Board of Trustees

Dr. Anna (Chanie) Steinberg is a medical director with Aetna. Prior to this, she worked as a primary care internist in Atlanta for 20 years, most recently for Emory Healthcare. She is an alumna of AJA (then called Hebrew Academy of Atlanta,) class of 1984, and Yeshiva Atlanta, class of 1989. She and her husband Scott have three children who all have attended AJA throughout their primary and high school education. Chanie has served on the AJA Board of Trustees since 2021 and on the AJA Medical Committee since 2021. She also served on the Board of Trustees at Yeshiva Atlanta during the merger of Yeshiva with Greenfield Hebrew Academy to become AJA. She has served on the board of her synagogue, Ohr HaTorah (then called Young Israel of Toco Hills). Chanie has volunteered for many years for the AJA PTSA in various capacities and as a mentor for Young Women in STEM at AJA. She sees patients at Physicians Care Clinic, a free clinic for low-income and uninsured adults living in Dekalb County, GA. Her husband Scott has chaired the AJA Golf Tournament for the past several years, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars towards tuition assistance for the school. 

Daniel Cohen is an Atlanta native, and an alumnus of both the Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta. Before moving back to Atlanta after college, Daniel worked in Brand Strategy in New York. He currently works in Marketing at Mayson Foods. He chaired the 2021-2022 Annual Fund Campaign for AJA, and will be leading it again this upcoming year. Daniel and his wife Diana have 2 boys at AJA, as well as a son at Beth Jacob Preschool.

Ben Flusberg and his wife Keren Fisher (AJA/Yeshiva Atlanta alum) are the proud parents of one AJA graduate (class of 2022) and four current AJA students. Ben has served on AJA's Board of Trustees and Finance Committee since 2020, and he and his family are members of Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Toco Hills. Professionally, Ben has spent the past 20 years delivering technology and business innovation across a variety of industries. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Data Solutions at Cox Automotive in Atlanta, and he previously worked at The Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta and at a biotechnology startup in Silicon Valley. Before that, Ben earned a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University and a B.A. in Physics from Harvard University.

President Leanne Kaplan grew up in Memphis, TN and has lived in the greater Atlanta area since 2002. She has an MA in Social Service Administration and currently works as the Financial Coordinator for Kaplan Orthodontics, her husband, Jason's, orthodontic practice in Dunwoody, GA. Leanne has served in many capacities on the AJA board since 2014. Leanne is passionate about Jewish Day School education and has two sons, Matthew (AJA '21) and Pace (AJA '25). She recently had the honor of being a Legacy Heritage OnBoard Fellow in the Atlanta cohort. Leanne is a member of Congregation Ariel. 

Phil Cuba is a committed member of the Atlanta Jewish community. He was a member of the first graduating class of the forerunner of AJA, the Hebrew Academy. He has been past president of the board of Yeshiva Atlanta at a time of transition of Head of School. He has also served as Board President of Beth Tefillah and was chair of the construction committee of an expansion of the shul. He and his wife Allison are donors to AJA who have contributed to initiatives such as the Maker’s Space. His perspective and experience will serve AJA well.

My name is Dinah (Afrah) Farazmand, and I am an Atlanta native. I grew up in Toco Hills attending Congregation Netzach Israel, an Orthodox, Sefardic Shul, and attended Yeshiva Atlanta (class of 2005) for high school. I continued on to complete a gap year in Israel, and then graduated from Stern College For Women. I moved back to Atlanta to complete my doctorate in Physical Therapy at Georgia State University, and currently work as a physical therapist at Emory Rehabilitation Hospital. I am married to Jonathan Farazmand (GHA ‘02, YA ‘06), and we have 3 children. Our 2 boys, Liav and Itai are current AJA students, and our daughter, Eden will be starting AJA this Fall. My family and I continue to attend Netzach Israel, and I am an active member of the Sisterhood Committee at the shul.

