(DENVER) — JEWISHcolorado welcomes seven new Directors to its Board beginning July 1, 2022 including Ross Chotin, Rabbi Emily Hyatt, Adam Laarsen, Ben Lusher, Alon Mor, Ginna Rinkov, and Mike Sophir.

Ross Chotin is Chief Investment Officer at the Chotin Group Corporation.  The Chotin Group Corporation is a family office located in Denver, CO, which predominantly invests in real estate. He is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities which include, hard assets, structured investments, and debt. He is a member of the Investment Committee and Loan Committee. Chotin serves nationally on the National Young Leadership Cabinet for Jewish Federations of North America. Also, He is co-chair and a member of the JFNA national Cabinet Real Estate Division and on JEWISHcolorado’s new Real Estate and Construction Council. He also has served on JEWISHcolorado’s Financial and Campaign Oversight committees.

Rabbi Emily Hyatt will serve on the JEWISHcolorado board in her capacity as incoming president of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis and Cantors group. She is also associate Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Denver. Previously, she served as the Director of Jewish Enrichment for BBYO International. She earned degrees from American University, the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University and Hebrew College in Boston. She then served as the Network (Young Adult Division) Director at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation before beginning Rabbinical School in Jerusalem. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion: Los Angeles Campus.

Adam Laarsen is an experienced CPA with a demonstrated history of working in the accounting industry with small to medium businesses, providing bookkeeping, payroll, consulting, financial, and business/individual tax services to clients of any industry or need. He serves as the JEWISHcolorado Board Finance Oversight Group and also is Chair of the Young Adult Division. He graduated from Metropolitan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and has been working in public accounting since 2008.

Ben Lusher rejoins the JEWISHcolorado Board after a 2 year sabbatical. He is a former chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council.  Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Nexus BSP. He is responsible for ensuring the successful strategic direction and operations of the company and its non-operated working interest and mineral holdings across Oklahoma’s Anadarko Basin. Prior to becoming CEO, Lusher served as Chief Strategy Officer for Nexus BSP, leading the creation and execution of a new business development strategy for the company. He previously served as a policy advisor to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., setting economic policy and strategy. He is the immediate past National Chair of Moishe House and is on the Advisory board at HCA Rose Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Ben graduated Phi Kappa Phi from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, earning an MBA with Distinction. Ben also holds a Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in American Culture from the University of Michigan.

Alon Mor is Chief Executive Officer of Monfort Companies. Alon is an award-winning, multi-faceted business leader and serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in directing franchise and executive-level operations. As CEO of Monfort Companies, he leads the overall strategy for investing in ventures that create long-term economic value and vitality in communities across Colorado and beyond.

A recent transplant to Denver, Ginna Rinkov has over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, process implementation, and leading a cohesive team. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BA in History, Business and Jewish Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Most recently, Rinkov served as the COO at JewishColumbus, the largest funder of Jewish organizations and programs in the Columbus area. In this role, she focused on building a culture of collaboration through operational restructuring, tactical recruitment of key positions and developing frameworks for staff to grow strategically and holistically. Prior to becoming a Jewish professional, Rinkov held multiple managerial positions at a large Chicago-based distribution company where she oversaw operations, strategy, and professional development for her departments. Rinkov has a long history of volunteerism and has served on multiple boards. In addition to her work with JEWISHcolorado, Rinkov also currently serves on the Jewish Family Service Board. She lives in Greenwood Village with her husband and their twin boys.

Mike Sophir is Chief Executive Officer of the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center. Sophir has more than 30 years of experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Prior to the JCC, Sophir served as a Senior Consultant at Columns where he delivered business development strategies to local and national nonprofit and public sector clients. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon International Headquarters in Chicago. Prior to his time in Chicago, Mike lived in Denver for 22 years, where he served as Senior Vice President at Peri Marketing and Public Relations and as the Director of Corporate Development at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Mike is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and he holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Advertising from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

At its final board meeting of its fiscal year, JEWISHcolorado honored outgoing board members including Nancy Gart, Jimmy Miller, Jason Williamson, Seth Wong, and Marc Penner.