Cheryl Carmel, President
President's Welcome
Welcome to Temple Brith Achim!
We have a unique governance structure dividing the work needed to run a synagogue into two equal parts, the Board of Trustees, overseen by our President Cheryl Carmel and the Management Team, overseen by the Head of Management Josh Saragovi.
These entities work in tandem to ensure smooth operations for our vibrant congregation and community.
My position as President is to oversee and provide support to the wonderful team of Board Members.
Feel free to reach out to me with questions, answers, suggestions and to volunteer for any activity at our temple home at president@brithachim.org.
I have been a member of TBA since 1993, the year I converted to Judaism. I believe in participating as much as possible and have volunteered a great deal and held a variety of positions throughout the years.
I am married to my wonderful husband Rick and have two children and two “grand girls”. We also provide a home to three very active rescue dogs.
I am a privacy and cybersecurity professional who after many years in larger organizations started my own consulting business focusing on small businesses who need the same protection as the fortune 500 organizations. I am a member of International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), where I hold the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), where I hold her Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT); and a CMMC-AB to assist businesses working with governmental contracts.
I am honored to be a TBA congregant and the TBA President.
Meet TBA President Jan Biros
Jan Biros, our elected Congregational President, took office June 1st 2023. Jan has been a member of TBA since moving to the area in 1985. She has previously served as co-president of Sisterhood and member of the Sisterhood Board, and over the past year she has been co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Celebration and the Capital Campaign. Jan is also a long-time member of the TBA Choir.
Jan has a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) from the State University of New York at Albany, and before her retirement in 2016 she served as Senior Vice Provost of Drexel University. In the years following her retirement, she has been an active member and president of the Phoenixville Rotary Club and president of the local chapter of the Gundaker Foundation, a charitable offshoot of Rotary. In 2017, Jan traveled to Myanmar as support staff for a Gundaker-sponsored medical mission providing cleft-palate surgery for indigent children. Jan has also served as a board member of Alianzas de Phoenixville, an advocacy group for recent immigrants; co-chair of the Phoenixville Fair Housing committee; and a board member of the Chester County Volunteer English Program.
Jan has been married 47 years to TBA Choir Director Steve Hirsch. They have two sons, Matt and Dan, both of whom became bar mitzvahs and confirmands at Brith Achim. They also have two wonderful granddaughters, Millie and Rosie.
Jan sends special thanks to outgoing TBA president Steve Kantrowitz. “Steve accomplished an amazing amount in his four years as president,” she says, “and I really appreciate the confidence and guidance he’s given me over the last few months as I’ve prepared to succeed him. He’s definitely going to be a hard act to follow.”
Jan is eager to hear from the congregation regarding their ideas and concerns. You can reach her via email at president@brithachim.org. I look forward to connecting with you!
Kol tuv,
Jan Biros
President, Temple Brith Achim