I feel passionately about the growth, sustainability, and future of AJA. I have enjoyed being involved with the Annual Fund Committee as well as the Community Engagement Committee over the last couple years. I would love to see AJA thrive in their commitment to being a Modern Orthodox school that excels in both Judaic and Secular studies, while ensuring students and families feel connected, supported and engaged. I believe I can help AJA hold true to their mission statement to ensure a school guided by Torah values and Halacha, building a culture of community, and creating an environment of respect and kindness.

Deborah Fernhoff, Ph.D. is a Georgia  licensed clinical psychologist and a member of Ohr HaTorah. She is a parent of children who graduated from Yeshiva Atlanta. Her parents are Holocaust survivors and her connection to AJA is part of keeping the flame alive.

David Frankel was born in 1962 in Ottawa, Canada. At the time, his father, Dr Ephraim Frankel was the Head of the Hillel Day School in Ottawa. In 1967, Dr Frankel was hired by the Hebrew Academy to become the Head of School and the Frankel family moved to Atlanta. David’s mother, Vivian, was a first grade teacher at the Hebrew Academy for 22 years. David is an alumnus of the Hebrew Academy, Yeshiva High School of Atlanta, University of Texas and the Medical College of Georgia (Dental School). David resides in Sandy Springs (after spending 20 years in Toco Hills) with his wife, Jody (a former GHA Middle School teacher). David has 4 children (Adam, Shana, Ariel and Micah) who all attended GHA and Yeshiva Atlanta, Miriam Leah (Adam’s wife) and 4 grandchildren (Nechama Zissel, Ephraim, Sarah and Eliezer).

David served for many years on the Board of Trustees at Greenfield Hebrew Academy culminating with a term as President from 2011-2013. David was instrumental in driving the discussions with Yeshiva Atlanta which ultimately resulted in the formation of  Atlanta Jewish Academy. For David, the most challenging part of the formation of that partnership was developing consensus for the Judaic Practices that would define the mission of Atlanta Jewish Academy. When not working as a general dentist in the Decatur area, David enjoys teaching Bar/Bat Mitzvah students and coaching the Maccabi Atlanta baseball program.

Dr. Guttman was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. He completed medical school and residency in Emergency Medicine at McGill University in Montreal where he was chief resident. He then moved to New York City to complete a fellowship in  emergency medicine ultrasound at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. Four years ago, Dr. Guttman and his family decided to move to Atlanta due to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Atlanta Jewish community and settled in Toco Hills. Since moving to Atlanta, Dr. Guttman has served as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Emory University and as an Attending Emergency Physician at Grady Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Guttman and his wife Rebecca have been proud AJA parents since arriving in Atlanta and will be starting their 5th year at AJA in the fall. They have 3 children. Yonah is a rising 3rd grader, Dov is a rising 1st grader and Abby is 8 months old. In July 2020, Dr. Guttman began serving on the medical committee, creating Covid protocols and policies to have a successful school re-opening, where he continues to serve today. Along with the rest of the medical committee, he was the 2022 volunteer of the year for AJA. Rebecca has been a parent volunteer since moving to Atlanta and serves as a grade representative for the PTSA. Dr. Guttman also serves on the board of the Ohr HaTorah Congregation in Toco Hills, as well as the medical representative to the Ohr HaTorah Security Committee. Professionally, Dr. Guttman is the advanced emergency medicine ultrasound fellowship director for the Emory University Department of Emergency Medicine. He serves on multiple national medical boards, including for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and the Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Accreditation Council. With his free time, Dr. Guttman enjoys his peloton, kiddush club and cheering for his beloved Montreal Canadiens.

I was blessed to be educated in excellent Jewish schools (The Heschel School, Yeshiva of Flatbush, Midreshet Lindenbaum) and have always felt that a strong Jewish education is one of the most essential gifts we can give our children. Being a day school parent and having worked in Jewish schools as a nurse and health educator for seven years, I have been able to experience the richness and complexity of these institutions from many angles. I suppose my connection to AJA began almost 16 years ago, when I married a YA alum! Two of our children have attended AJA since moving here almost 4 years ago (currently in second and fourth grade). I have been happy to volunteer in various capacities and have enjoyed being a member of the development committee as well as the community engagement committee. As a board member, I would use my perspective and experience to build up an institution with tremendous potential. Transitional periods carry so much possibility and hope and I would love to be a part of the team that helps to transform this energy into a stronger and superior AJA.

