The Women of
Rodef Sholom
2022-2024 Board of Directors

Thank you to the current Women of Rodef Sholom's Board of Directors for all your hard work, dedication and service to our wonderful organization. We appreciate you & everything that you do!

Angela Giacomini, President
Toni Grimes, VP Programming/Social Justice
Jan Goldberg, VP Programming/Social Justice
Jen Levine, Co-VP Membership
Rosalyn Kahn, Co-VP Membership
Barbara Merino, Co-Treasurer
Lois Nole, Co-Treasurer
Toni Golbus, Recording Secretary
Jen Levine, Immediate Past President
Ingrid Tolson, Gift Shop Chair
BettyAnn Kram, Publicity Chair
Susan Goldwasser, Congregation Community Building Chair
Sheri Langer, Member-at-Large

Please See Board Member Biographies Below

The Women of Rodef Sholom continues to recruit members to volunteer with several standing committees within our organization. If you are interested in sharing your talents with Membership, Programming, Social Justice and Fundraising endeavors, please email your contact details to wrs@rodefsholom.org.The Women of Rodef Sholom is now recruiting members to volunteer with several committees within our organization.

Board Biographies in Alphabetical Order:

Angela Giacomini

Angela grew up in Marin County, and is a proud member of Congregation Rodef Sholom. Her parents joined the synagogue in the ’70’s. At Rodef Sholom, Angela went to religious and Hebrew school, celebrated her B’nai Mitzvah, Confirmation and joined the youth trip to Israel.

Angela graduated from Sonoma State University, with a degree in Liberal Arts from Hutchins School. She spent a year in Sweden, as an exchange student, where she attended a folkhögskola and lived with a weekend host family. Angela spent 24 years working at the Stanford Hospital and Clinics, as  a registerd Sleep Technologist and Manager, at the Stanford Sleep Center. She transitioned to become a licensed Health and Wellness coach and is now semi-retired.

Angela joined the Women of Rodef Sholom’s Board of Directors in 2017 appointed first, as a Member at Large, then elected as (Co) VP of Programming and as First Vice President. Angela is currently the President and is serving her second term. It has been a full-circle experience for Angela to join her childhood synagogue. Being of service is a way for her to give back to her community! Angela cares deeply about people’s well-being, nurturing friendships and creating a welcoming community, that leads to creating a sense of belonging.

In addition to volunteering with the Women of Rodef Sholom, Angela is actively involved in political causes and campaigns. She enjoys creating art, Israeli folk-dancing, singing, swimming, and connecting with her family, friends and caring for her beloved dogs.

Toni Golbus

Toni is a long time member of Rodef Sholom having joined the congregation in 1978.  She has been a choir member since 1980 and served on numerous committee and chaired the Interfaith Connection committee for many years, and  served on the Board of Rodef Sholom as First Vice President.  Most recently she has been active in social action and social justice issues through the One Vote One Voice campaign in co-operation with RAC. 

 In the Jewish Community Toni was chairperson of Marin JCRC and taught the History of Israel  the Land and the People in public schools under their auspices. Mickey and Toni led a mission to Israel during the 1991 SCUD war to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Israel.  

Mitzvah day you can find her manning the desk for Vivolent (blood bank) and she has been an active member of the Chevrah Kadishah since it’s inception. 

She was very pleased to be serving the WRS on the Program Committee and looks forward to continuing service to our sisterhood through the office of recording secretary.

Toni Grimes

Toni and her family have been synagogue members for eight years. She believes that it such a joy to be part of an inclusive and expansive community. The experience of her daughter’s Bat Mitzvah was pure bliss and cemented her family to Rodef Sholom.

During her career years in human resources at UCSF, Toni served in many roles from traditional HR duties for a variety of employees to organizational structure review for department/division growth well as staff engagement lead, creating programing to build the ‘glue’ leading high retention rates. In 2011, Toni earned her Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certificate and recently complete a certificate in College Admissions and Career Planning (CACP) from UCB.

After retiring from her position at UCSF, Toni is branching out to new community roles, as well as starting a a new venture as a college and career counselor, passionate about providing affordable and easily accessible knowledge. Toni also volunteers in the WRS gift shop, and initiated once-a-month Rodef Sholom hosted brunch meals at Jonathan’s Place, a Homeward Bound Shelter located in San Rafael. This continues her commitment to her years volunteering in the former REST program for unhoused men. As an active reader, Toni is a member of the Jewish American Book Club.

Toni has been an active member of the WRS programing committee for the past two years. She is now starting a one year term as Co-VP of Programing and Social Justice with Jan Goldberg and is excited to bring her organization and engagement skills from her career to this new community role.

As bringing communities together is one of Toni’s core values, she is excited to bring this passion to her position and is looking forward to connecting with many fantastic and inspiring women.

