Executive Committee

Daniel Strouse, Immediate Past President
Daniel Strouse is a partner at the law firm of Cordatis LLP, representing Federal contractors, primarily small and mid-sized contractors, as they face the challenge of government contracting. During law school, Daniel was a Board Member for the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Jewish Law Students Association, and as an undergraduate at The George Washington University, Daniel was active in Hillel.
Outside of work and Gesher, Daniel spends his time with his wife, Laura; daughter, Abigail (Gesher class of ‘26); son, Eytan (Gesher class of ‘28); and dogs (no Gesher affiliation—yet). Daniel and his family are members of Congregation Olam Tikvah.

Members at Large

Rabbi George Billinson
Rabbi George Billinson grew up in upstate New York and has been a resident of Northern Virginia for more than 45 years. He practiced law for nearly 45 years while actively serving the Northern Virginia Jewish community in various capacities as a lay leader. In 2022, he was ordained and currently serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Adat Reyim in Springfield, VA. He previously served as the Rabbi for the Fort Belvoir Jewish Congregation. Rabbi Billinson holds a law degree from Syracuse University and an undergraduate degree from Boston University; he received his semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk. Rabbi Billinson and his wife, Eileen, live in Burke and are the proud parents of four adult children, including three Gesher alumni.

Jessica Ingram
Jessica Ingram has always been passionate about building and sustaining vibrant Jewish communities. A lifelong New Yorker, she held several roles in New York City before relocating to Virginia in 2020 to become the Executive Director of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church. Jessica began her career at UJA-Federation of New York and then returned to her Reform roots, serving as Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), and later as Assistant Director of Young Adult Engagement at the Union for Reform Judaism. She went on to serve as Director of Membership Engagement at Temple Emanu-El on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, until an unexpected and exciting new chapter brought her to Northern Virginia.
Jessica holds master’s degrees in Jewish Education and Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR and earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from American University in Washington, DC. She lives in Vienna with her husband, Alex, and their son, Benjamin. Together they enjoy cooking, reading, music, and traveling.

Dr. Alan Jacobs
Dr. Alan Jacobs is presently the Chief Medical Officer of TrueBinding, a clinical-stage biotech exploring treatments in neurosciences, including Neurodegenerative Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, autism, acute ischemic stroke, and Neuro-Oncology. He previously served as Professor of Neurology at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, a Doctor of Medicine from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and received Post-Graduate Medical Education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and the Columbia University-Presbyterian Hospital Neurological Institute. He is Board Certified in Neurology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He was awarded a Research Fellowship in Health Care Delivery and Health Economics by the Carnegie-Commonwealth Foundation at The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. He also completed an Executive MBA in Health Care Management at Xavier University.
Dr. Jacobs’ community-related activities have included his appointment as a Youth Commissioner for B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) International, Regional Board Chairman for the Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio region of BBYO, and a member of the Board of Directors of Hillel Academy of Dayton, Ohio, a Jewish Day School (K-12). He has served as President of the Ohio Society of Internal Medicine, as well as been elected as Trustee and Director, participating in numerous Hospital and national Disease-Related Organizational Boards.
Alan is the proud grandparent of several Gesher students and alumni, including 2 recent graduates and a granddaughter (Gesher class of ’31).

Josh Kraushaar
Josh Kraushaar is the editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider and the author of Axios’ weekly Sunday Sneak Peek newsletter, which focuses on the big-picture forces driving American politics. He also appears as a political analyst across television and radio networks with Fox News. He is a prolific commentator on issues impacting the American Jewish community. He is a regular guest speaker at synagogues in the Washington area, and moderates Olam Tikvah’s annual election brunch featuring interviews with top local candidates.
Along with Ha’aretz Washington correspondent Amir Tibon, he served as a scholar-in-residence at Agudas Achim Congregation in 2019, leading discussions on political polarization, the impact of social media on political discourse, and the future of American Jewry.
Josh is a Gesher alumnus (Gesher Class of 1994) and lives in Annandale with his wife, Hannah, and two children, Shana (Gesher Class of 2029) and Avi (Gesher Class of 2032).

Adam Kulawy
Adam Kulawy resides in Burke, Virginia with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Jacob (Gesher Class of 2029), Ezra (Gesher Class of 2032), and Lisa (future Gesher student). Adam works for Arlington County Government within the Department of Environmental Services leading the Facilities Management Bureau, helping maintain the continuous operations of the County’s facilities. While not at work, Adam and his family are members of Agudas Achim Congregation, enjoy exploring the DMV area and visiting historic sites. Jennifer is currently actively serving with the US Navy, which has afforded the family the opportunity to live in Yokosuka, Japan and northern San Diego County. While living in Japan, Adam was appointed as the Jewish lay leader for the Navy base and hosted shabbat services, high holiday services, and organized the annual regional Passover seder. He also coordinated with Jewish liaisons visiting the region to provide base tours and focus groups with Jewish service members, and served as the Jewish subject matter expert for the base chaplain. Adam is a native of North Woodmere, NY, located on Long Island, where he attended the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) from kindergarten through high school. He attended Stony Brook University, where he met Jennifer, and graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Stevens Institute of Technology. Adam also has his professional engineering license in Virginia and California.

