Adamah Board

Brett lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Heidi. Brett retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2021, after spending most of his career as a National Office partner in the Accounting Services Group. There, he led the income tax team and specialized in revenue recognition.

Brett’s journey with Adamah began back in 2007, when he and his entire family—wife, kids, and even his parents—took part in their first Hazon NY Bike Ride. (Hazon was the predecessor organization to Adamah.) That weekend kicked off a deep and lasting connection to the organization’s mission of sustainability, Jewish learning, and community. He also serves on the board of the Friends of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, where he chairs the audit committee. Brett has been a trustee and finance committee member at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ.

These days, you can find Brett frolicking around Central Park each week as part of the Central Park Conservancy landscaping team, or lending a hand at the Monday Night Hospitality soup kitchen. He’s an avid cyclist, a passionate environmentalist, and always up for a good bagel and a long ride.

Brett holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the State University of New York at Albany.

Josh Fidler is Co-Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners, a diversified real estate development business, and Founding Partner of Boulder Ventures, a venture capital fund active in the Mid-Atlantic and Colorado. He is responsible for project acquisition, design and development, contracting, operations, leasing, finance, legal affairs and administration.  He was formerly a practicing attorney with Paul, Weiss in New York, specializing in general corporate and federal securities matters. Josh presently serves on the Boards of Private Client Resources (Chair 2012-2019), BurnAlong, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He has Chaired several other non-profits in the Mid-Atlantic.  He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his BA from Brown University.

Daniella is an assistant professor of environmental planning at Utah State University where she teaches and conducts research on sustainable and resilient futures. Prior to working as a researcher, Daniella helped to design sustainability rating systems for cities across the country and worked as a climate adaptation planner. Daniella holds a PhD in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California Berkeley, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.

Jakir Manela is the CEO of Adamah. Born and raised in the Washington DC metropolitan area, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2004 and went to work at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center as a Teva Jewish outdoor environmental educator. In 2006 he established Kayam Farm, North America’s first Jewish Community Farm at Pearlstone, and in 2012 Jakir was promoted to become Pearlstone’s Executive Director. For the past ten years, Jakir has helped lead Pearlstone to its perennial status in the Slingshot Guide as one of the most innovative Jewish organizations in North America. Today, Jakir works collaboratively with the wonderful staff and board members at Adamah, as well as funders and partners across the country, leading the new merged entity into a new chapter of growth and impact. Jakir lives just up the road from Pearlstone with his family. He coaches youth sports and loves building campfires and making music with friends.

David Platt grew up as a member of the Baltimore Jewish Community, graduating from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School. David works as a finance professional for a Baltimore-Based startup Hungry Harvest and is committed to using business as a driver for change. He joined the Pearlstone Board in 2020, poised to be a part of an entrepreneurial organization that is consistently finding innovative ways to connect to the community and expand its reach to the broader world.

Becky Brenner is passionate about Jewish Day School education, the environment, and the Hillel movement.  In addition to her work with Adamah and the Pearlstone Campus, she currently serves as President of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and is on the board of the Associated Jewish Charities. She lives and gardens in Reisterstown, MD with her husband and two sons.

Brett currently resides on the Upper West Side (NYC) with his wife Heidi. He retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2021, where he spent the majority of his career as a National office partner in the Accounting Services Group. While in National, Brett led the income tax team and served as a liaison to the pharmaceutical and life sciences practice. An avid cyclist and environmentalist, Brett’s first encounter with Hazon was back in 2007 when he and his entire family (wife, children and parents) participated in their first of many Hazon NY Bike Rides. Brett currently serves on the Boards of both Adamah and the Friends of the Arava Institute. He has been a trustee and finance committee member at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ and is also active in AIPAC, Jewish Federation of Metrowest, ADL, and JNF. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the State University of New York at Albany, Brett is a CPA in both NY and NJ.

Josh Fidler is Co-Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners, a diversified real estate development business, and Founding Partner of Boulder Ventures, a venture capital fund active in the Mid-Atlantic and Colorado. He is responsible for project acquisition, design and development, contracting, operations, leasing, finance, legal affairs and administration.  He was formerly a practicing attorney with Paul, Weiss in New York, specializing in general corporate and federal securities matters. Josh presently serves on the Boards of Private Client Resources (Chair 2012-2019), BurnAlong, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He has Chaired several other non-profits in the Mid-Atlantic.  He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his BA from Brown University.

Daniella is an assistant professor of environmental planning at Utah State University where she teaches and conducts research on sustainable and resilient futures. Prior to working as a researcher, Daniella helped to design sustainability rating systems for cities across the country and worked as a climate adaptation planner. Daniella holds a PhD in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California Berkeley, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.

