic vision, supports fundraising efforts, and ensures long-term financial sustainability. One of the Board’s primary responsibilities is the selection and support of the Head of School. Organized by portfolio, the Board addresses the multifaceted challenges of governing a high school, fostering a wider range of perspectives in determining the school’s strategic focus.

Each portfolio chair oversees a dedicated committee that convenes regularly to work alongside the administration and staff, offering risk oversight, defining goals, and implementing strategies. The committee chair actively seeks board input, provides recommendations, and delivers comprehensive reports during the board meetings, which take place 6-7 times annually, with additional meetings scheduled as necessary.

We are immensely grateful to have an outstanding Board composed of dedicated, industrious volunteers who are wholeheartedly committed to enhancing all aspects of our school. We encourage you to acquaint yourself with these exceptional individuals by exploring the concise bios presented below.

We are continually seeking new committee members, and if you are interested in joining a committee, please feel free to reach out directly to the committee chair.

– Diane Friedman and Alain Guez, Co-Presidents

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.

Michael was born and raised in Vancouver and has an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. He is a results-driven financial executive with over 20 years of business experience in real estate, private equity, subordinated lending and commercial banking. He also brings expertise in the areas of corporate governance and management of institutional capital to the King David board.

Chana has been a licensed mortgage broker since 1997 and is president of Synergy Mortgage Inc. For the past 20 years, she has volunteered in various roles in the Jewish community. Currently, she serves as the Co-Agency Liaison for the Jewish Federation working cabinet and is also a canvasser. For over 8 years, she has been a volunteer director for the Hebrew Free Loan Association, which provides interest-free loans to Jewish people that need a “hand up,” not a “hand‐out,” in difficult circumstances. For 7 years, Chana was a member of the planning committee for Night of 100 Dinners, a major innovative Jewish fundraiser and she also co-chaired the event. Chana and her husband Randy have strong ties to King David High School. They have two graduates, Shira and Kyla. Shira was in the King David Class of 2019 and is at McGill studying for her BSc in Kinesiology. Kyla graduated from King David in 2021 and is working towards her BFA majoring in Studio Arts at Concordia University. Their youngest daughter, Talia is currently a student at King David High School.

Yaron is the owner of Fourth Wind Properties, a privately held affordable housing acquisitions and management firm which has owned and operated mobile home parks and apartment buildings within Florida’s Tampa Bay area for nearly 20 years. Yaron grew up in Vancouver, completed his undergraduate degree from UBC, and then traveled south, where he and his wife Meirav completed their MBAs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon graduation, Yaron joined BSR Projects in Florida, as lead Managing Director for the Israeli-based, publicly-traded real estate development company, while working as an adjunct faculty member at St. Petersburg’s Eckerd College teaching undergraduate Business Management courses. Yaron and Meirav returned to Vancouver 10 years ago and have four children, Aviv, King David Class of 2021, Amit King David Class of 2023, and Ziv who is currently at King David, and Itay, a student at VTT.

Diane is a corporate director and business advisor with over 30 years experience in finance and as a board member, committee and board chair in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Diane has been an active volunteer in the Jewish community for over two decades, serving on multiple boards. Diane and her husband are proud parents of a King David graduate.

Phil was born and raised in Vancouver.  He attended UBC for both his undergraduate B. Com and MBA with a specialization in Urban Land Economics.  He has spent the last 33 years of his career in the real estate industry as an investor, developer, and consultant.  Currently, as an Executive Vice President at Altus Group Phil specializes in helping clients mitigate property tax.  He is also the Principal of Desert Homes Inc., a company which owns and develops rental properties in the greater Palm Springs area of California.  Lastly, Phil also provides a variety of real estate consulting services through his company Kale Consulting Inc..  Phil’s connection to King David includes three nieces and nephews who have and are currently attending the school.  He is actively increasing his volunteer involvement in the Jewish community and is excited to be a new member of the King David Board and a representative on the JWest Trustee Board.  Phil has been married to his wife Keren for 32 years and has two children Oriana and Liron.
Roni was born and raised in Israel. She graduated from Tel Aviv University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics and an MBA with a specialization in Finance and Accounting. After graduation she spent a few years in Canada and in California and in 2002 she settled in Vancouver. Roni works for Kodak as a Finance Director. She has been an active volunteer in the Jewish Community; she serves as a director on the Congregation Beth Israel Board, she is the Vice President of Hebrew Free Loan Association, an organization that provides interest-free loans to help Jewish individuals overcome financial challenges, and prior to joining the King David Board, she was a member of the Finance Committee at VTT. Roni and her husband Chen have three children – two who currently attend UBC and a daughter at King David.
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 a 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, King David Class of 2021, and Eva, a student at King David.
 
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. As a CPA with a strategic mindset and a strong track record in effectively managing enterprise risk in complex environments, Neville brings strong business and organizational expertise and experience to the King David Board. Neville hopes to share the leadership skills he has developed as CEO and CFO of various companies that he has been a part of as both an executive and business owner. Neville has served on several community Boards and 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 pickleball and golf.
 
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, attending the Trek program this year..
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.
 
 
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, King David Class of 2019, and her son Max, King David Class of 2021, are both proud graduates. 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.
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 have a daughter, Isabella, who graduated from King David in 2022 and a daughter, Carsyn, at King David.
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 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 who graduated from King David in 2021 and a son at King David.
Tracey was born and raised in London, UK. With a degree in Law and Business Studies, she spent the first decade of her career as a corporate lawyer. In 2004, she moved to France with her South African husband Stuart and their four children where they built and ran a boutique holiday resort for families for many wonderful years. In 2011, the family moved to Vancouver to continue their adventures, and to enable the children to experience Jewish community in a way that was not possible in the French countryside. Tracey is now the Vancouver General Manager for Gowling WLG, an international law firm where she has responsibility for all non-legal operations including business management, accounting and finance, HR, marketing, facilities and systems. With over 25 years of legal and operations experience, Tracey is looking forward to giving back to KDHS via participation on the board. Tracey and Stuart are proud parents of two King David alumni, Nicole and Alex, Class of 2021.
Joanna Wasel was born and raised in Vancouver. She attended Talmud Torah as a child and later worked in the Kindergarten there while she was studying at the University of British Columbia. She also grew up going to Camp Hatikvah before serving on staff for many years and eventually taking on the position of Board President which she currently holds. Professionally, Joanna is the Executive Director of the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Vancouver; a charitable organization that provides interest-free loans to community members in need. With over 20 years of experience volunteering or working in the Jewish community, Joanna has a passion for helping both people and organizations thrive. She believes there is almost always a solution to every problem and strives to create positive and meaningful change in all she does. Joanna has two children and her youngest is in Grade 9 at King David this year. She and her husband Allan couldn’t be more impressed with the warm and enriching environment King David creates.
 

Sherri was born and raised in Winnipeg. She graduated from Northwestern Dental School in Chicago in 1995 and has been practicing dentistry here in Vancouver since. For the past 30 years, she has volunteered in numerous roles in the Jewish Community, such as chair of the JFS Innovators lunch for 10 years and co-chaired Choices for several years. Currently, she serves on the board of Jewish Family Service, as well as the board of Hebrew Free Loans which provides interest-free loans to those in the Jewish community. Sherri is currently a member of the Development Committee at King David. Sherri’s daughter is a Grade 11 student at King David High School. 

Send a Tribute Card

Make a Gift