Stephen Wise Temple and Wise School are proud to announce the hiring of Keri Loventhal, M.Ed., as the director of our Aaron Milken Center for Early Childhood Education. Loventhal—who has over 20 years of experience—will lead our early childhood program into a new era as we prepare to break ground on our state-of-the-art, $30 million facility.
“I am thrilled to welcome Keri as our Director, as together we continue to ‘make great happen’ in our Aaron Milken Center,” said Head of School Tami Weiser. “Keri deeply understands the Los Angeles day school community, and she will bring her passion for education to our administrative team as we build for the future. I know the community will join me in welcoming Keri to Wise in the coming weeks and months through the many opportunities we will provide for all of our students, teachers, and parents to get to know her.”
“Education has been a passion of mine since I was a child,” said Loventhal, who has spent the last 10 years as the Director of Valley Beth Shalom’s Etz Chaim Learning Center, where she provided supplemental Jewish education to students in grades K-7. During her time at VBS, Loventhal created innovative academy classes to enhance learning and authored a how-to manual to help other educators adopt this new model.
Loventhal is excited to return to Wise, where she worked while in graduate school, and particularly to be joining the team at Aaron Milken Center. As she says: “Early childhood is a child’s first introduction to school and community; we create positive and memorable experiences, shape young minds, and inspire future leaders. The Wise leadership team in AMC has created a strong foundation. I am confident we will flourish together.”
As every child, parent, and alumnus knows, Aaron Milken Center provides a warm, welcoming space for our community’s youngest learners and their families to engage in hands-on, experiential learning that sparks curiosity, fosters creativity, and encourages children to think deeply and critically. We are incredibly grateful to Jayne Rosen, who led our team with strength during the search process and will now return to her role as assistant director of Aaron Milken Center.
Loventhal will begin her work this July advancing Wise’s innovative early childhood education experience.
“Aaron Milken Center is the preeminent entry point into a life of Jewish values, learning, and living that any parent would aspire to for their children,” said Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback. “With our brand-new facility, our amazing community, and our dedicated teachers and administrators—led by Tami Weiser and Keri Loventhal—I couldn’t be more excited about our future.”
Loventhal graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology. She later earned her master’s in education from the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University), along with a second bachelor’s degree in Hebrew literature. She also pursued professional growth with the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Skye and Payton, her boyfriend Marc, taking Peloton classes, Pilates, and reading.
