MEET COHORT #2 OF THE MANDEL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (MLI)
The Mandel Leadership Institute (MLI) is a community leadership development program for individuals who demonstrate the propensity and desire for high-caliber training in advanced Jewish leadership.
MLI is a program of Federation’s Mandel Center for Leadership Development. Click here to learn more.
COHORT #2
Sara Balas Densen
Sara Balas Densen, earned a bachelor in Finance-Real Estate from Indiana University in May 2005, started out as a receptionist for RE/MAX Northern Palm Beaches and later became Laura Balas’s assistant. In the summer of 2004, she completed an Internship for Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate brokerage, in New York before returning to Palm Beach Gardens to join The Balas Team in 2005. Her real estate experience and financial knowledge make her an invaluable asset in any real estate transaction. As a native Floridian, Sara understands the intricacies of the local real estate marketplace from both professional and personal perspectives. Her goal is to always do her utmost to exceed her customer’s expectations. Sara and her husband Chad live in Palm Beach Gardens with their son, Ryan and daughter, Lenny. Sara completed the third Cohort of ELP. She then went on to help start Kol Isha, the Federations Young Women’s Group. She now sits on the Women’s Philanthropy Executive Committee and is passionate about strengthening the Jewish Community to ensure it thrives for generations to come.
David Friedlander
David was born and raised in the Washington DC area. He graduated from Indiana University and later earned his MBA from DePaul University. After living in the frigid temperatures of the east coast and Chicago, he moved to South Florida where he now resides with his wife and two children. David enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors in the Florida sunshine and coaching youth sports.
Ilan Kaufer
Ilan Kaufer lives in Jupiter with his wife Stephanie, and their two children, Asher (5) and Arden (3). He was born in Philadelphia, PA, and has lived in N.C., Virginia, and Paris, France. He received his B.A. at the University of Virginia and a J.D. and Master degree from the University of Florida. Ilan is an elected member of the Jupiter Town Council and works for Florida Power & Light as an Environmental Project Manager. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the JCC and serves on the Board of Directors for the Palm Beach League of Cities.
Stacey Lampert
Stacey Handis Lampert graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor Science Degree in Marketing. She lived and worked in New York City for many years in both the Advertising and Publishing industries before relocating to South Florida with Bloomberg BNA in 1994 as a district representative. Stacey worked 26 years in outside sales. She is in the midst of finishing her third year as Chair of our Federation’s JCRC. She and her husband Michael live in West Palm Beach and are parents to David (28) and Benjamin (18)
Andrea Rosenberg
Andrea Rosenberg is a Florida native, born and raised in North Miami, FL. She attended Boston University and later received her Masters in speech-language pathology at Nova Southeastern University. She is married to Brett Rosenberg, a board-certified Endodontist in Jupiter. They are raising their boys Nate (13) and Benji (10) in Jupiter, Florida. Andrea is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with a passion for social emotional learning and mindful communication. In her free time, she can be found on the tennis court, boating with her family, connecting with friends or traveling the world.
Peter Sandquist
Peter is 62 years old divorced father of five young adults, three with special needs. Peter grew up in downtown Chicago. Peter was raised as a Christian. He married a Jewish woman in 1991 who wished to raise their children in a Jewish home. Peter, not having a strong (if any) identity with his family of origin’s religion, was completely on board. Over the course of spending many years participating in all of the Jewish holidays and rituals with his family, Peter desired to become a Jew by choice and converted 7 years into his marriage while a member of Temple Sinai, a reform congregation in Chicago. He lives in Palm Beach Gardens FL and recently left a 30 year career in the Financial Industry.
Jeffrey Silver
Jeffrey Silver was born in Queens, NY and moved to Florida in 1991. In Jeffrey’s business career, he has led the sales and marketing efforts of two enterprise software companies, built a plastic recycling company, and started a financial trading company from the ground up. Currently, Jeffrey and his wife Shayne, have built a successful real estate company. Jeffrey and Shayne live in western Lake Worth with their daughters Jordyn and their daughter Rachel attends UCF. Jeffrey’s community involvement includes positions on the Board of Directors of the Mandel JCC and as Secretary/Treasurer of his homeowners association.
Jennifer Thaw
Jennifer Thaw, originally from the Philadelphia suburbs, crisscrossed the country and the world working in marketing and event management as well as with Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union. After fifteen years in corporate America, she switched gears and spent five years working in the Palm Beach County Jewish community before becoming a full-time mother and part-time consultant. Currently Jennifer assists clients with business development goals and marketing plans as well as writing/copy editing projects during the year. And then she is lucky enough to spend her summers with her children at URJ Camp Coleman. Jennifer lives with her husband and two daughters in West Lake Worth.
Carolyn Yasuna
Carolyn Yasuna, a Connecticut native, has been deeply involved in the Palm Beach County Jewish community as both a professional leader and a lay leader for over 22 years. She attended Northeastern University in Boston and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts. While building her early career in the residential real estate management field, she served in a myriad of senior lay leadership roles in the Jewish community of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Ms. Yasuna joined the staff of the Alpert JFS in 2010 as director of major gifts. In 2014, she was promoted to Chief Philanthropy Officer. In 2018, she became the Founding Director of the Jewish Addiction Outreach and Support Program. She serves as Vice President of Temple Judea where she formerly held the position of Membership Committee Chair. She currently sits on the executive committee and chairs the Life and Legacy Campaign.
Leadership
Scott Holtz, Chair
Scott Holtz is a native of South Florida and lives in West Palm Beach with his wife, Cecilia and their dog, Shula. A practicing attorney, Scott is a shareholder with Prestia Holtz, P.A., a boutique criminal and civil trial law firm in Lake Worth. When he is not in the office, Scott sits on the boards of several local civic and charitable organizations. He is a self-described “ardent Zionist” and proudly supports Jewish causes here and in Israel, and serves on the Board of Trustees of Temple Emanu-el of Palm Beach.
Professional Partners
Debbi Roshfeld
debbi.roshfeld@jewishpalmbeach.org
561.385.0596
Lindsay Hirsch
lindsay.hirsch@jewishpalmbeach.org
561.242.6638 or 912.308.0622
