Administration
Margie Zeskind
Head of School
Margie Zeskind holds a Master of Science degree in Pre-K/Primary Education. She started her tenure as the director of early childhood education at the Foundation School in July 2007.
Prior to this position, Margie was the director of the Helene and A.B. Wiener Early Childhood Department for the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education in Miami, Florida. There she provided professional resources and consultation for staff development, mentoring and leadership development for early childhood education directors and educators for twenty-one Jewish early childhood programs. Prior to this position, Margie was a Jewish early childhood educator and a religious school educator at Temple Beth Am, a reform synagogue in Kendall, for nine years.
She authored two simultaneously awarded National Covenant Foundation Grants for the Jewish south Florida early childhood community. Additionally, she is co-author of I Went To My Cousin’s Crispening, and The S.A.G.A. Approach, which is a resource guide for Jewish early childhood educators working with issues surrounding religious diversity, and was funded by The Jim Joseph Foundation. She is one of the co-developers of the Kesher L’ Yisrael Initiative that was designed for early childhood educators to partner with children and families to build connections to Israel, the land, the people and the state.
Stacy Penson
Director of Elementary Level
Stacy Penson graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and holds a teaching certificate in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. Her passion is helping children learn to read and she enjoys sharing a love of literacy with children. She is uniquely qualified for this task in that she is trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach, which is designed to help struggling readers. Prior to assuming the role of Director of the Elementary Level, Stacy was a lead Pre-Kindergarten teacher for 13 years at the Innovative School. Before that, she was a second and first grade teacher at various schools in Miami and Northern California. She has been an eduGator since 1990 and at Temple Beth Sholom since 1999.
She recently completed her Certificate in School Management and Leadership, a joint program of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Progressive Leadership at Bank Street College. Her hobbies include reading and exercising. She enjoys spending time on the beach with her husband John, and daughters Marley, Delila, and Ruby. She believes that every child has a voice and commits herself to being “in the moment” with them. She believes that education around the world is at a crossroads and is committed to creating change and education reform.
Liset Leyva
Studio/Environment Specialist
Liset holds a degree in fine arts which facilitates her extensive familiarity with materials. She also has previous careers in Theater Set/Costume design and Graphic Art Director in the corporate world. This blend of art related pursuits contribute to her keen sense of Environment Development as applied to the Early Childhood Setting. As an Early Childhood Educator, her creative nature manifested in dramatic curriculum-related transformations in the classroom.
Liset was born in Santiago de Cuba, Oriente but spent most of her childhood and early adulthood in New York; however, she also lived in Madrid, Spain, and Venezuela. Sharing life with her two children Ibel and Ulysses is her biggest reward and connecting with children and their families by assisting them with the enhancement of their awareness of our responsibilities to earth, God, and love.
Dalia Katz
Director of Supplementary Educational Programs
Dalia was born in Argentina and came to Miami in 2003 with her husband Ariel. She has been an Early Childhood teacher since 1992. She started working at our Temple in 2003 as part of different programs. She was a teacher in in our Foundation level for 11 years before taking over the role of Director of Supplementary Programs. Dalia also taught Hebrew in Rabbi Leon Kronish School for Living Judaism program.
Dalia holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has two beautiful children Matias and Melanie Nudel that are former Foundation School students and cu
Giuliana Sierralta
Director of Infant Care & Assistant Director Of Supplementary Programs
Giuliana Sierralta is from Peru and has lived in Miami since 1986. She recently graduated summa cum laude from Kaplan University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with an emphasis in child development. She also earned the Child Development Associate Credential. Giuliana is the proud mother of Cole Young, who is a former student of the Foundation Level. In her free time, Giuliana enjoys the beach, running, traveling, and spending time with her son and family.
Kimberly Hyde
Education Office Manager
A native Floridian Kimberly Hyde started at Temple Beth Sholom in 2016. The middle of three generations at Temple Beth Sholom Kimberly is an administrative assistant for jLAB, The Innovative School, and Supplemental Education.
Kimberly has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Florida International University. She loves spending her weekends with her son James, who can be found playing and learning at Temple Beth Sholom.
Suzy Wagner
Communications Manager
Shannon Koonin
Academic Advancement Coordinator
Shannon Koonin is the founder and owner of Koonin Education Services, LLC, an education services company that provides academic assessment, intervention, and consulting services. Shannon has 14 years of classroom experience teaching grades Kindergarten through 6th, in both the private and public sector. Shannon has also served as a mentor and undergraduate professor for Touro College, in the field of Education. Shannon is trained in both the Lindamood Bell Visualization and Verbalization program, and the Seeing Stars Program, as well as the Wilson Reading System. Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in Education from McGill University, and a dual master’s degree in General Education and Special Education from Touro College. Shannon grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and moved to Miami Beach in 2004, where she continues to reside with her two children. Shannon is truly passionate about education and will work closely with the teaching team and the Director of Elementary Level, to support teachers, learners, and administration in all educator competencies, high level instruction practices, and implementation of curriculum.
Meet the Clergy & Board of Trustees
In addition to our administration and education committee we’d like to introduce you to our Clergy teamand Board of Trustees. Learn more about Temple Beth Sholom and all that we have to offer!