Administrative Leadership Team
Dr. Michelle Bernat
Head of School
Dr. Michelle Bernat is excited and deeply honored to serve as the Head of School at Pardes, beginning July 1, 2023. Most recently, Dr. Bernat has been the Lower School Division Head of Tarbut v’Torah (TVT), a prominent Jewish Day School in Irvine, California. In this role, she developed a comprehensive learning support structure to ensure student needs were being met academically, socially, and emotionally. At TVT, Dr. Bernat strengthened the academic curriculum, implemented a new English-Language Arts Program, and ensured faculty and staff had individualized and school-wide professional development. Dr. Bernat also developed family programming focused on academic enrichment, social opportunities, and student-led celebrations.
Prior to her time at TVT, Dr. Bernat was an Assistant Superintendent of Education, Senior Director, and Director of school districts in California, as well as a Director of Curriculum and Content for an educational publishing company. Before teaching and administration in public schools, Dr. Bernat taught general studies, Hebrew, and Judaica at Jewish Day Schools in Tucson, AZ, and California.
Dr. Bernat graduated from California State University, Fullerton earning a Doctorate in Organizational Change. She also holds an M.Ed. in Cultural Diversity focused on curricular integration. Her undergraduate work was completed at the University of Arizona, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, with a minor in Jewish Studies.
In her spare time, Dr. Bernat enjoys time with her family, going to live theater, cooking, and traveling.
You can contact Dr. Bernat at mbernat@pardesschool.org.
Ann Jurewicz, Ed.D
K-8 Principal
Dr. Ann Jurewicz joins the Pardes administrative team serving as Principal with responsibility for Kindergarten through 8th grade. Dr. Jurewicz comes to us from Saint Paul, Minnesota where she grew up and returned to for graduate school. She has been an educator overseas in the Cayman Islands, Germany, and Spain, and she has also led a K-8 immersion program in the USA. She loves cooking, dinners with family/friends, and scuba diving. Under the sea is her happy place.
You can contact Ann at ajurewicz@pardesschool.org.
Lauren Kreisberger
Director of K-8/Admissions
Lauren Kreisberger is the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at Pardes Jewish Day School. Prior to this role, Morah Lauren, as she is known on campus, taught kindergarten at Pardes for 11 years. Before moving with her family to Arizona in 2005, she taught third grade in the New York City public school system for 10 years and was an active member of Teacher’s College Reading & Writing Project at Columbia University. She has a B.S in Elementary Education with a concentration in Jewish Studies and a Master’s Degree in Reading. Lauren had the honor of being part of the first cohort of the IDEAS program, Institute for Day School Excellence and Sustainability and recipient of Prizmah’s ENGAGE: Growing School and Community Partnerships grant. Lauren and her husband Simon have three children: Eli (22), Ben (20) and Ari (16).
You can contact Lauren Kreisberger at lkreisberger@pardesschool.org.
Tom Radz
Director of Communications and Marketing
Tom Radz was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He attended Western Illinois University and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Upon receiving his master’s, Tom went directly into journalism as a staff writer and worked his way up to assistant editor for a daily newspaper. Tom’s career shifted when he was offered a position as the Director of Marketing for Athletics at WIU, which he held until returning home to Chicago where he taught college communications for the next nine years. Since moving to the Valley five years ago, Tom has worked as both a marketing and a communications specialist. Tom’s decision to move to Phoenix was mainly due to the weather, as he enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. Tom also played college baseball and coached at that level for a decade. Tom loves what the Valley has to offer in terms of both amateur and professional baseball and you can find him regularly in attendance at college, Spring Training, and D-backs games.
You can contact Tom Radz at tradz@pardesschool.org.
Lezlie Strolle
Director of Technology; Assistant Director of Operations
Lezlie Strolle, Director of Technology, is responsible for planning, purchasing, installing, and maintaining technology systems for the school. She also works closely with students and faculty to achieve best practice technology infusion into teaching and learning. Lezlie joined the Pardes faculty in 2010 as a fifth grade teacher. Prior to joining the Pardes faculty, she taught grades second through eighth both in public and independent school settings in Michigan and Arizona. Lezlie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Michigan State University and her Master’s in Business Administration.
You can contact Lezlie Strolle at lstrolle@pardesschool.org.
Amie Dorman
Director of Finance & Head of the Business Office
Bio Coming Soon.
You can contact Amie Dorman at adorman@pardesschool.org.