Meet the President

I am honored to serve as the President of the 2021-22 Temple Beth Or Governing Board (GB) and look forward to working with this GB. While I have known some of you for nearly 30 years, some of you I have yet to meet – so I thought I should properly introduce myself.

I grew up in a Maryland suburb of Washington D.C. in a not very observant Conservative Jewish home with two older brothers. My parents were a mixed marriage, my mother being from Brooklyn (Dodgers fan) and my father from Manhattan (Yankees fan). I attended college and graduate school in Minnesota and California, studying Chemistry and Engineering. I did some other moving around but eventually my husband, Vinaya Chepuri, and I moved to Mukilteo in 1993 and joined TBO soon thereafter. We have two adult children. Our daughter, a mathematician, lives in Minneapolis. She is working virtually for the University of Michigan as a post-doctoral fellow. Our son lives in Iowa City, where he is pursuing his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Iowa. Both attended TBO Religious School and became b’nei mitzvah on the TBO bimah.

I retired from engineering consulting in the late 90’s to manage our increasingly chaotic household and to volunteer in the community. In addition to various TBO roles, assisting with the kids’ school activities and volunteering with other organizations, I served on the boards of the Mukilteo YMCA and the Kamiak High School Performing Arts Boosters. I also served on the Park and Arts Commission and on the Planning Commission for the City of Mukilteo.

When not answering emails, I love being outside. I am not an adrenaline seeking adventurer. I just like to putter in the yard, walk in the neighborhood, kayak in flat water, play in the water or snow, and go for moderate hikes. I also love music and singing and anything to do with food – growing it, preparing it, talking about it, eating it. . . . Pre-COVID, I recall that I enjoyed travelling.

I can’t end this article without acknowledging the fantastic leadership of the outgoing President, Vicky Romero. She had a very tough set of challenges. She was absolutely the right president for us in that time. We needed someone with her dedication and focus to get us through those difficult issues. Thanks, Vicky for all of your hard work. We were really lucky to have your service.

Shalom,

Melanie