Jan Goldberg

Jan was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a predominantly Jewish area.  Her family belonged to Temple Emanuel, a reform synagogue.  While her older brother went to Hebrew School to prepare for his Bar Mitzvah, Jan went to Hebrew School too, although at that time girls were not allowed to become Bat Mitzvah.  She is so happy that when her daughters were old enough, they were able to become Bat Mitzvah in the same way her son became Bar Mitzvah.

Jan left Los Angeles to attend UC Berkeley, and soon met her husband, Hank (since deceased), who was a student at UCSF.  In 1970, the family settled in Tiburon where Jan served on the Reed Union School District Board of Trustees.  She found that public office was not for her, and she started Delicious Catering in 1975. The family joined Congregation Rodef Sholom in the early 70’s, and have been members ever since.

Jan is grateful that all three of her children live in California, so she can see them and her grandchildren often.  In addition to work and family, she is a member of the League of Conservation voters, and supports many environmental organizations.  She is also a long-time supporter of the American Bach Soloists, an early music organization.

Susan Goldwasser

Susan is honored to be the Good and Welfare Chair. It has been a privilege for her to reach out to members of our community to offer support, condolences and mazel tovs. Susan has been on the Women of Rodef Sholom Board of Directors and involved with Women of Rodef Sholom for 10 years and a Member of  Congregation Rodef Sholom and WRS for 17 years.

Susan has served in many volunteer roles including President of Women of Rodef Sholom. She has enjoyed participating in the Mother’s Day event at Venetia Valley, chairing the Seder committee, organizing volunteers for the Marin SF Food Bank. Currently she enjoys organizing virtual Museum tours for the Programming committee, to keep our members engaged and entertained during the pandemic. The most meaningful aspect of Susan’s involvement has been the relationships with other women in our community. She is so grateful to have met so many caring, bright, spiritual and fun women who have become dear friends.

When not volunteering Susan is a Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist working with individuals with Developmental Delays. Her twin daughters are 25, her son is 23. She lives in Tiburon with her husband Richard. She loves to hike and cook.

Rosalyn Kahn

Rosalyn Kahn is originally from Homerville, Ohio; a small town about one hour from Cleveland Ohio. She grew up on a cattle farm and her father is one of the last of the Jewish cattle traders and dairy suppliers in the state. She currently lives in San Anselmo with her husband David who is a lawyer and their two high school children; Milo and Clara. They moved from Las Vegas to San Anselmo in January of 2020. They knew no one and then we were locked in due to the pandemic. It was a very difficult and isolating time.

 Rosalyn is currently a full time Mom and mental health advocate. She chose to stay at home and raise her kids, with some unexpected challenges along the way; but is still fighting strong; advocating and supporting their needs. She has learned a tremendous amount of experiential knowledge from becoming a Mom. “To never give up and never lose hope”. This can be applied to many situations. The other is “you never know in life what challenges come your way, but to stay strong, learn from others that may have similar challenges and realize that you are not alone on these challenges”.

 Rosalyn received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Attended Golden Gate University with an M.A. in clinical counseling psychology and worked in several different types of clinical settings; such as hospitals, outpatient, residential and school settings. She also obtained an art therapy certification to add to my therapy tool box.

 Her true passion is cooking and baking. She has many cookbooks and has experimented in the kitchen since she was a very young child. She learned from  her mother who had elegant parties and loved to entertain. Rosalyn is casually writing a cookbook, and feels that it doesn’t make sense to anybody but her and some other cooks, that put a little bit of this and a little bit of that…. No measuring; only for baking.

 Rosalyn enjoys being fueled by music to create art on canvas. She learned in art therapy that it is all about the process rather than the product. She believes that amazing things can happen when you are not so hard on yourself to where you get stifled, rigid and stuck. She also love to arrange and decorate her house, consignment shop to find those special treasures, go out to eat and walk with friends, feed the squirrels, birds and deer. They became her best friends during the pandemic. She loves to watch movies at home and in theaters and go on mini excursions to explore new places. She loves the rain and loves to make food for people. This truly makes her happy.

 WRS is all about connection to Rosalyn. She no longer feels isolated due to the pandemic and feels that she has found some amazing people within WRS; that make her feel like she can call Marin home.

 BettyAnn Kram

BettyAnn Kram was a Cross-Cultural Communications Consultant for a Swiss marketing firm following over 20 years as  Director of Global Communications and Investor Relations for INFICON, a multi-national manufacturer of high-tech instrumentation. She is a founding member of the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (Syracuse, NY) and continues on the Board of Trustees.  Ms Kram is a professional voice talent for TV/radio commercials and records audiobooks for Learning Ally. She was an Adjunct Professor at the Whitman School of Management of Syracuse University and lecturer for EXPORT NY of the Central New York Technology Development Organization. Currently, BettyAnn lives both in Sausalito and New York state. BettyAnn serves on the WRS Board of Directors, is Publicity Committee chair, and Newsletter editor.

Sheri Langer

Sheri is an Artist and Psychotherapist.   She uses guided imagery and art to aid in therapy. Apart from therapy, she works in several media, including photography. Her fondness for travel presents her with many opportunities for shooting different cultures and landscapes.   And her love of and involvement in Judaism also finds it’s way into her art. 

