Russ was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota and has lived in Arizona and Virginia over the last 30 years. He holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of North Dakota and an MS in Computer Information Systems from the University of Phoenix. Russ is currently an industry consultant focused on helping companies achieve their payments and fintech strategy and operations objectives.
Russ and his wife Ellie, a social worker, have been members of Temple Kol Ami since 2011. Their son Sam is a recent graduate of Horizon High School and will be attending the University of Arizona in the fall. Their daughter Hannah is attending Horizon High School and volunteers as a madrahim in Temple Kol Ami’s religious school.
Russ was a previous board member and board president and is honored to again be part of the Board of Trustees and have the opportunity to contribute to its continuing growth.
Courtney Beyer and her husband, Marc, have been Temple Kol Ami Members since 2008. They have two sons, Bennett and Blake, who attended TKA’s Early Childhood Center and the temple’s Religious School program. Courtney is committed to “Doing Jewish” and has been actively involved in many of TKA’s life-enriching events/programs; she is passionate about growing our community and ensuring the temple’s long-term success.
Courtney earned a business degree from the University of Arizona and has worked in Human Resources within hotels, hospitality, direct sales, and currently in the insurance industry. Courtney and her family have developed meaningful friendships through TKA and look forward to growing current relationships (and establishing new relationships) through Temple. Courtney is honored to be part of the Board of Trustees.
Bio coming soon
Ted was born in California but since then has lived in 9 different states. He has a Bachelor of Fine Art from TCU and an MBA from Florida International University. Ted is currently the Group Vice President of Real Estate Development for The Fresh Market. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Development Officer for Sprouts Farmers Market helping to add more than 200 stores during his tenure. Ted has been responsible for new store expansion, property management, site acquisition and disposition, construction and facility maintenance, and strategic relationships and partnerships related to new store development for several well-known retail and restaurant companies.
Ted and his wife Beverly have been members of Temple Kol Ami since moving to Arizona in 2012. Their son Nathan is married to Hillary and they reside here in the Phoenix area and are also members of Temple Kol Ami. Their daughter, Mara, is a Commercial Real Estate broker living in Orlando making her the 3rd generation of Frumkins in the business. Ted is an avid runner having completed 12 marathons so far. He is honored to be serving on the Temple Kol Ami board to help this incredible congregation continue to thrive.
Irwin and Patti Grossman have been members of Temple Kol Ami since its founding in 1988 and have supported the Temple throughout including the Save the Temple campaign. Our 2 adult, and now married children, Barry and Allison, as well as Patti and I as adults, were B’nei Mitzvahed in Temple Kol Ami. We became proud grandparents of Myles last August, the 3rd generation of our family honored in the Temple.
Irwin and Patti grew up on Long Island, New York, where they met and were married nearly 50 years ago. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University, and followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. After spending 7 years in Morgantown, WV, the family moved to Phoenix in 1985. Irwin will be retiring in June after having spent the past 16 years in private practice preceded by 27 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Patti and Irwin enjoyed traveling with Rabbi Schneider on his first trip to Israel with the Temple, as well as to Cuba and Eastern Europe. We look forward to resuming traveling together soon.
Irwin has been a life-long baseball fan, as he grew up as a New York Mets fan, attending games at Shea Stadium, but has been a charter season ticket holder for the Arizona DiamondBacks since 1998.
Irwin looks forward to contributing to the Temple Kol Ami community in a new role as board member.
Bio Coming soon
Beth grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she met her future husband Ralph. After Ralph completed his military service, they returned to Wilmington where she assisted him in opening a dental practice. She worked as a dental hygienist while raising their two children Dan and Amy.
Retiring after 20 years as a dental hygienist, she then became a Realtor working in the Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware areas. After retiring the second time, she and Ralph moved to Fountain Hills in 2010 after one of her clients introduced them to Fountain Hills.
They have been members of Temple Kol Ami since 2017.
Marci Gluck-Stewart was raised in NJ and lived in NYC for 15 years before moving to Scottsdale with her husband Craig in 2006, where they are raising their sons, Benjamin (17) and Jack (14). They have been temple members since 2017, initially drawn to TKA because of the welcoming community as well as hilarious and relatable Rabbi! Marci participated in the MOMentum Women’s Trip to Israel in 2016 with the Phoenix Community Kollel and has severed on several committees at TKA.
Marci graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. and earned a PhD in Clinical-Health Psychology from Yeshiva University & Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Currently, she is Director of Behavioral Sciences in the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research section of the NIDDK/National Institutes of Health where her research focuses on mechanisms that influence eating behavior and body weight regulation. She also has a small, part-time psychotherapy practice.
