The Etzah team

Elliott is a technology industry veteran who has held key executive roles at industry giants like IBM, Oracle and Fiserv. Throughout his career, he has driven exceptional growth, notably leading a 220-person division of a $400M international fintech company and tripling its revenues in just three years.

As a CEO and senior executive, Elliott’s true hallmark has always been his focus on people development and transformational leadership. He has guided organizations through pivotal cultural changes—from navigating turnarounds and driving customer-centric growth to successful acquisitions. Across all these environments, his success has been anchored by a visionary ability to motivate, mentor, and energize those around him.

Beyond the corporate world, Elliott proudly extends the same passion for human development and leadership to the community. He has served on the Boards of Temple Sholom, Jewish Family Services (JFS), and the Arbutus Club, sits on the Board of Advisors for a privately held firm and volunteers as a driver for the Vancouver Cancer Drivers Society.

Elliott holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University. He and his wife, Loren Plottel, have two grown children. When he isn’t mentoring, he is an avid road cyclist, skier, golfer, scuba diver, tennis and pickleball player as well as a former marathoner. Now, as Chair and co-founder of Etzah, Elliott is excited to bridge his lifetime of professional coaching expertise with his dedication to the Shul, fostering meaningful and impactful relationships between our community’s mentors and mentees in our new Temple Sholom mentorship program.

Before any title or role, Elena is, quite simply, a person, and a fortunate one: grateful for the chance to belong to a family, to pursue meaningful work, and to bring her own projects to life.

She has followed several callings at once. The first, in Ukraine, was in insurance and investment, where she served as Chairman of the Board of an insurance company. The second came in technology: after immigrating to Canada thirteen years ago, she founded and led her own company for seven years before turning to corporate leadership.

Learning has been the constant thread throughout. She holds master's degrees in International Economics and in Banking, and an Executive MBA, and has kept studying since, at the Council of Europe's Summer University in Strasbourg (2008), at Stanford in AI-Driven Leadership (2025), and at ESSEC in Singapore in Luxury Management (2026).

Her third calling, art, has grown quietly alongside the rest, and gives them their inspiration. As Elementia, she works with quartz singing bowls to create music for deep listening; she designs colouring books for quiet meditation; and she paints.

Most of all, she is a wife and a mother, and counts raising her two children alongside her husband as the great work of her life. She has lately taken up jiu-jitsu, where, like every beginner, she is defeated with cheerful regularity, and returns to the mat all the same, sure that showing up, and staying humble, matters more than winning.

As a Jew by choice, Elena counts it a privilege to belong to this community and to give something back. As a co-founder of Etzah, she believes in it wholeheartedly, and one she is proud, first as a fellow human being, to help bring to life.

Jeff Balin, MBA, CPCC, brings nearly 30 years of business, leadership, and teaching experience to his work, driven by a deep commitment to people and community development.

Since 2002, Jeff has provided executive and leadership support to a diverse portfolio of corporate, independent, and social-impact clients. He has earned a strong reputation for aligning talent, systems, and processes with organizational missions, visions, and values. His professional background spans organizational consulting, team management, product and service development, business ownership, and retail operations. Notably, he also spent eight years designing and delivering leadership and professional development programs at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

A dedicated community leader, Jeff is a past President of Temple Sholom and a former VP of Operations for the Jewish Federation, with a longstanding passion for fostering inclusivity and support within the Jewish community. This commitment naturally extends to his educational work, which includes teaching Judaic Studies at King David High School alongside ongoing, dedicated study of Judaism and Jewish practice.

Jeff holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, studied at the London Business School, and has completed extensive training in transformational leadership and personal development.

A passionate educator, community builder, and lifelong advocate for children and families, Cathy Lowenstein has devoted more than 4 decades to education and community. Her career has been guided by a deep belief in the power of relationships, the importance of strong communities, and the potential within every child and aspiring leader.

Cathy began her career in both public and independent education, working with a diverse range of students and families. In 2002, she stepped into educational leadership as Head of School at Vancouver Talmud Torah, a role she held for 17 years. During that time, she had the privilege of leading a dedicated staff, overseeing a $30 million project to build a new campus, and working alongside faculty and the school community to achieve accreditation through Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), widely recognized as the gold standard for independent schools in Canada.

Cathy holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration and is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and City University of Seattle. Her commitment to lifelong learning has also enabled her to advance her studies at the Harvard Principals’ Institute and the Lookstein Principals’ Institute in Jerusalem.

After retiring from her role as Head of School in 2019, Cathy established her own educational consulting practice and continued her work in educational leadership as a contractor with the Ministry of Education.

That same year, Cathy joined the Temple Sholom team, initially supporting the Culture of Philanthropy initiative and the Temple’s membership and philanthropic vision. It was a natural next chapter for someone who has always believed deeply in the importance of connection and community.

Today, Cathy continues her work at Temple Sholom as the Director of Congregational Engagement- a role she takes on with great enthusiasm and gratitude. She finds enormous meaning in community engagement, outreach, philanthropy, and supporting aspiring leaders as they grow and find their own path. For Cathy, the opportunity to work in a vibrant, caring, and purposeful community is a true honour. She often says that there is rarely a day that is not interesting, rewarding and deeply fulfilling.

Maggie McCutcheon is an American by birth, Canadian by good luck, and Jew by choice. She holds a BFA in Communications and Photography from Concordia University, where she then received a full scholarship to also complete an MFA in Photography. Maggie currently works in fundraising at McGill University, designing and implementing career and mentorship programs that promote alumni engagement and strengthen donor pipelines. Her background across arts, culture, and higher education – including roles at The Frick Collection in New York and Concordia University – shaped her passion for crafting opportunities that drive engagement, growth, and connection.

Thanks to an academic exchange between McGill and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Maggie met her Israeli husband in Montreal and began an ongoing relationship with Judaism and Israeli culture. Apart from getting settled in her new home of Vancouver, Maggie enjoys the beauty of the outdoors, the occasional photoshoot, a great book, and having endless good conversations with her loved ones.

As a recent Jewish Changemakers Fellow and new Temple Sholom member, she is dedicated to building thriving Jewish communities and is grateful to collaborate on this meaningful mentorship program.

Lianna has been actively involved in Jewish community leadership for many years, with a special interest in creating meaningful connections between people. Having benefited from mentors who offered perspective, encouragement, and support throughout her career, she is excited to help create those connections for others through Etzah.

Lianna currently serves on the board of Hillel BC as Treasurer and has previously served on the boards of the Jewish Federation of BC, the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC, and Temple Sholom Synagogue. She is a recent alumna of the Wexner Heritage Program’s Vancouver cohort, a two-year educational experience focused on Jewish learning, leadership development, and strengthening Jewish communal life.

Lianna is a CPA and works in Product Distribution at Aritzia. Outside of work and volunteering, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, and exploring the city with her husband, son, and dog.