:: Lay Leadership Bios

 

President: Lauren S. Racoosin

     A member of the congregation for over 30 years, Ms. Racoosin has served on the Board of Directors since 1994 and is currently serving as First Vice President, Chair of the Professional Review Committee, Vice Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, Board Liaison to the Archives Committee, and, is a member of the Long Range Strategic Planning Committee. She most recently served as Chair of the Executive Director Search Committee, which brought Mr. Steven Jacober to Washington Hebrew Congregation in July 2007. Ms. Racoosin previously chaired the Early Childhood Committee, Cantoral and Rabbinic Search Committees, the Board Retreat, and is a past President of the Couples Club, as well as a past chair of the Parent’s Committee at the Rabbi Joseph P. Weinberg Early Childhood Center. Ms. Racoosin served as chair of the Worship and Music committee for many years during which Tot Shabbat services and Family Services at High Holy Days were initiated.
     In the wider community, Ms. Racoosin serves as Vice-Chair of the Federation Congregation Relations Committee, representing Reform congregations in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Ms. Racoosin was a founding Board member of the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning, and served as chair of the organizations first nominating committee. She has served in various volunteer capacities at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.
     Ms. Racoosin is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation program, a two year intensive study program for lay leaders, which focuses on Jewish history, text and thought, as well as leadership preparation.
     Ms. Racoosin is a Clinical Audiologist and has practiced at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC for nearly 25 years. She has been involved in the Department of Veterans Affairs National Hearing Aid Program and in community hearing screenings. She received a Master’s Degree from George Washington University, and continued post-graduate studies at the University of Maryland.
     She and her husband, Samuel, an attorney, have three daughters: Rachel, Jillian and Shira.

First Vice President: Peter L. Winik

     Peter L. Winik, a member of the Congregation since 1992, is currently completing a term as Vice-President. He served two terms as General Counsel, currently chairs the Development Committees, is Vice-Chair of the Professional Review Committee, and serves on the Budget and Finance Committee. Previously, he chaired the 2005 Nominating committee, served on the Religious School and Governance Committees, and he and his wife have also served as Mitzvah Day team leaders. He’s traveled to Israel twice on WHC trips: once on a family trip and once on a leadership delegation trip.
     Mr. Winik is a partner in the international law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP, where he has practiced for 28 years. He serves as the Deputy Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office, and as co-chair of the firm’s global Product Liability & Mass Torts practice group.
     Mr. Winik received his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University. He has served on the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School, the Jewish Council for the Aging, and the Council for Court Excellence. He has volunteered at Sidwell Friends School and a variety of pro bono and bar activities during the course of his legal career.
     He and his wife, Sylvia, a learning specialist at the Washington International School, have two children: Daniel and Allison.

Vice President: Cheryl P. Baraf

     Cheryl Paul Baraf, currently completing a term as Treasurer, is Co- Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and Board Liaison to the Early Childhood Centers and Primary School. She previously served on the Executive Committee as Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary. A member of the Board of Directors since 1997, she was Co-Chair of WHC’s 150th Anniversary Celebration and Chair of Macomb Street Interiors for the Renovation Project. Ms. Baraf was Chair of the Membership Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Fine Arts Committee for several years. She has served as Chair of the Temple’s Annual Meeting and as a member of several committees including Worship and Music, Executive Director Search, and Annual Contribution Review. She has also served on the Sisterhood Board.
     A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ms. Baraf received a Masters of Social Work from Catholic University. After working in family planning and rehabilitation medicine, she co-founded the clinical research division of Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates and currently serves as a consultant to their Center for Rheumatology and Bone Research.
     She and her husband Herbert, a rheumatologist, have two daughters: Alison and Meredith; a son-in-law, Aryeh Portnoy; and grandsons Maxwell Spencer and Brandon Fletcher Portnoy.

     Sherry Bindeman Kahn, a lifelong member of the Congregation, has been a member of the Board of Directors for the past seven years, having served on the Executive Committee for the past four years as Secretary and Assistant Secretary. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Development Committee. She also serves on the Professional Review Committee and has served on and chaired several other committees over the years.
     In the wider community, Mrs. Kahn serves on the Scholarship and Loan Committee of the Jewish Social Service Agency and is a past member of its Board. She has been actively involved in her children’s schools, including Georgetown Day School and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.
     A graduate of Cornell University, Mrs. Kahn received a law degree from the University of Chicago.
     She and her husband, David, a partner at the law firm of Holland & Knight, have three children: Brooke, Hannah and Ben.

