Head of School - Ext. 501

Jill Kessler has been the Head of Pardes Jewish Day School in Phoenix, Arizona, since 2003. Prior to this, Jill was Head of School at the Tesseract School in Paradise Valley, Arizona, for seven years and the Early Childhood Director for four years. While at Tesseract, she was involved in the opening of two additional Tesseract private schools – one in North Scottsdale and one in Ahwatukee. Jill served as Dean of External Affairs at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in between her years at Tesseract and Pardes.

Prior to moving to Phoenix, Jill taught at The Early Childhood Center at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She supervised undergraduate and graduate students in the child development program and in the art of teaching program. Jill holds a Master’s degree in child development from Sarah Lawrence, a Master’s degree in elementary education with a concentration on the diverse learner, from The University of Phoenix, and an undergraduate degree from New York University.

Jill has presented at both local and national conferences on a variety of education topics, and she has had articles published both locally and nationally. She is the representative to the Arizona Council for American Private Education (CAPE) and a member of the Arizona Association of Independent Schools (AAIS).

Jill and her husband Daniel are the proud and loving parents of Sam and Hannah, both young adults. Dogs Rudy and Abby keep them laughing at home!

Assistant Head of School K-8 - Ext. 502

Tobee Waxenberg, Assistant Head of School, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in secondary education, majoring in speech. After graduation, Tobee went on to become a high school debate coach, and speech and sociology teacher.

Upon moving to Phoenix, Tobee opened the Jewish Resource Center under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education. During this time, she was asked to be a member of the think tank for the UAHC (now the URJ) curriculum project, “To See the World through Jewish Eyes.” She helped develop objectives and activities for the 4th to 8th grade religious school curriculums. Tobee was the religious school principal at Temple Solel and Temple Kol Ami.

In 2000, Tobee opened the Pardes middle school; setting curriculum, goals and traditions. She was also a participant in the Jewish Day Schools of the 21st Century program at HUC-JIR, and attended the Principals’ Center at Harvard.

Tobee and her husband Jim have two children and two grandchildren.

Tobee has been with Pardes Jewish Day School since its inception.

Tom Sylvester - Director of Admissions - Ext. 503

Tom Sylvester comes to Pardes as the Director of Admissions after having spent the past 20 years in administrative positions at Phoenix Country Day School and Brophy College Prep. He was Director of admissions for 17 years and Director of Advancement for the past 3 years. He has an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a Masters degree in business from the American Graduate School of International Management. He has coached sports soccer, basketball and baseball for over thirty years and also has experience teaching history, mathematics and economics. Tom is on the Board of 4 Student tuition organizations (STOs) and is a past President of the Harvard Club of Phoenix..

Chief Financial Officer - Ext. 509

Patti Evans, CPA, MHSA, is our Chief Financial Officer. She is responsible for the financial affairs of the school within the parameters established by the Head of School and/or the Board of Directors, and oversees all aspects of the Business Office.

Patti brings to Pardes Jewish Day School a background in management and accounting. She was involved with the founding of Pardes, and has remained connected to the school since that time. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, and a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Arizona State University. Originally from the Chicago area, Patti came to Phoenix in 1979, following her grandparents who relocated here in the 1960s. Four generations of her family have been actively involved in the Phoenix Jewish community. In her 30+ years as a professional, Patti has had extensive experience as a practicing CPA, a health care administrator, an independent business consultant, and Executive Director of Temple Solel.

Director of Development - Ext. 504

Tami Adelman currently serves as Director of Development for Pardes Jewish Day School in Phoenix AZ. Since 1992, Ms. Adelman has served in various capacities throughout the Jewish community, including Director of International, Governmental and Israel Affairs for the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington and in 1997 was promoted to Assistant Director of the Council. In August of 1997, Ms. Adelman was named Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix. She was directly involved in legislative and political advocacy on a wide array of public policy issues and served as the agency's liaison to the media as well. In September of 2002, Ms. Adelman was named Executive Vice President of the Baltimore Zionist District, the largest independent Zionist organization in the United States. In May of 2006, Ms. Adelman was named Assistant Director, Western Region, for the American Society for Technion-Israel institute of Technology where she was directly responsible for major gifts fundraising. Immediately before joining American Technion Society, Ms. Adelman served as a Field Representative for Israel Bonds. Outside of the Jewish community, Ms. Adelman worked on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant on foreign affairs for Representative Helen Delich Bentley. In this capacity, she advised the Congresswoman on foreign policy legislation as well as other key issues. Ms. Adelman graduated in 1989 from Towson State University with a double major in political science and public relations. She currently resides in Scottsdale AZ with her husband Steve and their daughter Talia.

Lower School Curriculum and Instructional Coordinator - Ext. 307

Barb Heal, Lower School Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master of Science degree in Reading, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. Prior to joining the Pardes Jewish Day School, Barb was the Assistant Head of Middle School at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School for five years and the Lower School Head at Phoenix Country Day School for five years. Prior to moving to Arizona, Barb was the Elementary Education Chair at Rockford College, as well as an elementary and reading teacher. Barb has taught in both public and private education and enjoys many aspects of teaching and working with children. This is Barb’s second year at Pardes Jewish Day School and she truly enjoys working with the talented faculty and administration, along with the wonderful families and children. She enjoys membership in the International Reading Association, National Science Teacher Association, National Social Studies Association, and the National Association for Curriculum and Development.

Raquel Scharf-Anderson

Raquel Scharf-Anderson, serves as the Director of Student Services K-8. In our school, Mrs. Scharf-Anderson works with the teachers to create a curriculum that is differentiated and uses best practices. It is her responsibility to ensure all students are moving forward. In her role with the Yad b'Yad (Learning Resource) program, Raquel guides families, students and teachers in creating individualized learning plans so that students can find success. Mrs. Scharf-Anderson also runs our Enrichment program for students excelling in the lower school. Raquel grew up in the midwest and attended Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, where she received a degree in Elementary Education and World History. It was at this time that Raquel began her work as a professional vocalist. She later earned a Master's degree in Reading from the Sage Colleges of Albany, New York. Prior to joining Pardes, Raquel ran an education consulting company, The Whole Learner, in addition to teaching in both private and public schools. Raquel and her husband Eric Anderson have both a son and daughter who happily attend Pardes Jewish Day School.

Athletic Director - Ext. 207

Coach Derek Zappa is excited to join Pardes Jewish Day School as the Athletic Director and Physical Education Teacher. Derek grew up in Golden, Colorado, and attended Northern Arizona University. He earned his degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Physical Education and enjoyed every minute of it. Derek and his wife Emily have two children, Jackson and Maya. Derek had the pleasure of teaching P.E., coaching, and becoming the Athletic Director at Tesseract in Paradise Valley for a number of years. He has worked at Zuni Elementary School in the Scottsdale Unified School District, where he was a P.E. teacher. Derek has coached a variety of team sports like volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, and flag football. Derek also taught on the Leupp Reservation for a year in a 5th/6th grade multi-age classroom. He has a strong passion for athletics, team-building, and heath education. He looks forward to learning and sharing new ideas and concepts that he can incorporate into lessons and objectives for his physical education program.

Administrative Assistant - Ext. 405

Administrative Assistant - Ext. 100

Accounts Manager – Ext. 508