Board of Directors

Debbie D, President

Originally from Seattle, Debbie has been a part of Har Shalom since her oldest daughter joined the preschool in 2001. All 3 of her girls graduated from the preschool and the religious school and became b'not mitzvah at Har Shalom. Debbie served as a religious school, Hebrew school, and Hebrew High teacher for nearly 20 years at Har Shalom. She was the b'nai mitzvah coordinator for 5 years and has served on both the Spritual Practices Committee and the Education Committee (where she currently still serves).

These days, she puts her Masters Degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies to good use tutoring students as they prepare to become a bar or bat mitzvah. As her daughters have grown, Debbie has enjoyed the many Adult Education offerings at Har Shalom. She hopes to play a role in creating welcoming spaces for those congregants, like her, who no longer have children in religious school. Serving the whole community is extremely satisfying. When not at Har Shalom, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, learning to play Mah Jongg, knitting and crocheting, writing, and researching her family's genealogy. And, hopefully, now that the world is opening up a bit more, she'll embark on traveling adventures. 

Leah L, Past-President

Leah Lamkin is a wife, mother, daughter, friend and registered architect from the coast of Maine. Leah moved to Fort Collins area in 2017 with her husband and two daughters. She uses open-minded thinking and detail-oriented action to accomplish tasks and support others. Leah is a Business Development Manager with Neenan Archistruction.

In addition to teaching sixth grade at Har Shalom Religious School on Sundays, Leah is also active in fundraising and congregation engagement activities. After returning from Israel on the Momentum trip, Leah works to infuse her continued love of learning and Judaism into her life with gratitude. 

Whitney W, Secretary

Whitney grew up in eastern Nebraska and has enjoyed life in beautiful Northern Colorado since 2007.  Mother to two religious school students, Whitney has been a part of the Har Shalom community since 2020. She shares her passion and gratitude with everyone around her and is always prepared to leave the room rolling with laughter. Whitney was blessed to visit Israel with Momentum in 2022 and the experience deepened her connection to Judaism, as well as the Har Shalom community. A renaissance woman by nature, Whitney brings her passion for personal health along with skills in marketing, product development, and project management to the board as Secretary. 

Giovanna H, Board Member

Giovanna (Gia) is originally from the Fort Collins area but left for roughly 18 years before meeting her (now) husband, Dustin. Gia and Dustin live in Berthoud, CO and are the proud fur-parents to (dog) Kiva and (kitties) Barnabas Collins and Warlock Whitebeard.

Gia is a second-year PhD student at CSU, whose research focuses on online extremism and the differences in how people interact with their online vs offline spaces. In her free time, she likes to go into VR, soak in hot springs and design tiny spaces. 

Sonia I, Board Member

I am originally from Denver.  I received my B.A. degree in History from Colorado College, and my M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Denver. The first 4 years after grad school, I worked as a Residence Hall Director at Western Illinois University. In 1974 we moved to Fort Collins, and I began a 29 year career at CSU working with fraternities, sororities, honor societies and “other duties as assigned”.  

We joined Har Shalom in 1975. I was a member of the Eretz Group (which completed the purchase of the land our synagogue stands on today). We dedicated this building in May, 1982 – two months before my son was born. Her son attended Har Shalom religious school and was Bar Mitzvah here.

I have been involved with numerous committees at Har Shalom during the years, until my involvement in the leadership of the Junior League of Fort Collins put my involvement on the back burner. After my term as the President of JLFC, I retired from “full-time” involvement and got re-involved with Har Shalom.

Outside of Har Shalom, I still volunteer with Junior League; am involved with Red Hat; serve in several positions in the Fort Collins Area Alumnae Panhellenic; and hold a 2nd Degree Black Belt in martial arts. I also am a grandma to 5 boys, who live in Greeley.

Lori W, Board Member

After 38 years in Poughkeepsie, New York,  Lori and her husband, David, moved to Fort Collins to be near their son, daughter-in-law, and three grandsons. Lori has two other sons one who lives in Napa, California and another who lives in Chappaqua, NY.  Lori works part-time as a licensed clinical social worker in a private practice specializing in individuals and couples. She has served on several Boards in Vermont and Colorado. She has also served on the Board of Directors at Temple Beth El in Poughkeepsie where she taught Sunday school and Hebrew high school. Along with her students, she developed Bright Nights, a program to feed the homeless that is still thriving and vibrant today. Lori also started a program called Here Comes The Sun, a walk to raise money for teens and suicide education and prevention with hundreds of walkers every year. Lori has a love for Judaism and feels strongly about the importance of creating a synagogue that becomes a second home for young families, and a synagogue that will attract new families to create a growing community.