Vice President: Michael S. Cornfeld

    Michael S. Cornfeld has served on the Board of Directors since 1996 and is currently completing a term as Vice President, Co-Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and Chair of the Investment Subcommittee. He has also served as Treasurer. In addition to WHC, he has as been active in numerous Jewish organizations, most notably the Jewish Social Service Agency, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors for thirty years and Chair of the Financial Management Committee. He also presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Gan Zikaron Memorial Park.
     Mr. Cornfeld is President of Heritage Investors Management Corporation, an investment advisory firm in Bethesda. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Investment Counselor designations. In addition, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the Investment Advisor Association as that organization’s Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee.
     A graduate of Cornell University, Mr. Cornfeld received his Master’s degree from Columbia University. He continues his service to Cornell as a member of the University Council.
     He and his wife, Janet, a psychologist, have three daughters: Jennifer, Melissa and Sarah.

Treasurer: Leslie Maitland

    Leslie Maitland, nominated for a second term as Vice President, is Chair of the Amram Scholar Series and a member of the Professional Review Committee and the Long Range Strategic Planning Committee. She has served as Chair of the Adult Education and the Edlavitch-Tyser Family Relations Forum Committees and as a member of the Worship and Music and the Life Cycle Committees. A member of the Board of Directors since 1997, she coordinated Family Services for the High Holy Days for several years, chaired the Congregation’s annual meeting in 2000, and regularly serves as a Mitzvah Day team leader.
     A writer and award-winning journalist, Ms. Maitland was formerly a reporter for The New York Times, concentrating on legal affairs and investigative projects in New York, before moving to the paper’s Washington Bureau to cover the Justice Department. She also participates in panel discussions of literary works on the Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio.
     Ms. Maitland is an honors graduate of the University of Chicago and currently serves as a Vice President of its Alumni Board of Governors. She earned a Master’s Degree in religion from Harvard University’s Divinity School. She and her husband, Dan Werner, executive producer at MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, have two children, Zach and Ariel. Mr. Werner is vice chair of the Scholar Series and often serves as program moderator.

Assistant Treasurer: David M. Astrove

     David Astrove has been a member of the Congregation since 1989 and currently serves as Assistant Treasurer, co-chair of the Administration Committee, co-chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and is a member of the long range strategic planning committee. In addition, he has acted as counsel to the Congregation in connection with the renovations of Macomb Street and the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center and several other real estate matters. David is also a member of the Board of the Garden of Remembrance.
     Mr. Astrove, a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia University School of Law, has previously served on the Board of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.
     David’s wife, Deborah, is also his law partner at Friedlander, Misler, Sloan, Kletzkin and Ochsman. He has three children, Jeffrey, Brian and Michelle Astrove and three step-children, Jeffrey, Daniel and Erica Segal.

Secretary: Linda E. Collier

     Linda E. Collier, a member of the Congregation since 1994, has served on the Board for the past eight years, the last two years of which have been on the Executive Committee as Assistant Secretary. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Gan Zikaron Memorial Park and is a member of the Budget and Finance and Professional Review Committees. In addition, she has served as chair and co-chair of numerous Temple committees, including serving as Co- Chair of Mitzvah Day 2000.
     Ms. Collier is a Real Estate Specialist with Arlington County, Virginia. Previously she was an Assistant County Attorney for Fairfax County, Virginia and an Associate with Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, practicing municipal law.
     Ms. Collier is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond Law School.
     She and her husband, Guy, a partner in the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, have three daughters: Leigh, Jill and Suzanne.

Assistant Secretary: Meg Jacobs Flax

     Meg Jacobs Flax, a member of the Congregation for 16 years, is currently completing her fourth year on the Board. She is Co-Chair of the Religious School Committee, a member of the Budget and Finance Committee and serves on the Board of Sisterhood. She has also served as a Mitzvah Day team leader.
     In the wider community, Ms. Flax serves on the Board of the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA). She has served as Chair of JSSA’s Nominating Committee and on its Executive Committee. She is also involved in various volunteer activities at Sidwell Friends School.
     A graduate of Wesleyan University, Ms. Flax received a law degree from the Harvard Law School. She and her husband, Sam, have three children: Caroline, Andrew and Ellen.

General Counsel: Richard A. Newman

     Richard Newman, a member of the Congregation for more than 20 years, is a partner at Arent Fox LLP, where his practice focuses on real estate and public finance, with an emphasis on the representation of tax exempt organizations.
     Richard is General Counsel to the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and served in a similar role for the Discovery Creek’s Children’s Museum, and is active in the National Association of Bond Lawyers and is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
     Richard is a graduate of New York University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
     Richard is married to Janice Newman, who has taught in the Macomb religious school for 18 years, and each of their children, Jessica, Joseph and Jacob work or has worked as a teacher or an aide in the religious school.