Susan Sacks – President

Susan Sacks (Deerfield, IL) is a native of Long Island, New York. She attended Jewish summer camps throughout her youth as a camper, counselor and senior staff. Susan earned a BS in psychology and Secondary Education from SUNY Oneonta, as well as an MSW from Hunter College in NYC. She spent her professional years as a school social worker in the NYC schools, as well as on university campuses, and then in Human Resources for a financial institution.

Susan is an active leader in the Chicago Jewish community. She is passionate about partnering with organizations whose core mission is to engage Jewish teens centered around Israel, experiential education and contemporary Jewish Rock music. Susan serves on the board of directors for JUF and JF Board of Chicago with emphasis on community engagement, family services, teen education and Israel. She is an active member of the Foundation for Jewish Camp Board and is a member of the board of directors of JewishRockRadio.com.

Susan and her husband, Marc, were co-Chairs of the Jewish National Fund Chicago 2018 interfaith mission to Israel. They were also honored during a Tree of Life dinner in Chicago. She has been an active member of the the Chicago Board of JNF for close to 20 years.

Susan is very excited to be a member of the Alexander Muss High School national board, as well as the Jewish National Fund-USA national board, where she can combine her passion for Israel, education and teen engagement. Susan, Marc and their 3 adult sons and daughter-in-law are based primarily in Chicagoland, as well as in San Diego. Susan became President of the Muss national board in October, 2024.

Ron Werner – President Emeritus

Ron Werner is President and Co-founder of HW Home, Inc., a Colorado-based lifestyle home furnishings retailer and design source. Prior to founding HW Home, he was a Sr. Vice President at Investments with Smith Barney. Werner currently serves as President of Alexander Muss High School in Israel; VP of Muss on Jewish National Fund-USA’s National Board of Directors; and is a member of the Nefesh B’Nefesh (Israel) Board of Directors.

As an alumnus (1982) of Muss, Ron refers to his time at the school as the most important part of his educational experience. Werner previously served as President and Chairman of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Mountain States Board. He is also a proud member of the organization’s World Chairman’s Council and King Solomon Society. 

Jackie Danilewitz  – Financial Aid and Scholarships

Jackie Danilewitz (Haverford, PA) is originally from South Africa. Jackie sits on the JNF USA Philadelphia Board, and Executive Committee and is a Sapphire Society member. Jackie is a proud parent of a Muss alumnus (2015), and sits on the Alexander Muss High School - Jewish National Fund-USA Board of Directors.

Michael Feldman – Muss Chair Program

Ellen Kelman – Student Life and Well-Being

Dr. Ellen Kelman (Scottsdale, AZ) is a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice for over 25 years. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, dealing with issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as many other disorders.

Dr. Kelman has a B.A. from Pomona College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Arizona State University. She is the Adult Program Director for Stepping Stones of Hope, a nonprofit organization for grieving children and their families. She serves on Jewish National Fund’s Disabilities Task Force, is a member of Circle of Sapphire, and the World Chairman’s Council and she is the Chair of the Student Life and Well-being committee for Muss. 

Michael Kessler – IAE and Zionist Education Continuum

Currently serving as the President of The Douglaston Companies, Michael Kessler (Dix Hills, NY) has been with the organization for more than 30 years, overseeing and managing the three companies’ financial teams.

Mr. Kessler focuses on securing financing for projects and oversees the financing and accounting aspects of each project’s full life cycle from inception through disposition. Mr. Kessler is also a key advisor and member of the Executive Management team and shares responsibility in supervising the organization’s insurance and risk management, Human Resource and Information Technology departments. Michael graduated Cum Laude from SUNY-Albany’s Business School with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a member of the NYS Society of Certified Public Accounts, and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Michael Kessler serves as Chair of Makor, JNF's National Ambassador group, is involved in preserving Israel’s heritage sites, and is a member of Go North - a campaign to build the Galilee through strategic investments in education, youth programs, tourism, and business networks. Mr. Kessler is involved in a range of non-profit organizations, was President of the Dix Hills Jewish Center, and received the UJA’s community leadership award in 2011 together with his wife, Ronnit.

Bob Levine – Board Member

Bob Levine (Teaneck, NJ) is a senior partner at the New York City accounting firm Levine Schaeffer Fink & Moss, P.C., and has a personal law practice as well. Bob has served as President of his synagogue, as Chairman of the Board of the American Zionist Movement, and Treasurer of Mercaz, the Conservative movement’s Zionist organization. Involved with JNF since 1968, he has held a number of leadership positions including National Treasurer, Vice President of Campaign, and has chaired the Budget and Finance, Labor Relations, and Missions Committees. As a mission leader, he has brought over 650 individuals to Israel to see the country through JNF’s eyes. Bob was the recipient of JNF’s 2010 Gould Legacy Society Heritage Award and is a Negev Society and World Chairman’s Council member.

Guy Miasnik – Strategic Planning

Guy has been active in the nonprofit space for over a decade, with a specific focus on education, entrepreneurship, and Jewish life. Guy is on the boards of Hausner and Kehillah day schools in the Bay Area, and JNF’s Alexander Muss high school in Israel.  Guy is currently a board member of the Jewish Community Federation of the SF Bay Area as well as committee member of its $2B Endowment Fund. Guy serves on various advisory boards and initiatives at Harvard Business School, and, with his wife, Michal, are Honorary Trustees of the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University and sponsors of Princeton’s TigerTrek to Israel.

Guy earned his MBA at Harvard Business School, his bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from the Technion and a Law degree (LLB) from Tel-Aviv University. Guy, born in Israel, has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 23 years with his wife and three children. In his free time, Guy enjoys biking, hiking, traveling and photography, and is currently training to be a private pilot.

