Home > About > Staff and Board
Heather Garrett, Executive Director, joined Beth El in September of 2022.
Most recently, Heather served as Chief Administrative Officer for Jewish Community Services in Baltimore, Md. I this capacity, she oversaw finance, HR, IT, and administrative operations for the agency which offers diverse programs and services supporting individuals across ages and stages of life. Previously, Heather worked as the chief financial officer and human resources director for a dual-diagnosis behavioral and mental health facility in Los Angeles. Born and raised in California, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Antioch University and a Master’s in Business Administration from California State University, Monterey Bay.
Heather’s “why” is to create space and authentic connections with others so that we can all mutually grow and live our missions. Her favorite role is being the mother of Jasmine, 22, and Miles, three. In her free time, she can usually be found adventuring with her kids and learning as many new things as possible.
Heather can be reached at ext. 106 or hgarrett@bethelmc.org.
Deb Geiger, Director of Community Engagement, joined Beth El in March of 2022. Deb is originally from Bridgewater, New Jersey, near Princeton. Deb completed a dual program at Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and earned a Masters in education at George Washington University. Before coming to Beth El, she worked with Hillel International and was, most recently, director of engagement at Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg.
A lover of coffee, travel, and sports, Deb is the mother of Ellie, 11, and Zoe, seven. Her husband, Adam is director of Microsoft and virtualization engineering at Sirius XM.
Deb can be contacted at ext. 146 or dgeiger@bethelmc.org.
Elisha Rothschild Frumkin, Education Director, joined the Beth El staff in 2007. Before becoming the Education Director, she served as Beth El’s Associate Education Director, Assistant Education Director and Family Education Director, and served as Interim Education Director from 2012-2013.
Previously, Elisha held positions as Assistant Principal at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA, and Youth Director at Beth Israel Congregation in Baltimore, where, in 2006, she received the Outstanding Informal Jewish Educator award from the Maryland Teen Initiative. In 2010, she was a 20/20 honoree, recognized by the Jewish Educators Assembly as one of twenty emerging Jewish educators in their 20s from the Washington, DC area. Elisha was awarded the title of Conservative Jewish Educator (CJE) in 2012, a designation recognizing her attaining a standard of achievement in the field of Conservative Jewish education.
A former Teach for America Corps Member, Elisha received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The George Washington University and holds two Masters Degrees in Jewish Studies and Jewish Education from Baltimore Hebrew University. Elisha and her husband, Josh, live in Germantown, Maryland, with their two daughters, Michal and Sivan.
Elisha can be contacted at ext. 119 or efrumkin@bethelmc.org.
Lauren Hirt, Preschool Director, joined the Beth El staff in 2015. Prior to assuming the role of Director of Beth El Preschool (BEPS) in June 2022, Lauren was a Lead Teacher at BEPS from 2015-2021 and served as BEPS Interim Co-Director for the 2021-2022 school year.
Lauren initially joined the Beth El community as a congregant and preschool parent in 2007 and immediately fell in love with BEPS. She was active on a variety of committees and served as Parent Board Chair in 2013-2014. In addition to her work at BEPS, Lauren has spent a portion of many summers working at Camps Airy & Louise. Her most recent roles included Rookie Camp Division Head and Junior Camp Division Head at Camp Airy, where she worked with the camp’s youngest campers from 2018-2021.
Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland and a Master’s Equivalency in Elementary Education from John Hopkins University. Additionally, she has completed the 90-hour course in Early Childhood Education.
Lauren and her husband, Matt, live in Bethesda and are the proud parents of three BEPS alum. Their sons, Gibson and Sullivan, and their daughter, Eliza, celebrated their b-mitzvahs at Beth El in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
Lauren can be contacted at ext. 111 or lhirt@bethelmc.org.
Ricardo Munster, Program Coordinator, has been a member of Beth El staff since November, 2006. A native of Argentina, Ricardo received his MA in Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, and worked in that field for many years. Following a career change in 1999, he was appointed Executive Director of the Hirsch Home in Buenos Aires, a Jewish continuing-care facility for 200 residents.
Together with his wife, Irene, they moved to North Carolina in 2004, where he continued his Jewish communal involvement as the volunteer coordinator for the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation. When Irene was offered a position in the area in 2005, they moved to Bethesda, and, shortly after, they joined Beth El.
In his capacity as program coordinator, Ricardo leads many efforts in assisting with engagement activities such as senior programming.
Ricardo can be reached at ext. 116 or rmunster@bethelmc.org.
Sara Greenbaum, Office Manager, was a teacher in the Beth El Preschool for 17 years before joining the office staff in June of 2017. Sara grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and after attending school, she moved to the D.C. area in 1983. Sara can be reached at ext. 102 or sgreenbaum@bethelmc.org.
Tiarra Joslyn, Communications Manager, has been a member of the Beth El staff since September 2013. A native of Las Vegas, Tiarra moved back from Arlington, Va. to Las Vegas in the summer of 2019 and has worked remotely for Beth El ever since.
Tiarra maintains the shul’s website and database, manages Beth El’s social media presence, writes for and designs the Scroll, creates flyers and other items to help promote events and activities by the synagogue, and oversees all aspects of communication.
Tiarra can be reached at ext. 127 or tjoslyn@bethelmc.org.
Robin Finkelstein, Executive Assistant to the Clergy, joined Beth El in December 2021. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Services, she held a variety of positions in Jewish camping and event planning and management, most recently as the show manager for Sugarloaf Craft Festivals. In addition to providing administrative support to the clergy, Robin works closely with Beth El’s rabbis, hazzan, and member families to coordinate the b-mitzvah process.
Robin can be reached at ext. 131 or rfinkelstein@bethelmc.org.
Allison Brown is the Program Coordinator at Beth El Religious School. Originally from Canada, Allison joined Beth El in November of 2021. Her passion for Jewish Education snuck up on this Sunday School Drop Out, and is now a central part of her life. In addition to her work with Beth El, Allison is a Maccabi USA Educator Fellow and spent July 2022 in Israel with the Team USA Delegation at the 21st Maccabiah!
Alison can be reached at abrown@bethelmc.org.
Ian Rothman, Controller, joined Beth El in May 2015. The grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, he thinks his zeyde would be very proud of the work he does with Beth El.
Ian can be reached at ext. 104 or irothman@bethelmc.org.
Lynn Pikovsky, Preschool Office Administrator, joined the Beth El Staff in July, 2014. She lives in Gaithersburg with her husband and 3 children. Lynn can be reached at ext. 107 or lpikovsky@bethelmc.org.
Curtis Kearns, Building Supervisor, joined the Beth El staff in early 2018. Prior to Beth El, Curtis worked at the JCC for more than 10 years as the facility supervisor. Curtis has a Journeyman License in Plumbing along with Gas Fitter Certification. Curtis oversees our facility staff, coordinates inspectors, vendors, and contractors, and provides maintenance, repairs, and event preparation.
Curtis can be reached at ext. 142 or ckearns@bethelmc.org.