In addition to spending time with her family, Marci enjoys hiking, hanging out with her awesome girlfriends (many of whom are TKA members!) canoodling her dog Jerry and complaining about the Arizona heat!
Marci is honored to serve this community and looks forward to her second year as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Kenneth (Ken) Reiss was born in Brooklyn, New York but moved with his parents to Southern California at an early age and grew up there.
Ken met Joanne in the early 80’s as she was his son’s preschool teacher. After attending a Judaism class with Rabbi Herring, Ken and Joanne were married in 1985. Along with his son and Joanne’s daughter, they formed a close knit family growing in size with Ken’s step-son from his first marriage joining them several years later,
Ken and Joanne are proud to be one of the founding members of TKA.
Ken has been in the real estate business since 1977, after attending college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He has belonged to the National Association of Realtors since 1977.
In 1991 he formed United Metro Properties, Inc. and United Property Maintenance, Inc. and specializes in the sales, management and maintenance of residential properties in both Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai Counties.
In past years Ken thought about getting involved with Temple Kol Ami and was thrilled when Rabbi Schneider suggested that he apply to join the Board of Trustees.
Ken looks forward to contributing valuable input to the Temple Kol Ami Board of Trustees and our community.
Michael Schefman and his wife Lauren are new to both Phoenix and Temple Kol Ami. The two met on J-Date, bonded by a shared belief in the importance of building a family grounded in the traditions of Judaism. They live in Moon Valley with their two children, Talya and Ezra, and are regulars at Tot Shabbat and other family-focused programs.
Professionally, Michael is a leadership development expert with over 15 years of experience coaching and consulting with Fortune 50 companies. His work centers on helping leaders navigate ambiguity, build resilience, drive strategy, and improve productivity. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is also a certified professional coach and trained in multiple leadership assessment tools. Outside of work, Michael enjoys writing, drinking good coffee, and taking long walks with his dog, Gemma.
Bio Coming soon
Ian Cranmer was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and has lived in Arizona for over 26 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, followed by two master’s degrees: a Physician Assistant degree from Thomas Jefferson University and a Master’s in Corporate Finance from Southern New Hampshire University. Ian currently manages a large real estate portfolio throughout Phoenix, combining his backgrounds in healthcare, finance, and behavioral science to approach business and investment strategy from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Ian and his wife, Erika, have been members of Temple Kol Ami since 2021. Erika is an Arizona native, attended ASU, and is a Physician Assistant. Together they have three children: Nicholas, Victoria, and Freya. Their youngest daughter, Freya, attends the Early Childhood Center at Temple Kol Ami.
Tammi grew up in New Jersey but fell in love with Arizona during a family vacation her freshman year of high school. She remembers telling her parents that she was going to live in that dorm with the triangle windows (ASU’s Manzanita Hall) and go to football games in the stadium next to “A” Mountain. She did just that and has been residing in AZ for over 30 years.
Tammi earned her BS in Finance from ASU and went on to receive her MBA from Boston University. Missing Arizona, she returned and completed her JD at ASU. Tammi currently works as in-house counsel at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, where she specializes in Medicare, regulatory, and corporate law.
In 2021, Tammi and her two sons, Phin and Eli, joined Temple Kol Ami and found the community to be very warm and welcoming. Phin and Eli attended TKA’s Religious School and celebrated their B’Nai Mitzvah in 2023. They currently volunteer as madrichim on Sunday mornings and attend the Teen Nights, while Tammi enjoys participating in TKA’s new Mah Jongg nights.
Tammi is honored to serve on the TKA board.
Bailey joined Temple Kol Ami with her family in 2019, when her daughter was entering first grade, and they were proud to celebrate her daughter’s bat mitzvah in November 2025. Over the last ten years Bailey has been involved in Jewish leadership through the 9th cohort of the Women’s Leadership Institute and the Professional Leadership Group at Jewish Family & Children’s Services.
Professionally, Bailey is the Finance Director in the Discovery Land Company family office, where she supports the principals and their families with tax, estate, and financial planning. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants with her family, playing mahjong, and reading many books.
Bailey looks forward to serving on the board and contributing to the strength and growth of the temple community.
Michael has been a long-time active TKA member. Since joining our temple 31 years ago, Michael has made many treasured family memories at TKA: from watching all four of his daughters become Bat Mitzvah, to playing Mordecai in the Purim Spiel (twice!), dining at Cafe Kol Ami, and carrying the Torah at services. Michael has also acted as Board President and Immediate Past-President, and is proud to be part of our growing community.