Lina Landsman
Lina Landsman is a Managing Director at Carlyle, a global investment firm based in the Washington, D.C. area. She joined Carlyle in 2010 and has spent her career focused on driving innovation and operational efficiencies within the organization. In her current role as the head of Partnership Accounting, she is responsible for a team of over 80 accounting professionals who manage the financial reporting and day-to-day operations of over 150 funds. Prior to joining Carlyle, she worked at Ernst & Young LLP in the Assurance Services practice. Lina received her B.S. in Commerce and an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Virginia. Lina is originally from Colombia, where she often visits with her family. She lives in McLean with her husband, Roger, their three children, Caleb (Gesher Class of 2028), Ezra (Gesher Class of 2030) and Nora (Gesher Class of 2033), and their fur baby Maya.

Amy Lummer
Amy Lummer serves as Family Engagement and Community Partnerships Director at the Pozez JCC, where she connects families to Judaism and to each other through year-round programming for families raising young children. Building partnerships across Northern Virginia’s Jewish community organizations is a passion at the heart of her work. Amy also volunteers at Gesher Jewish Day School, where she served as PTO President for 5 years, and is an active member of Congregation Adat Reyim. She holds a Masters of Education from George Mason University and lives in Springfield with her husband Dory and their children Moira and Owen (Gesher class of ’28).

Elana Rubinstein
Elana Rubinstein is a children’s author and early childhood educator living in Fairfax, VA. She is the author of the Saralee Siegel chapter book series, with several titles selected by PJ Library. Her debut, Once Upon an Apple Cake, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Elana holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from American Jewish University and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from Towson University. She previously taught at B’nai Shalom Day School in Greensboro and Sinai Akiba Academy in Los Angeles.

When she’s not writing, Elana enjoys spending time with her husband, Ben, and their toddler. Her family loves celebrating Shabbat and Jewish holidays at Congregation Olam Tikvah!  

Bianchi Suárez
Bianchi Suárez is originally from Costa Rica and has been living in the United States since 2004. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker who has worked as a therapist providing psychosocial assessments and counseling to children, adolescents, and their families. Currently, she works as an adoption social worker conducting home studies and providing post-adoption services to families entering the adoption process.
Moreover, Bianchi is president of the Costa Rican Association Board in Washington, D.C. In this role, she is responsible for organizing activities that bring Costa Ricans and friends of Costa Rica together to learn about and experience Costa Rica’s cultural traditions and values. The Costa Rican Association manages a small annual budget and works closely with the Costa Rican Embassy in the U.S. on different projects throughout the year.
Bianchi and her husband, Jamie Tabb, are the proud parents of Eli (Gesher Class of 2023) and Izzy (Gesher Class of 2027). They have been committed members of the Gesher community since 2014 and members of the Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church since their son entered preschool in 2012.

Hannah Kraushaar, PTO President (non-voting)
Hannah is an enthusiastic program and operations manager and an active member of the Northern Virginia Jewish community. After growing up in a small college town outside of Akron, Ohio, Hannah moved to the Washington, DC area to pursue degrees in International Relations and Security at American University and The George Washington University before settling in Northern Virginia. Hannah spent eleven years working in research, program operations, and project management for the Department of Defense at National Defense University, and the past five years in the private sector, managing partnerships and programs with top-tier universities seeking to create online degree offerings. As of May 2024, she is the Executive Director of Congregation Beth Emeth in Reston, Virginia. Hannah has been a volunteer leader in the local Jewish community for a decade, serving on boards and committees at both Congregation Olam Tikvah and Agudas Achim Congregation, and as a member of the PTO board and PTO President at Gesher Jewish Day School. Hannah now lives in Annandale, VA, with her husband Josh and their two children, Shana and Avi, who are Gesher students. Outside of work and volunteer leadership, Hannah can often be found rediscovering her love of figure skating at Fairfax Ice Arena or baking in the kitchen, where she loves to make sweet, artful treats and try increasingly complicated challah braids.

Justin Weissbrod
Justin Weissbrod brings a deep commitment to lifelong Jewish education, which began when, as a fifth grader, he asked his parents to send him to Jewish Day School, from which he later graduated. Professionally, Justin is an Azure Specialist at Microsoft in Reston, VA, bringing valuable expertise honed through previous roles at Microsoft and Ntrepid Corporation, where he leverages skills in technology, data analysis, client engagement, and project management. Justin is also a GRE Instructor and Tutor.
Justin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. He studied at the Jordan Language Academy in Amman, Jordan, and was awarded a FLAS Scholarship for intensive language study in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect. He is proficient in Hebrew and Arabic. During the 2024-2025 school year, Justin served as a non-voting member of the Gesher Board as a participant in the Federation of Greater Washington’s NextGen Fellow program, providing him with a foundational understanding of Gesher’s mission and operations.