David Platt grew up as a member of the Baltimore Jewish Community, graduating from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School. David works as a finance professional for a Baltimore-Based startup Hungry Harvest and is committed to using business as a driver for change. He joined the Pearlstone Board in 2020, poised to be a part of an entrepreneurial organization that is consistently finding innovative ways to connect to the community and expand its reach to the broader world.

Becky Brenner is passionate about Jewish Day School education, the environment, and the Hillel movement.  In addition to her work with Adamah and the Pearlstone Campus, she currently serves as President of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and is on the board of the Associated Jewish Charities. She lives and gardens in Reisterstown, MD with her husband and two sons.

Wendy Bronfein is Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer and Director of Public Policy at Curio Wellness. As a member of the executive leadership team, Bronfein drives the company’s legislative agenda across multiple states, oversees the Curio brand, and all corporate communications. Under her leadership, Curio Wellness has become Maryland’s leading medical cannabis company, securing 90% brand awareness within the first year of operations. Prior to joining Curio Wellness in 2016, Bronfein served as Creative Director of On-Air Promotions at LIVE! With Kelly & Michael and was a Managing Producer at BBC Worldwide Americas from 2006-2010. She has also served in various freelance production roles in New York and Los Angeles working on shows such as The Andy Milonakis Show, Wanda Does it, and The Sharon Osbourne Show.

Brett currently resides on the Upper West Side (NYC) with his wife Heidi. He retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2021, where he spent the majority of his career as a National office partner in the Accounting Services Group. While in National, Brett led the income tax team and served as a liaison to the pharmaceutical and life sciences practice. An avid cyclist and environmentalist, Brett’s first encounter with Hazon was back in 2007 when he and his entire family (wife, children and parents) participated in their first of many Hazon NY Bike Rides. Brett currently serves on the Boards of both Adamah and the Friends of the Arava Institute. He has been a trustee and finance committee member at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ and is also active in AIPAC, Jewish Federation of Metrowest, ADL, and JNF. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the State University of New York at Albany, Brett is a CPA in both NY and NJ.

Sonia Cummings has been an activist/ philanthropist for the past 20 years, focusing on the environment, Jewish Life and the arts. She currently serves on the boards of Artis, I am Your Protector, (IAYP) and The Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Sonia is a former board member of The Jewish Funders Network, The Friends of the Arava Institute, (presently on its Advisory board), the Jewish Community Foundation of The Los Angeles Jewish Federation, (presently on its advisory board), the Medici Archives, the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Foundation, the Institute of Contemporary Midrash and the Santa Monica Museum of Art. She chaired the first giving circle for Arts in Schools! of LA’s 81 schools districts, the funding circle of the Inter-Agency Task force on Arab Israeli Issues, the Visual Arts committee of the Jewish Federation Tel Aviv /Los Angeles Partnerships and was a member of the Environment Initiative and the Steering Committee of the Jewish Federation Tel Aviv /Los Angeles Partnerships. She was an active member of the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning Leadership Committee of New York’s Temple Emanu-El.

Prior to becoming a lay leader and environmental activist, Sonia worked in the design industry developing products and private labels, marketing, licensing and forecasting trends, in Asia, France and the US. Sonia is also a fine arts painter and is currently working on a video project on legacy and contributes a regular column on design and art.

She is a member of the Council of American Jewish Museum, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, JFN, Threshold and an alumna of the Wexner heritage Foundation leadership program. She and her husband James both vote in CA.

Josh Fidler is Co-Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners, a diversified real estate development business, and Founding Partner of Boulder Ventures, a venture capital fund active in the Mid-Atlantic and Colorado. He is responsible for project acquisition, design and development, contracting, operations, leasing, finance, legal affairs and administration.  He was formerly a practicing attorney with Paul, Weiss in New York, specializing in general corporate and federal securities matters. Josh presently serves on the Boards of Private Client Resources (Chair 2012-2019), BurnAlong, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He has Chaired several other non-profits in the Mid-Atlantic.  He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his BA from Brown University.

Born in the backseat of a 1969 Buick Regal, my mother says the world was ready for me faster than her body was. She was right. I am both a quick thinker and talker, and am obsessed with puns very much to the dismay of my four children. I take the phrase “it can’t be done” as a challenge in both my professional and personal life. As the founder of The Probate Pro , I  take great pride in running the largest national probate coordination firm in America. My passions are spending time with my family, adventure travel, heli-skiing, trekking mountains, running, and re-inventing philanthropy.

Rob was born and raised in Baltimore. He earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering at Bucknell University and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. Rob built and managed a technology company for 30 years. Over the years, he has been involved with real estate and the development of several solar systems. More recently, he volunteers with environmental groups, advocates for legislation and invests in companies and organizations involved in sustainability.

