April 2011 ~ www.templenashville.org

Nominating Committee Report
By Patty Marks
It is my pleasure, as chairman of the Nominating Committee, to make this report. Let me begin by thanking
the members of the committee for their time, effort and commitment to the goals of the committee. Members
of the committee from the congregation are Risa Klein Herzog, Meryl Kraft, and Betty Werthan. Members of
the committee from the Board of Trustees are Erin Herbst, Betty Lee Rosen and Robb McCluskey.
The Nominating Committee would like to recommend the following slate of names to serve a full fouryear
term as members of the Board of Trustees:
Alan Cooper
Alan and his wife of 47 years, Regina, moved to Nashville in 1994 and joined The Temple in 1996. They have
two grown children, Judie, who lives in Atlanta, and Scott, who is married to Meridith. They have a son, Samuel,
who is nine. Alan retired in 2010 from H.J. Heinz Company, where he worked for 25 years. Alan served on
the Board of Trustees of the congregation in Fort Worth he and his family belonged to during their 25 years
in Texas.
Jimmy Marks
A long-time member of this congregation, Jimmy currently serves on the Budget Committee, which he has
chaired in the past, as well as the Green Team, which he currently co-chairs. In addition, he has served on both
Gesher committees. Jimmy is married to Patty, who is the Immediate Past President of the congregation. They
have two grown sons, Albert, who is engaged to Rachel Kaplan, and Michael. Trained as a CPA, Jimmy is president
of OneApp Agency, a computer software company.
Alice Rothman
Alice moved to Nashville from Durham, N.C. with her husband, Russell, in 2002. She currently serves on the
Advisory Committee for Temple Playschool and is active with the Parent Committee. Her son, Jacob, a graduate
of the Playschool, attends Temple Religious School. Her daughter, Ellie, is currently enrolled in the Playschool.
Alice is a general pediatrician at Vanderbilt, practicing at One Hundred Oaks, and serving as the medical director
for the International Adoption Clinic.
Freya Sachs
Freya grew up at The Temple – from consecration to post-con rmation – and currently teaches fth grade
in the religious school, is a member of the Green Team, and was glad to be a part of the committee involved
in selecting the current prayer book. Freya teaches English and Environmental Studies at University School
of Nashville. She enjoys traveling, reading and making things – whether poems, jewelry, knitting, bread or
something new.
Karen Silien
Originally from New Jersey, Karen has been delighted to call Nashville her home for 12 years. Karen’s
professional background includes leadership development and training, higher education administration and
more recently counseling and consulting psychology. She is the founder of a new consulting company,
InBodied Living. She teaches adjunct in the Human Development Counseling program at Vanderbilt
University. At Temple, Karen served as co-chair of the Caring Connection and has been active in Mussar
Mindfulness for the past two years. Karen was a founding member and served as president of the statewide
non-pro t, the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee. She currently serves on the Board of Gilda’s
Club Nashville and the Community Board of WPLN. She is the proud aunt of two teenage nephews,
Christopher and Jonathan Klandt. She is an avid reader, loves to play outdoors and is a longtime student
of poetry and yoga.
Jeffrey Sonsino
Jeffrey is an assistant professor and optometrist at Vanderbilt Eye Institute. In addition to being the
director of the scleral lens clinic, he invented reading glasses for those with macular degeneration and
low vision which will be introduced to the market later this year. He is married to Michele Sonsino,
also an optometrist and owner of Optique Eyecare and Eyewear, on West End Avenue. Their two
children, Maxwell (4) and Emery (2) have been students at the Temple Playschool since birth.
page 6 ~ April 2011 - www.templenashville.org - 615-352-7620