Paul Basista, a seasoned executive who has led membership organizations for over 20 years was selected as Congregation Beth Elohim's executive director by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees in March, 2008.

Paul served for more than 6 years as the Executive Director of the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional association composed primarily of the chief communications officers of corporations with at least $2 billion in annual revenues and the CEOs of the world’s largest public relations agencies. The organization’s members also include distinguished academics from the nation’s leading business and communications schools.  Paul drove significant expansion in membership, revenues, and the services offered to members during his tenure.

Jacqueline Israel has been the co-director of the Early Childhood Center since September 2000. She holds as B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College and holds an M.S. in Special Education from the College of Staten Island. Jaci enjoys an extended relationship with the Early Childhood Center where she began her teaching career in 1986 and continued to serve as Co-Director of the Lower Day Camp each summer. She has coordinated Early Childhood programs for several non-profit agencies and initiated the Project Reach Youth Universal Pre-K Program. She has additionally worked extensively with elementary age students with learning disabilities as a teacher at the Mary McDowell Center for Learning and as an Orton-Gillingham tutor.

Maura Lorenzen began her career at Congregation Beth Elohim in 1982, after graduating from St. Joseph's College with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. She earned her Master's Degree from The College of Staten Island. Over the course of almost 20 years, Maura has taught 2s, 3s,and 4s in the nursery school, co-directed the lower day camp since 1988, and in 1995 was appointed the co-director of the early childhood center. Maura is the mother of four sons, the oldest a college graduate and the youngest still in elementary school. All four  boys have graduated from the early childhood center!

Bobbie Finkelstein has been involved in the field of school age care for the past twenty years. She came to Congregation Beth Elohim in 1987 as the director of the after school center. At that time, the program was two afternoons a week. The program has grown and so has Bobbie's position. Currently, as the Director of Youth Services, she supervises a five day a week after school program; two day camps (a division for elementary school age children and a travel camp for middle school age children) and three school vacation camps. Prior to coming to Congregation Beth Elohim, Bobbie worked for Children's Aid Society and Interfaith Neighbors, a youth service agency. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the State University at Buffalo and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work. She is on the Board of the New York State School Age Care Coalition. She loves developing new programs and believes in the power of groups.

Bobbie lives in Sunset Park with her family, husband Fred and daughters, Sylvie and Molly.