Special Board Liaisons
Immediate Past President – Shari Nichols
Shari Nichols joined Congregation Beth Israel in 1996. She has served on the CBI Board as Secretary and Vice President of Ritual and Worship. She is member of the Makheilah, serves on the Ritual Committee and as a Shabbat lay leader and has served as one of the Congregation's Cantorial Soloists for CBI. Shari works for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as Regional Services Attorney for the Austin Region, and serves on the Board of Directors of The Care Communities (formerly Interfaith Care Alliance), an organization that provides assistance to people living with AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses. Shari has served at President of the Congregation since February 2006.
Past President’s Representative - Shelli Miller
Shelli Miller grew up in Houston, Texas where she was active at Congregation Emanu El. She has lived in Austin since 1980 and holds three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Shelli has been a member of Congregation Beth Israel since 1991 and has served as Ritual Committee Chair, Substitute Cantorial Soloist, Vice President of Ritual and Membership, Treasurer, First Vice President, and President. She is currently a member of the URJ Regional Board of Trustees and serves as Treasurer of Austin Area Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. Shelli is a self-employed Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner, and lives in Northwest Austin with her husband Michael Kline and their two dogs, Curly and Henry.
Laura Kerr – Child Development Center (CDC) Representative
Laura is 33 years old from Houston Texas, where her parents still live. She is one of a set of triplets and has an older brother as well. She married Josh Kerr in 2000 and has a daughter Jenny who is 2 and expecting her next child in October. She grew up being active in Jewish activities at Temple Beth Israel in Houston including Sunday school teaching, youth group NFTY and after college as Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow through Hillel. She spent every summer at Greene Family camp from age 8 through Garine Greene trip to Israel and then returned as staff member. She recently served as chair for CBI 130th Celebration. She attended University of Kansas undergraduate and earned Physician Assistant degree from Cornell Medical School in New York City in 2003. She lived in NYC with Josh from 2000 until 2003 and they have been in Austin the last 5 years. She enjoys cooking, dancing and spending time with family and friends
Sisterhood President - Nicole Villalpando
Nicole has served on the Sisterhood board since 2000 as recording secretary, human relations vice president and president-elect. She served on the congregation's Board of Trustees from 2002-2004. She served as co-chair of Celebration 2005, raising more than $82,000, and served as sponsorships chair for the 130th Anniversary Celebration, raising more than $86,000. She also put together the Cantor's Concert and the Yom Kippur appeal last year. Nicole has been a member of the Makheilah since 1998 and has written the Purim Shpeil since 1999. She also has been a Religious School teacher and a chair of the congregation's nominating committee. Nicole will be installed as recording secretary for the Southwest District of the Women of Reform Judaism in June. Nicole is features copy editor with the American-Statesman and is a 1996 graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She and her husband, Roberto, have two children: Benjamin, 6, and Ava, 3.
Brotherhood President – David Moll
David has lived in Austin since 1976. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas—where he met wife, Stephanie—and an MBA from St. Edwards University. David has been secretary of Brotherhood, is a Shabbat morning layleader, sings in the choir and has served as one of CBI's Cantorial Soloists for 2005-2006. David also assists with maintaining the Temple’s computer systems. He and Stephanie have one son, Daniel. David has been a member of Congregation Beth Israel since 1990. David served as V.P. of Membership & Finance for 2005-2006.
ATT (Austin Temple Teens) President - Leah Barish
Leah Barish, President of Austin Temple Teens, Austin's only reform Jewish youth group, is thrilled to be serving her fourth year on the board of ATT and her first year on the temple board. She first became involved in the North American Federation of Temple Youth, ATT's mother organization, when she was asked to serve on ATT's board her freshman year. She hastily agreed and four years later has never regretted becoming involved. Last year she spent five weeks in Israel and Eastern Europe with NFTY, and the first step to going on that trip for her was becoming active in ATT. When Leah is not planning or attending meetings or events for ATT, she is a busy senior at McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy and is a very active participant in their award-winning theatre department.