Our Team

Ben is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arnold Family Corporation, a South Carolina based development company, and has over 30 years of experience in all facets of commercial real estate. Arnold Family Corporation has received several awards and industry recognition for its new construction as well as historical renovation and preservation projects.  Ben earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in both finance and real estate. Ben and his family moved to La Jolla, California in 2016 and became active in several community organizations. Ben currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Congregation Beth El, the Finance Committee of the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego and the Burnham-Moore Center for Real Estate Advisory Board at the University of San Diego. Ben recently became a founder of the Hebrew Free Loan of San Diego in an effort to address Jewish poverty throughout the San Diego region. Ben and his wife, Lisa, established the Arnold Family Tzedakah Fund to provide support to charities, particularly those that enhance quality of life through healthcare and education. 

Lesley, has been involved with several non-profits in the San Diego area, including the Kindness Initiative and Shabbat San Diego. During her career as a Family Law attorney in private practice she served on various Boards such as the San Diego County Bar Association; the County Family Law Section, which she Chaired in both San Diego and Phoenix; and the Anti Defamation League. One of her passions is duplicate bridge. In addition to playing the game, she has served on local and regional American Contract League Boards. Currently she serves nationally as a member of the Ethical Oversight Committee adjudicating cheating cases – – and there have been many! She co-founded the South African Film Festival in the USA with the proceeds funding after school tutoring for underprivileged children in South Africa where she was born. She moved to San Diego in 1984, raised her children here, spent time in Phoenix and returned to San Diego ten years ago with her husband, Roy. She enjoys spending as much time as possible with their collective seven grandchildren.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mitch and Julie came to San Diego in 1981. Mitch is a partner in the law firm of Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, specializing in tax controversy matters. Since coming to San Diego, he has served on the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation, the San Diego Federation Board of Directors, the San Diego Anti-Defamation League Board of Directors and as an ADL National Commissioner, the Seacrest Board of Directors, the Hillel Board of Directors, and the Congregation Beth Israel Cemetery and Mausoleum Committee. Outside the Jewish community, Mitch has served on the Boards of Interfaith Community Services, Serving Seniors, and Second Chance. He attended Yale University, Case-Western Reserve University Law School, and Georgetown Law School. He and Julie have three children and five grandchildren, all of whom live in California. 

Leo has been in business for over forty years in the senior healthcare housing sector and support services. He is a current member of the Board of Directors of Seacrest Retirement Communities here in San Diego as well as serving on the board of the Holocaust Memorial Center in Michigan. He and his wife, Robin, split their time between San Diego and metropolitan Detroit. He is still active with the Jewish Community in Michigan where he is Past President of the Jewish Senior Life Board of Directors as well as having served on the Jewish Federation and Hillel Day School Board of Directors. He and Robin have three children. 

Graeme is the Co-Chairman of the Board of ColRich, a residential real estate development and investment company based in San Diego. He is a current Board Member and Past President (2017-2019) of Congregation Beth El, and is a current Board Member and Chair-Elect of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego. Graeme is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Graeme and his wife, Dr. Simone Kanter, have three children. 

Leonard has been a member of the San Diego Jewish Community for over thirty-six years. He has raised two children here who are now adults living in Northern California. His son Tye is the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the San Francisco Bay Area and his daughter, Sari, is working full-time on a psychology doctorate in Berkeley California. Leonard is past Board Chair and current board member of Seacrest Village, the San Diego Hebrew Homes. He is on the San Diego Regional Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Leonard serves on the Task Force for Jewish Care at San Diego Jewish Family Service. Additionally he is a board member of First Step Staffing, an organization in Southern California that employs the homeless and persons returning from prison. In addition to his efforts in his own garden, he serves as Chairman of the Forest Health and Preservation Committee of Rancho Santa Fe. Len is very happily married to Sara, who has a group mental health practice with offices in North County San Diego. 

Kay recently retired as Head of Recruitment at Gurtin Municipal Bond Management, a PIMCO company, where she actively recruited professionals for this growing financial services firm. Prior experience includes being the co-founder and president of Executive Options LTD, an executive search firm specializing in placing professionals in part-time and project consulting positions. Kay serves on the Executive Board and is a Trustee at the La Jolla Playhouse and is a long time volunteer and former Board Member of Words Alive. Kay graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior and management.  

Tanya Hackel recently moved to San Diego with her family from New York City. Tanya is a non-profit professional with decades of experience in fundraising, communications, and marketing. Tanya currently serves as the Chief Development Officer at Lifeline Community Services, a human services organization in San Diego County. Prior to moving to California, Tanya was the Chief Development and Communications Officer at JCCA, a child welfare agency in New York City. Tanya also has a connection to the Hebrew Free Loan Society in New York City where she worked as the Director of Development for almost a decade. Tanya and her family are loving their new San Diego community and are excited to find ways to get involved and give back. In addition to her time at HFL, Tanya and her family volunteer at Feeding San Diego.

Hilary brings a background in volunteering to our board. She was born in South Africa and came to the United States in 1976. Hilary is an Angel at the Kindness Initiative where she assists 3 clients.  For the past 11 years, Hilary has been a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) through Voices for Children, where she helps kids in the foster care system. Hilary has held many leadership positions on boards in Detroit, and sat on the Hebrew Free Loan board in Detroit for 5 years. She has 3 sons and 4 grandsons and is an enthusiastic grandmother, traveling to see her grandkids as much as possible.  

Selwyn is Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Oxford Investment Group, Inc., a private equity, real estate and venture investment firm. He is Founder and Chairman of Private Bancorp of America and CalPrivate Bank and previously founded several other commercial banks in Michigan. Selwyn has an MBA from The Wharton School, is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA), and has been a director of several public and numerous private companies, various healthcare systems, and civic organizations. Selwyn founded several non-profit organizations in San Diego focused on alleviating poverty and Judaic education, including Hebrew Free Loan of San Diego and the Kindness Initiative. He is past Chairman of the Board of City of Hope, a leading cancer care and research organization. He has received various civic and business honors and awards including E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year. 

Charlene is the Executive Vice President of the Leichtag Foundation, a private independent foundation which works to ignite and inspire vibrant Jewish life, advance self-sufficiency and stimulate social entrepreneurship in coastal North San Diego County and Jerusalem. She has served on the boards of the Jewish Funders Network,  San Diego Grantmakers and many committees and councils. Charlene earned her degree from UCSD, and spent 18 years working for the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego in increasingly responsible positions including serving as President and CEO of the organization. 

Lawrence is an attorney in private practice and has been actively involved in the San Diego Jewish community for many years. He has served on the boards of directors of the Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of San Diego, Seacrest Village Foundation, San Diego Hebrew Homes, JFS Foundation and Hillel. He also served as President or an executive officer of those organizations. 

Rick was born in New York, moved to Mexico City when he was two years old and lived there until moving to San Diego in 1978. He holds an Engineering degree from Texas A & M and began his working career in Mexico working for Faberge, the cosmetics company. After working with Faberge for a few years, Rick was asked to launch the new Estée Lauder Mexico, where he was hired as General Manager. When Rick and his family relocated to San Diego, Rick joined a friend in the real estate business, where he has been working for the last 45 years. At one time his company owned International Savings and Loan. Rick served as a board member and a member of the senior loan committee. Rick has also served on the board at Seacrest for many years. Rick and his wife are strong supporters of the FIDF, participating in missions and providing college scholarships to many soldiers. They have been members and supporters of Beth El for over 49 years. Rick and Nancie have been married for 55 years and are the proud grandparents of six grandchildren.