Guy joined the Muss board after his daughter, Noa, participated in Muss' semester program in 2022 and called it the "most impactful experience of [her] life." Guy is excited to bring his passion for education, Jewish life, and Israel to his Muss board service. 

Wendy Miller – Mid-Atlantic Region

Wendy Miller (Baltimore, MD) is a 1984 graduate of the University of Maryland, School of Nursing. Wendy has held several leadership positions within her community, including the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School board, the Beth Tfiloh Congregation Board, Chair of Israel Bonds of Maryland, Women’s Division 2013-2015, Chair of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Associated Women Campaign in 2018, and has been a National Women’s Philanthropy board member, JFNA, since 2018. Wendy is also on the Baltimore Regional Board serving as the Muss Chair. Wendy has been married to Dr. Jeffrey Miller for over 36 years and has three children and two grandchildren.

Joel Reinstein – Israel Operations

Jack Roldan – Marketing Co-Chair

Jack Roldan (Denver, CO) is the owner and founder of See Deep Consulting, a customer experience and digital agency. Raised in Southern California before returning to Colorado, he is a champion of higher-education, personal development and philanthropic endeavors positively impacting individuals and communities. From leading young professionals on a JNFuture mission to engaging the local Denver Jewish community as an active Mountain States Regional Board Member, he has a passion for philanthropy, people and Israel and is a member of JNF's President's Society.

Mark Sachs – Interim Treasurer

Marc Sachs graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising. 

After graduation, Marc started his advertising career at 360, Inc. in Atlanta, GA as a copywriter. He stayed there two and half years until McCann Erickson, NY hired him to work on the MasterCard Priceless campaign. While in NY, he also worked for clients such as Motorola, Smith Barney, the launch of the first XBOX, Microsoft, and many others. 

In 2002, Marc came back to Texas when hired by GSD&M as a Senior Copywriter. In Austin, Marc wrote TV campaigns for the PGA Tour, Dial Soap, Charles Schwab, and the World Golf Hall of Fame. While in advertising, his work was recognized by Cannes Lion (short list), Adweek, Art Director’s Club of NY, Communication Arts, and others. 

In 2005, Marc switched careers and joined Republic National Distributing Company. In his 18 years with the company, Marc has excelled in 10 different roles of the business. In January of 2021, Marc became a Partner and joined the Board of Directors. 

Marc received his MBA from SMU in 2012 and lives in Dallas with his wife of 22 years, Paige. Together they have 3 children Tucker (18), Sallie (15) and Bo (12). 

Marc is proud of his efforts to give back to his community. He has previously held positions on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of North Texas and Temple Emanu-el, Dallas. He and Paige are also members of both the UT Chancellor’s Council – Ashbel Smith Circle and the President’s Associates. Paige and Marc have endowed a scholarship for UTNY and he currently sits on the national board of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel. 

Brian Seitz – Southeast Region

Brian Seitz is a native Atlantan, who attended Muss in Fall of 1991. Brian currently owns and operates Plymouth Funding, a private real estate investment firm in Atlanta. Brian is passionate about Jewish education and community affairs, serving on various boards, including the Epstein School and the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Brian has also been active in both Maccabi USA and the JCC Maccabi Games, participating in 8 sets of games both nationally and internationally. Brian just recently joined the Muss board and looks forward to spreading the Magic of Muss to others!

Born in Chicago to parents from Ukraine, Myron was raised in Ohio and graduated from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. He started his career as a CPA and went on to serve as a senior executive of both public and private companies. Myron’s career pivoted thirty-eight years ago when he joined Merrill Lynch, where he is currently active with the title of Managing Director. He has been recognized as a top advisor multiple times by publications like Barrons and Forbes in their best in state listing. Proudly married to Debbie LCSW and blessed with three children and eight grandchildren, Myron is active in community affairs and currently serving on both the JBF national board and Muss. Past activities include serving as president of the oldest synagogue in Miami and board and officer positions in a variety of organizations.

Alayne Sulkin is publisher and editor-in-chief of ParentMap, a Seattle media company that provides daily digital access to essential parenting information, along with a monthly news magazine, targeted annual periodicals and a highly regarded lecture series

Alayne currently serves on the Shalom Hartman Institute, Brothers for Life, and StandWithUs boards, and is actively involved in amplifying other Jewish organizations in Seattle such as One Table, UW Hillel, and Jewish National Fund / Alexander Muss High School in Israel. Alayne and her husband, Robert, have three adult children, Arielle (Adam), Eli and Maya, and two grandchildren, Levi and Stella. 

Bob Werner (Aventura, FL) was a Sr. Vice President of the Werner Company, the world’s leading producer of climbing products, for over forty years. Mr. Werner is an RPI graduate in metallurgical engineering, and applied his expertise in metallurgy, material science and manufacturing by developing new alloys, and improving aluminum extrusion and fiberglass pultrusion processes to expand the company’s product line and product safety. Bob is a veteran of the Korean War, where he applied his engineering skills developing a unique process to accelerate repair of tank engines. He has devoted time working on national ladder safety standards and trade association activities. For his service as Chair on the ET Committee’s international seminar on extrusion technology for twenty years, Bob was named the Chairman Emeritus.

Joseph Wolfson (Philadelphia, PA), an attorney with Stevens & Lee in Philadelphia, PA, currently serves as Chairperson and is a past President of the Board of Directors of Alexander Muss High School in Israel.  Joe is a former state prosecutor for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. An active member of the Jewish community, Joe is currently First Vice President of JNF-USA’s national board, a past President of JNF-USA’s Philadelphia Board, Chair of the Executive Committee of JNF-USA’s World Zionist Village, former Chair of Makor, and a member of JNF-USA’s President’s Society and Century Council. Joe also is a past President of the Reading, Pennsylvania Jewish Community Center.