Lana & Stephen L. Royal

Nearly 20 years ago, Lana and Steve Royal relocated to Birmingham when Steve was asked to come out of retirement and join HealthSouth Corporation as the company’s Chief Development Officer. With previous stops in Houston, Chicago, Cleveland, Ft. Myers and South Florida, the Royals were excited to join a warm and welcoming community with Southern charm and a thriving Jewish life.

The family’s connections to our city would ultimately span multiple generations. Steve’s father, Louis was raised in Birmingham. Later, Lana and Steve’s sons would marry girls with ties to our community when Asher married Julie (Corenblum) and Russin married Jill (Ceitlin). Collectively, Lana and Steve now are blessed with four grandchildren, Ari, Remy, Havi & Somi.

Through their 52 years of marriage, Lana and Steve felt it important to try and make an impact wherever they resided. Both were raised by families that emphasized the importance of volunteerism, philanthropic involvement and the perpetuation of the Jewish community. Lana’s parents were part of the founding members of their synagogue in Longview, Texas while Steve’s family were active members of the renowned Issac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Upon arriving in Birmingham in 2007, Lana and Steve were quickly embraced by the Birmingham Jewish community and its rich heritage of belonging and engagement. Lana was one of the early volunteers to join the CJFS CARES program and continues today. She, along with Candy Meyerson and Beth Campbell, are chairing, for the second year, their Hands Up Together fundraiser. She also enjoys serving on Temple Emanu-El’s Caring Committee. Steve has held multiple leadership positions with Temple Emanu-El, the Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foundation, and remains active on the board of CJFS.

Lana and Steve enjoy traveling with their dear friends and especially enjoy their annual trip to the beach with the Friedman, Royal and Rubenstein families. They try to spend as much time as possible with their children and grandchildren.

Nancy Goedecke

Nancy is a Birmingham native and the oldest child of the late Patsy Weil Collat and Charles A. Collat, Sr. She attended Newcomb College of Tulane University and graduated with an elementary teaching degree and BA in Psychology. After teaching in New Orleans, she lived in Grand Rapids, MI, and Tampa, FL, before returning to Birmingham, where she has been for the past 36 years.

Nancy immediately got involved in the community and has never looked back. In addition, she became engaged in her family’s business, Mayer, serving as Chair of the Board/CEO from 2008 until the business was sold in 2021.

Nancy has dedicated countless hours to her community. She has served as Board Chair for the Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Birmingham Business Alliance, the Birmingham Zoo, Collat Jewish Family Services, NCJW, Pathways, Temple Emanu-El Endowment, and the YWCA Junior Board. She currently serves on the Boards of the American Heart Association, Birmingham Zoo, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, Red Mountain Theatre, Temple Emanu-El, and Downtown Rotary, where she is the incoming President.

Past board membership includes the American Red Cross, Birmingham Jewish Federation, The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Girl Scouts, Junior League, Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Alabama, McKinney Capital, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, O’Neal Library, PARCA, Smile-A Mile, UAB Leadership Council, United Way, and the YWCA.

Nancy was the first woman in the 93-year history of the United Way of Central Alabama to chair their annual campaign. Nancy has received several local and national award recognitions including AL.COM’s Women Who Shape the State Award, Collat Jewish Family Service Honoree,  Girl Scout’s Mildred Bell Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award, Girl Scout Women of Distinction Award, Junior League Shining Star Award,  Momentum’s Woman of Leadership Award, National Philanthropy Day United Way of Central Alabama Outstanding Civic Leader Award, National Association of Electrical Distributors Trailblazer Award, and the Yellow Hammer Women of Impact Award.

The accomplishment Nancy is most proud of is her family; sons David (Jayna) and Scott (Lauren), and grandchildren Ava, Alex, Wells, Maggie, and Olivia.

Nancy often says she has a hard time saying ‘no’—a reflection of the inspiring role models and mentors in her family and community who have created so many rich and beautiful opportunities for her.

Abraham Kunin

Abraham Kunin was born in New Haven, CT, the first American-born child of two Russian-Jewish immigrants, and the second of four children. He attended middle and high school in Huntsville, AL and college at MIT where he majored in math. He moved to Birmingham in 2013 while finishing his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at UAH. He is now an Engineering Manager at Altec.

Abe began his community involvement in 2015 as a member of the BJF’s Israel World Jewry Bureau. He joined the LJCC Parents’ Council and became a regular at men’s pickup basketball – something he continues to this day. At Temple Beth El he served on a Property/Building committee tasked with making a recommendation about the future of the building. Today, he is a member of both the LJCC and BJF Boards and sits on the Executive Committee of each.  He also represents the LJCC on our Community Security Committee.

Abe strives to be an active participant in Board meetings, to ask questions when he is confused, and to bring well-reasoned suggestions to the table. He is not afraid to use an Excel spreadsheet when it may help organize or clarify things!

Abe is married to Sarah Kunin (née Abroms). They have three children; Andrew, Haley, and Rachel. In the bits of free time he can find, Abe enjoys basketball, chess, puzzles of all kinds, and reading.