2025 DC Minyan BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
We are excited to announce the candidates for the DC Minyan Board of Directors. Please read the following bios to get to know the candidates and learn about their qualifications. Each of the candidates below was assessed as qualified by this year’s nominations committee.
The election will take place Sunday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 19.
Members in good standing will receive an email on March 16 containing a personalized link to the ballot and can cast their votes through March 19. Please check your Shulcloud account to ensure any account balance has been paid and your preferred email address is up to date.
🙏 Volunteer leadership is what makes DC Minyan run 🙏
We are so grateful for those who accepted nominations to the board and appreciate their willingness to contribute to the strength of our community. We encourage everyone to step up and serve our lay-led community, whether it is through board service, committee service, or by taking on smaller volunteer assignments throughout the year.
To learn more about the Board of Directors, how candidates were selected, and the election process, see below or and email exec@dcminyan.org with any questions.
2025 Board of director Candidates
The following DC Minyan Board of Director positions will be part of the 2025 Elections (all positions are for 2-year terms). For detailed descriptions of these positions, click here.
CANDIDATES FOR COMMUNITY RELATIONS CHAIR
Chana Solomon-Schwartz
Hello, DC Minyan. My name is Chana, and I joined DC Minyan back in 2006. DC Minyan has been my Jewish home since then, except for three years when I lived in eastern Tennessee. For the better part of 15 years, I’ve thought about how to make—and to continue to make—DC Minyan more warm, welcoming, and integrated. I’ve worked to manifest that with many wonderful partners over the years, and I would be thrilled, especially in these uncertain times, to continue those efforts as Community Relations Chair. I’ve worn a variety of hats in the minyan, Shavuot retreat programming co-chair, and then retreat co-chair; dvar torah coordinator; middle minyan leader; and even a stint subbing as a Friday night gabbai. The throughline for me has been trying to facilitate connectivity across and within the community, whether folks are newer to the minyan or have been around the proverbial block; and whether they already feel at home or are struggling to find their place.
Outside DC Minyan, I’m a researcher and project manager at the Library of Congress, who enjoys walks through my neighborhood in Adams Morgan and trekking to northern Virginia for yoga (ask me why!).
Tali Pelts
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, I moved to DC with my husband Gidon 2.5 years ago, pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology and working in nonprofit development. Since arriving here, DCM has quickly become one of the most important parts of my life in DC; you can usually find me laughing like a hyena and oversharing at kiddush.
I am eager to give back to a community that has given me so much. My experience leading Jewish community in college and working as a clinician and supervisor in corporate environments has equipped me with the skills and empathy to strengthen community effectively and collaboratively. I am eager to amp up DCM's chinuch programming, to thoughtfully consider how to best support our community during a time of professional change for many, to beef up our hospitality work, and to foster intergenerational connections. With plans for increased social action programming and efforts to increase our membership, I'm excited to expand the role of the Community Relations chair and grow our community to be even bigger and better.
I'd love to speak further with any of y'all about my candidacy, and to hear your ideas, too.
CANDIDATES FOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Akiva Fishman
Hi friends! I'm excited to be running for Executive Officer for this Minyan, which has been such an anchor for my life and my family's life in DC since I became a member in 2009. I met my wife Miriam at DCM; my two daughters, Amalia and Nessa, think of shul as a second home; and the yearly rhythms of our community are the basis around which we orient the rest of our family's schedule. I've volunteered in many capacities over the years (including 3 years co-leading the kiddush committee during which time I met my future spouse -- strong plug for volunteerism :) ) and I'm excited to step up in this role to help keep our Minyan the thriving center for committed egalitarian Jewish life in DC that it has become for so many people.
In my day job at the World Wildlife Fund, I lead engagement with large US-based companies to drive responsible forest and land management throughout their supply chains, and to advance sustainable development in collaboration with diverse stakeholders in the world's major soft commodity producing regions. My work is suffused with listening to and finding common ground among often divergent viewpoints (e.g., Indigenous communities, multinational corporations, government bureaucracies) to find and implement optimal solutions. And I'm regularly collaborating with teams of colleagues to develop complex strategies and then execute work plans efficiently. I look forward to putting this background to work for our community! (And hopefully Amalia forgives me for including a photo that does not depict her; tough finding any recent photos of me in the crowded vault of kid photos....)
CANDIDATES FOR FINANCE CHAIR
Joshua Klein
I am very excited for the opportunity to be the next DC Minyan Finance Chair. While my current claim to fame is having the honor of serving as our ba'al tekiah for the High Holidays, I have previously been on the Steering Committee (SC), was a member of the Oneg committee and the Gabbai Committee (GC), served as the GC Chair, and filled other roles over the last 15 years. I met my wife at DC Minyan and our 3 kids are enthusiastic attendees of kiddush.
