Boards and Leadership

BOARD AND LEADERSHIP MEMBERS OF HMH
Linda L. Burger 1MB 400w

Linda L. Burger, Interim Chief Executive Officer

Linda L. Burger joined Holocaust Museum Houston on June 10, 2024, as Interim CEO.

Burger retired in 2022 as CEO of Jewish Family Service of Houston (JFS Houston), a position she held since 2005.  Prior to JFS Houston, she served the community with positions at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Herald-Voice, in senior management at the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston for 17 years and then as Executive Director of the Houston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. Burger received her undergraduate and Master of Science in Social Work degrees from the University of Texas in Austin.

Burger and her husband Andy reside in Montrose. They have two married children and four grandchildren.

Updated Elyse Photo

Elyse Spector Kalmans, Board Chair

Elyse Spector Kalmans is the 20th board chair and the first third generation Holocaust Survivor to hold this position since the Museum opened its doors in 1996. Spector Kalmans is the granddaughter of Holocaust Survivor Naomi Warren. She has been a longtime member of HMH, served on the Museum’s Board as a Trustee and chaired HMH’s Guardian of the Human Spirit Luncheon and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner.

Spector Kalmans earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She began her career at Chase Manhattan Bank, later working in brand management for The Pillsbury Company and The Coca-Cola Company. Spector Kalmans held the position as a director at Enron before founding Kalmans & Loebl, LP, a public relations and marketing firm. She later worked for Jewish Family Service as an employment services manager.

Spector Kalmans is a board member of Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and the Anti-Defamation League. She has held numerous community and chair positions with Congregation Emanu El, Goldberg Montessori School, The Kinkaid School, Syracuse University, the Junior Leagues of Houston, Minneapolis and Evanston-North Shore and the National Charity League, Bayou Villages Chapter.

A distinguished volunteer, Elyse Spector Kalmans was named Congregant of the Year 2020 by Congregation Emanu El. She was also a recipient of the 2017 Faith and Humanity Award from National Council of Jewish Women, the 2010 Barbara Falik Young Leadership Award from Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and the 2003 Young Leadership Award from TORCH.

Elyse Spector Kalmans resides in Bellaire with her husband Lewis Kalmans. They have three adult daughters.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Board Chair

Elyse Spector Kalmans ^

Secretary

Luis Gomar

Treasurer

Brian Caress
VICE CHAIRS

Development

Barry Mandel

Facilities

Richard Deutsch

Learning and Interpretation

Cheryl Golub

Marketing

Khambrel Marshall

Outreach

Nancy Li-Tarim

Survivor Services

Chaja Verveer**

Immediate Past Chair

Barbara J. Herz

TRUSTEES
  • Larry Buck
  • Debra Cohen
  • Abby Daniels
  • Nancy Dinerstein
  • Wayne Dorris, PhD
  • Deborah Gordon
  • Richard Leibman
  • Sandy Lessig #
  • Ira Mitzner #
  • Hugo Mojica
  • Corey F. Powell
  • Susan Reasoner
  • Harvey Rosenstock, MD
  • Amalia Stanton
  • Gary Stein
  • Josh Stein
  • Philip Tenenbaum
  • Haya Varon
  • Richard Wolf #
  • Rebekah Herman (Community Partner, PNC Bank)
BOARD OF ADVISORS
  • Sheila Aron
  • Debra Boniuk
  • Shannon Buggs
  • Peter Chang, MD, PhD
  • Tobi Cooper #
  • Kim Eagles, PhD
  • Steve Estrin
  • Freddy Feldman
  • Sharyn Feller
  • Elaine Finger
  • Erin Finger Kaplan
  • Steve Finkelman #
  • Bari Fishel
  • Iris Fisherman
  • Charles Foster
  • fredi Bleeker Franks
  • Nancy Freed
  • Laura Freudenberger
  • Cyndy Garza Roberts
  • Heidi Gerger #
  • Rhoda Goldberg
  • Marty Goossen
  • Lynn Gordon
  • Ronald Grabois
  • Gary Grossman
  • Rabbi Oren Hayon
  • Punkin Hecht
  • Sandi Hedrick
  • Adrian Heid ^
  • Albert Hiller
  • Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman
  • Laura Jaramillo
  • Mady Kades
  • Mark Khorsandi, MD
  • Rebecca Luks ^
  • Maryanne Maldonado
  • Hans Mayer**
  • Alfie Meyerson
  • Edith Mincberg**
  • Carmen Ng
  • Michael Pender
  • Hyman Penn, MD #
  • Susie Raizner
  • Jerry Rochman
  • John Sharemet
  • Ken Sheirr
  • Mitzi Shure
  • Adam Skorecki #
  • Eric Slosburg
  • Randi Sonenshein ^
  • Ruth Steinfeld**
  • Alberta Totz #
  • Ellen Trachtenberg
  • Alfred Tribble
  • Donna Vallone
  • Jennifer Varadi ^
  • Ben Waserman**
  • Robin Wayne
  • Jeannie Wermuth #
  • Rev. Dr. Ralph D. West II
  • Inna Wizig #
  • Beth Wolff
  • Cyvia Wolff
  • Dr. Mia Wright
  • Anat Kaufman Zeidman
  • Elaine Zhang
EX-OFFICIO
  • Gail Stalarow
  • Chair, Holocaust Museum Houston Foundation
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM FOUNDATION

Chair

  • Gail Stalarow
Secretary
  • Pepper Lieberman

Treasurer

  • Elyn A. Rodriguez

HMH Board Chair

  • Elyse Spector Kalmans
HMH Treasurer
  • Brian Caress

Board of Directors

  • Michael Doustan
  • Brian Gaister
  • Barnett Gershen
  • Barry Goldblatt
  • Stan Levy
  • Phil Pilibosian
  • Corey F. Powell
  • Jeff Stein
  • Robert Teigman
  • David Zahn

Members of the Holocaust Museum Houston Board of Advisors can be reached by calling 713-942-8000, ext. 100, or by e-mailing info@hmh.org.

PAST CHAIRS CIRCLE
  • Martin J. Fein #, 1989-1990 (pre-Incorporation)
  • Martin J. Fein #, 1991-1994
  • Frank Goldberg, 1994-1996
  • William J. Morgan, z"l **, 1996-1998
  • E.D. Wulfe, z”l, 1998-2000
  • Roy W. Nichol, 2000-2001
  • R. Edwin Allday, 2001-2002
  • David Bell, Ed.D., 2002-2003
  • Joel Spira, 2003-2004
  • Eileen Weisman, 2004-2005
  • Hon. Peter N. Berkowitz, z”l, 2005-2007
  • Walter Hecht, 2007-2009
  • Michael S. Goldberg, 2009-2011
  • Tali Blumrosen #, 2011-2013
  • Mark S. Mucasey, 2013-2015
  • Gail Klein #, 2015-2016
  • Gary Markowitz #, 2016-2018
  • Benjamin Warren #, 2018-2020
  • Carl Josehart, 2020-2022
  • Barbara J. Herz, 2022-2024

** Holocaust Survivor

# 2nd Generation Survivor

^ 3rd Generation Survivor