She moved from Los Angeles to Marin, California 10 years ago.  In L.A. Sheri worked in private practice, a community clinic, two drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities and she exhibited her art in a gallery on La Cienega Boulevard.

Sheri did an artist-in-residency in Los Angeles at the California Museum of Science and Industry.  Sheri is currently a member of Artworks Downtown and Marine Society of Artists.  She is on the Board at MSA.  She has been showing her work around Marin and in virtual shows.

Her involvement in Sisterhood began when her mom missed her 1st meeting as President as she was giving birth to Sheri.  She got involved on her own at age 18.  Sheri has held several local offices, including President.  She was on the National Board twice.  She was involved in many WRJ conferences and on the WRJPD Board.  

Jen Levine

Jen spent her 30+ year professional career working as a property and casualty actuary for several large insurance companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently taking a sabbatical that may be a gateway to early retirement. Jen lives in Mill Valley with her husband, altogether too many pets, and, occasionally, her very different boy/girl twins visiting from college. She also has an older daughter who currently lives and works in New Hampshire.

Jen has been a member of Congregation Rodef Sholom and the Women of Rodef Sholom (WRS) since 2007 and has been an active WRS volunteer since 2014. Jen currently holds the WRS positions of Immediate Past President, Chair of the Nominating Committee, Gift Shop volunteer, and Programming Committee member. Prior WRS roles include President, Treasurer, and Gift Shop Volunteer Coordinator.

Jen is eternally grateful for the support and perspective she received from WRS women while she was raising three challenging teenagers. She now simply enjoys the social connection, social justice initiatives, and other activities of WRS and the Congregation.

Barbara Merino

Barbara has lived in the same community for 44 years, and through this time Congregation Rodef Sholom has become her second home. Her family joined in 1980. Just after her first child was born she was asked to help with a rummage sale.  Then when she had two children in religious school, someone asked her if was interested in joining the synagogue Board of Directors. Barbara served as recording secretary, first vice president, and then two years as president of the synagogue.  During Barbara’s first seven years of board service, she learned a tremendous amount about the Union for Reform Judaism, about Judaism, about her community, and about herself.  She was asked back on the board four years later, to add my experience to the planning, recruitment, and transition from our senior rabbi of many years to a new senior rabbi.

During her second round of board service Barbara lost her husband and then was diagnosed with a serious illness, and the Rodef Sholom community stepped in to help her. When she recovered and retired from her full-time job she found herself drawn to ways she could be involved with, and give back to the community.  One of them was the Sisterhood. She joined the board of the Women of Rodef Sholom for the same reason so many women do, because someone asked, because a number of the women who had been so helpful to me were active Sisterhood members, and because she saw the Sisterhood as a group of dedicated and caring individuals who were instrumental in the good work of our synagogue. 

Barbara has served WRS in a variety of positions including recording secretary, co-president, co-treasurer, and president. In 2021 she became a co-treasurer again, and looks forward to serving as a co-treasurer for the next two years. She has enjoyed being involved both locally and at the WRJ Pacific District and National level.  Since joining the District Board she has served as an Area Director and Area Director Vice President. She currently serves as the District Liaison to Camp Newman. Barbara hopes to continue serving WRS in meaningful ways.

Lois Nole

A born and breed New Yorker Lois has lived all over the US but primarily in Southern California.  While there she was President of her Synagogue’s Sisterhood for three years.

Lois moved to Marin to be near her son and his family six years ago after the death of her husband. She has been active tutoring reading at Sun Valley Elementary through the Experience Corp for five years.

As a member of Rodef Sholom since moving here, she is excited to join the Sisterhood Board as Co-Treasurer.  Lois looks forward to working with the wonderful women on the board and the Sisterhood and am excited to be of service.

Ingrid Tolson

Ingrid was raised in New Jersey, attended Boston University and has a BS in Business Administration. Currently she lives in Mill Valley with her husband. Their four boys attended Mill Valley public schools K-12 and Ingrid was active on PTA, the Kiddo! Foundation, and the Tam High Foundation for the 15 years they were in school. They are now in college and one graduated in June 2022. 

Prior to moving to California and having kids, Ingrid was in the retail business at Macy’s, JCrew, and Liz Claiborne, with various rolls in the store and in the buying office. Her last job was at Sephora in San Francisco, where she worked on the launch of Sephora stores in the US and in Tokyo.

Being connected to the Jewish community is very important to Ingrid and her family. Her boys went through religious school and became b’nai mitzvah at Rodef Sholom, and as a family they attended retreats at Camp Newman and traveled to Israel with Rabbi Stacy Friedman and other Rodef families. 

Managing the gift shop has been a fulfilling way to be connected to the Rodef Sholom Community and Sisterhood.  This role leverages Ingrid’s work experience and she finds it very enjoyable.