While I was part of the SC I was very involved in budgeting and finance, and in my day to day job I am a financial analyst in charge of various government contracts. I also have a degree in Economics, but my most important qualification for serving on this board is my deep commitment towards ensuring that DC Minyan remains a vibrant davening community that is open and accessible to everyone. It would be my honor to serve as the Finance Chair and make sure that this community is on sound financial footing and that finances are not an impediment to any of our members.
Lauren Contard
Lauren has been attending DC Minyan since moving to DC in the fall of 2021. She has served on the Finance Committee since its inception almost two years ago. In that role she has worked to make sure the minyan’s finances are properly accounted for each month, helped members resolve Shulcloud and payment issues, and participated in two rounds of the minyan’s annual budget process. To the position of finance committee chair, she would bring this experience and an enjoyment of detail-oriented, behind-the-scenes work. Outside of DC Minyan, Lauren works as a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau, and also enjoys hosting Shabbat meals with her husband Elliot, being pretentious about movies, and attempting to read a biography of every U.S. president.
CANDIDATES FOR LIFECYCLE CHAIR
Tamara Litwin
I have been a member of the DC Minyan community since moving here in 2011. I previously served as a gabbai, helped plan high holidays and various programs, and currently coordinate Tot Shabbat. As an epidemiologist, I also provided Covid safety advice during the pandemic, but this is not a role I ever plan to reprise! As lifecycle chair I look forward to being there for and helping DC Minyan members as they go through life events both celebratory and mournful.
I live with my husband and three children in Adams Morgan. In my non-copious free time I like to travel, host Shabbat meals, and get outdoors whenever possible to hike or just enjoy nature.
CANDIDATES FOR VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Hannah Warshawsky
Hannah (pronounced "Chana") is originally from Silver Spring, MD, and has attended DC minyan since she moved back to the DMV in 2022 after grad school. She is excited to be considered for the Volunteer Coordinator board role and for the opportunity to become more engaged and committed to this amazing community. She has served in several roles in college and grad school where she has had practice matching people to their preferred volunteer position. Outside DC Minyan, Hannah works as a veterinarian, practicing at a clinic in Navy Yard. She spends a lot of her free time reading, rock climbing, and hanging out with her cats.
Other board positions that are not up for election this year include:
- Executive Officer (Eytan Deener-Agus)
- Secretary (Miriam Cross)
- Programming Chair (Abigail Romirowsky)
- Governance and Strategic Planning Chair (Rivka Friedman)
- Gabbai Chair (Benjamin Epstein)
- Immediate Past Executive Officer (Ariella Bock)
JOIN A COMMITTEE OR SUBCOMMITTEE
There are numerous other ways to get involved in the DC Minyan, including by becoming a committee member, or volunteering to chair a sub-committee.
Click above to join one or more committees or subcommittees.
(Please note, one must be a DC Minyan member to join a committee.)
Not seeing anything that calls to you, or would you like to discuss which team(s) you might want to plug into? Email volunteer@dcminyan.org to chat with our Volunteer Engagement Coordinator.
Additional Information
When is the election: The 2025 elections for DC Minyan Board of Directors will be held March 16 through the end of March 19th.
How does voting work: The election will take place virtually using a web-based voting platform. Each member in good standing will receive an individual voting link to the email address listed on their ShulCloud accounts when the election opens. The link will allow each member in good standing to cast a single vote per board position. While there will be no write-in option, there will be a “None of the Above” option for each position if the voter is unsatisfied with the candidate(s).
Who can be nominated: Any “member in good standing” may nominate any other “member in good standing” (including yourself) through completion of THIS FORM (note: if you are nominated by someone else, you will be asked to complete the form to accept the nomination).
Who can vote: Every full DC Minyan “member in good standing” is entitled to one vote per position in the election. Associate members are not considered full members.
What is a “member in good standing”: A member in good standing is someone who is at least 18 years old and up to date on any membership dues billed to your account (other than dues billed in the immediately preceding 90 days). This does not preclude voting by those with different payment schedules or excused requirements to pay dues based on financial hardship. If you have any questions about your current membership status, reach out to exec@dcminyan.org or finance@dcminyan.org.
What is the Nomination and Election Committee: This committee is responsible for developing and adopting policies and procedures for the nomination and election of candidates including any factors and qualifications it will consider in evaluating candidates. Committee members will conduct interviews of all nominated candidates. Per the bylaws, this year's Nominations & Elections Committee is comprised of current Board members Eytan Deener-Agus, Ariella Bock, Miriam Cross, Deena Fox, Zach Epstein and two members in good standing who are not on the Board, Tali Pelts and Rachel Lipman.
How are candidates selected: The Committee will assess candidates’ eligibility based on the factors and qualifications for the position that the Committee will establish, and which will be made available ahead of interviews. The Committee’s selections of candidates for the ballot will be announced two weeks prior to the election.