Rob Frier is a Baltimorean and has been a major funder of our climate work, including the solar panels at Pearlstone and the new start of our Decarbonization Roadmap.

Michael has translated his passion for clean energy into Samba Energy, a company dedicated to bringing cost-saving solutions to customers nationwide. Michael has more than 18 years of sales and management experience as well as a deep technical expertise on a broad range of clean energy solutions including solar, LED, EV charging, battery storage, waste to energy, building management software (BMS), smart home solutions and monitoring, demand response, building and utility bill auditing, Energy Star benchmarking, cellulose insulation, cork stucco, geothermal, wind, etc. Michael studied entrepreneurship at Babson College and studied abroad at Bar-Ilan University. Michael lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Sarah, and their children David, Aimee, Joshua and Chloe.

Daniella is an assistant professor of environmental planning at Utah State University where she teaches and conducts research on sustainable and resilient futures. Prior to working as a researcher, Daniella helped to design sustainability rating systems for cities across the country and worked as a climate adaptation planner. Daniella holds a PhD in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California Berkeley, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.

Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, working on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change.

Susan Mattisinko is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Pathway Capital Management. She previously was the general counsel of the Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles and Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest New Jersey. She currently serves on the Endowment Committee of Jewish Community Foundation Orange County, the Climate Action Committee of Adamah, and the Board of Congregation B’nai Israel,Tustin, CA.

Susan, together with her husband Robert De Leon, sponsored and organized the inaugural Adamah-Hazon OC Ride in Irvine, California in March 2022. Over 150 participants plus 40 volunteers raised $20K. Susan and Robert also created Adamah’s Orange County Climate Action Grant Fund through the Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County.

Susan Mattisinko holds a BA from University of Pennsylvania, an MPA from Columbia University and a JD from NYU. She enjoys biking, hiking, travel, museums, theater and spending time with family and friends.

Liz Minkin-Friedman is deeply committed to the Baltimore Jewish Community having served as both a Jewish Communal Professional and lay leader for over 25 years. With a master’s in social work and a master’s in Jewish studies, along with a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service, she has built her career doing grassroots organizing, counseling, coaching, fundraising, leading, and building community and relationships.  Passions and expertise include working with and advocating for the following target populations: women and girls, LBTQA community, Israel, the environment & earth-based Judaism, leaders & professionals working in the Jewish community, and Jewish Day School education. She lives in Baltimore with her partner and three children, and in her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, reading, running, listening to music, dancing, and traveling.

David Platt grew up as a member of the Baltimore Jewish Community, graduating from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School. David works as a finance professional for a Baltimore-Based startup Hungry Harvest and is committed to using business as a driver for change. He joined the Pearlstone Board in 2020, poised to be a part of an entrepreneurial organization that is consistently finding innovative ways to connect to the community and expand its reach to the broader world.

In 2023, Emily retired from a 27-year corporate career, most recently at OUTFRONT Media, where she served as its SVP and Head of New York Real Estate. At OUTFRONT, she was primarily responsible for identifying and spearheading new business opportunities, managing key landlord relationships, developing new real estate and telecom assets, and handling complex zoning, permitting and compliance related matters. Prior to joining OUTFRONT in 2014, Emily spent seven years at Van Wagner Communications, LLC as a senior member of its Real Estate and Development team, and nearly five years at the NYC Economic Development Corporation in its Client Coverage group.

Emily holds a B.S. from Cornell University and is a licensed real estate broker in New York. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and their two children. She spends as much time as possible on her farm in the Hudson Valley, not too far from Isabella Freedman, where she enjoys gardening, cooking/baking, yoga and beekeeping.

In this next phase, Emily is seeking to channel her energies into giving back. She is excited to join Adamah’s NY Advisory Council, where she hopes to marry her passion for the environment and sustainability with various stakeholders to build awareness and raise funds through which to address the urgent need for climate related action.

Mark Russo has been a practicing veterinarian for over 50 years specializing these days in veterinary neurology and holistic medicine. He has served as chair of the Board of Directors of Elat Chayyim and Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center as well as the Treasurer of Hazon and chair of the Isabella Freedman Advisory Council. He is very active in local politics and is an ardent advocate for open space preservation and park creation. He is also a certified nature therapy guide (forest bathing), meditation teacher and yoga instructor. Other interests include long distance walking, building forest paths and especially practicing and teaching Jewish contemplative practices. Mark lives on a 300-year-old small farm in Plympton Massachusetts. He and his wife greatly appreciate the opportunity for stewardship of the farm and its tradition. Mark is also a Justice of the Peace and though a complete musical klutz endeavors to unlock the magic of his Celtic harps.