Mandy Kaiser-Blueth is Associate Vice President of National Women’s Philanthropy at the Jewish Federations of North America. Since 2019, Mandy was Director of Professional and Community Outreach for National Women’s Philanthropy and worked to empower and provide professional development and leadership opportunities for women’s philanthropy professionals across the Federation system, creating a community where learning and sharing of best practices is widespread. In her new role, Mandy leads the National Women’s Philanthropy team, is building upon the legacy of Women’s Philanthropy, including working to advance efforts with the NWP Board, the Lion of Judah Conference, and the more than 18,000 Lions of Judah across the globe and over 4,500 Lion of Judah Endowments, representing an annual campaign of over $200 Million a year and pledged endowed assets in excess of $700 Million.

Mandy has worked in the Jewish communal field for twenty years, and remains committed to building a vibrant, welcoming, and philanthropic Jewish community where women are at the forefront of leading. Prior to her time at The Jewish Federations of North America, Mandy was the Director of Women’s Philanthropy and Director of Philanthropic Leadership at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, where she transformed Women’s Philanthropy, reinvigorated the leadership, created a path for succession, and cultivated a community of committed and educated philanthropists. Mandy’s Federation career began in 2001 when she received her MSW from the Wurzweiler School at Yeshiva University and received the Federation Executive Recruitment & Education Program Fellowship (FEREP), more specifically the Lowenstein Fellowship with The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, New Jersey. Mandy and her husband Yoni have three children at AJA – Zoe in 11th, Shai in 9th and Liel in 4th.

Mandy served on the HOS Search Committee and helped design the new AJA leadership program, LEADS. She has also served on AJA’s PTSA as a class representative. The Kaiser-Blueth family moved to the Atlanta area almost four years ago and currently lives in Sandy Springs.

Davi Kutner and his wife Renee (AJA/Yeshiva Atlanta alum) are the proud parents of one AJA graduate (class of 2023) and two current AJA students. Davi has served on AJA's Board of Trustees and Finance Committee since 2020, is a past chair of the Development Committee, and was co-chair of the recent Head of School Search Committee. Davi and his family are members of Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Toco Hills (where he was a past President), and he is on active committees for Hillels of Georgia as well as Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Professionally, Davi has spent the past 20+ years in the Wealth Management industry advising High Net Worth clients on all matters of Financial Planning and Investment Management. He is a Partner of Aprio LLP, and the Managing Director of Aprio Wealth Management. Davi attended day school at the San Diego Jewish Academy, and graduated from Emory University.

Sarah Ossey is an advanced doctoral candidate in Education and Jewish Studies at New York University. Her research focuses on social justice education in Jewish day school. She has served as a curriculum writer/consultant and teacher supervisor in a variety of Jewish educational settings, including day schools, synagogues, and day and residential camps. She worked as the interim assistant director at Camp Ramah Darom. She holds an MA in Jewish Education from the William Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar and a BA from Brandeis University. Sarah and her family joined the AJA community three years ago. She and her spouse, Jason, are the parents of three children, two of whom are students at AJA (in kindergarten and second grade). She served on the most recent head of school search committee and is a member of the current cohort of the Leadership,  Education, Action, Development, Sustainability (LEADS) program.

Sarah excitedly anticipates the opportunity to join a team that is committed to working alongside Rabbi Levitt to strengthen the AJA experience, ensuring that the learning extends to a broad population of students and families and that all those who enter into the community feel embraced and enriched by it.

Anita Stein is a 1972 graduate of the Hebrew Academy of Atlanta. Her five children all attended AJA/Yeshiva from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Anita has served on the AJA and Yeshiva boards in the past. She taught Middle School Art there for 15 years and is currently a volunteer art teacher in the High School. She is a practicing artist in Atlanta and a member of Congregation Beth Tefillah and is currently the grandmother of AJA students.