Board of Directors

Daniel Bar Dayan

Daniel Bar Dayan


Daniel, married to VTT alum Marni Ross, has 3 kids at VTT - Madison, a VTT alum now at King David High School, Hailey in grade 7 and Riley in grade 3. He grew up in Toronto and went to Hebrew day schools for both elementary and high school. Daniel has a B.Comm from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He has worked in asset and property management in both Toronto and Vancouver for the last 17 years. He currently sits on the Facilities and Security committee.

Talia Bender

Talia Bender


Talia is married to Josh, and they are the proud parents of three VTT students: Aria in grade 7, Adam in grade 2, and Jacob in Junior Kindergarten. Talia is a VTT alum and is honoured to bring her professional experience in philanthropy to the board's Strategic Partnerships committee.

Jim Crooks
Bio coming soon

Robert Danay
Robert and his wife Odette Bodman have two kids at VTT: Danay in Grade 2 and Reuben in Junior Kindergarten. A Hebrew day school success story, the couple met in Grade 9 in Toronto and have been married for more than 20 years. Making his mother even prouder, Robert has earned degrees from the University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Oxford. Robert is presently a lawyer with the BC Ministry of the Attorney General and an adjunct law professor with the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. He is honoured to serve on the VTT Board where he hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the school and to the broader community.

Dan Gadassi

Dan Gadassi


Dan was born and raised in Jerusalem. He moved to Vancouver with his wife and three children where he was warmly welcomed and embraced by the Jewish community and VTT. In Israel, he worked for 20 years as a senior television director in the news department. Currently, Dan works in the optical industry as a joint CEO. Dan is the proud father of a current VTT student, a VTT alumnus and a King David student alumnus. Dan sits on the Facilities and Security committee.

Daniel Glasner

Daniel Glasner


Daniel Glasner is a VTT alumni and proud parent of 3rd generation students, Luca (Class of 2027) and Aubrey (Class of 2030). His father Ken was in the first graduating class at VTT's permanent location. As a panelist in a recent "Alumni Roundtable" podcast, Daniel was referred to as having a "prodigious memory of all things Vancouver Talmud Torah related." Daniel is a lawyer, having attended McGill University followed by the UBC Faculty of Law.

Tamara Howarth

Tamara Howarth


Tamara is the mother of two VTT graduates (Elana in 2017 and Noah in 2020). Tamara is a lawyer with over 24 years of practice experience and is the Vice President, Legal at Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. She is originally from Montreal but has been a member of the Vancouver community since moving here after law school. Tamara has been on the Board for over seven years where she has served in a number of roles on different committees and is the past president of the Board.

Marc Josephson

Marc Josephson


Marc and his wife Jenna are proud parents to Ethan (Grade 3) and Ayla (Junior Kindergarten). He is on the Facilities and Security committee and proud to be a new member of the VTT Board focusing on what’s best for this new generation both now and in the future. Marc is Senior Vice President, Development at Grosvenor, an international property company, where he oversees the company’s development, marketing and construction activities in Metro Vancouver.

Irv Laskin
Irv attended Edmonton Talmud Torah, and his (and wife Naomi’s) three daughters Aria, Samara and Romi all attended VTT(and amazingly and to Naomi and Irv’s great fortune, are all settling in Vancouver). Irv was on the board for many years while his daughters were at VTT, and is very pleased to be brought out of “VTT board retirement” to work with an ethical and good hearted group of dedicated directors. Irv is a banking lawyer and heads the banking and debt financing practice group at Lawson Lundell LLP.

Dean Lederman, Treasurer
Dean grew up in Vancouver and graduated from McGill University’s Faculty of Management. After living in New York City for 20 years, he recently returned home to Vancouver. Dean and his wife Julia are proud parents of three VTT students, Kayla and Rachel and Shayna. As a former VTT student, Dean is honored to be a new VTT board member and looks forward to contributing to VTT’s continued success.

Gary Lyons

Gary Lyons


Gary is the father of a VTT grad (Class of 2012). He graduated with a law degree from the University of Alberta. After several years of practicing law in Edmonton, Gary shifted to international business and worked for many years in Taiwan and Bermuda. In addition to his law background, Gary has a depth of experience in investment banking, international business, and wealth management. He was managing director of Assante Wealth Management Bermuda and moved to Vancouver in 2002 where he started his wealth management practice with Assante Wealth Management Canada. Gary helps families manage their success (wealth) and prepares the next generation for the family legacy. Gary is chair of the Strategic Planning committee for VTT (his 3rd plan for VTT!).

Rebecca Marstaller

Rebecca Marstaller


Rebecca is a VTT alum and mother to three children, two of whom attend VTT and one who will once she’s old enough. She is currently the Vice President of marketing for Lululemon North America and previously spent her time working in advertising in New York and London, England. Rebecca is honoured to contribute to the board and is currently serving on the Strategic Partnerships committee.

Natasha Nobell

Natasha Nobell


Natasha was born in Vancouver and lived in Sweden for several years. After finishing high school in Sweden, she returned to Vancouver to attend UBC, where she completed a PhD in French-Canadian literature. Initially focused on a career in academia, Natasha's interest turned toward university administration and she currently manages UBC's global partnerships and faculty relations in the Vice-Provost International portfolio. She and her husband, Andrew Fransblow, are proud to send their daughter to VTT - Sophie is now in grade 6 - and Natasha is honoured to serve on the Governance and Strategic Planning committees of the VTT Board of Directors.

Alissa Rogachevsky, Board President
Alissa has been proudly serving on the VTT Board of Directors since 2014. She brings over 20 years' experience in non profit fundraising as a professional fundraiser and consultant for 15 years and the last five years as a volunteer. Alissa chairs the Strategic Partnerships committee and sits on the Executive committee and the Covid Risk committee. Alissa and her husband Bram are parents to three children at VTT, spanning the early, primary and intermediate years. Alissa has a BSc from UVic and, together with Bram, runs BR Law, a boutique aboriginal law firm.

Annie Simpson

Annie Simpson


Annie is the proud mom of two VTT students, Lev, now a student at King David High School, and Tali in grade 5. She received her PhD from University of Toronto in School and Clinical-Child Psychology and is a registered psychologist and director of Cornerstone Child and Family Psychology Clinic. Annie was born in Vancouver and attended VTT herself for several years. She is thrilled to be able to contribute to the board of VTT on the Governance and Strategic Partnerships Committees.