Sandy Starkman is currently the MERCAZ USA Membership Chair and member of its Executive Committee, having served as a VP and Secretary. She attended five World Zionist Congresses as a delegate or alternate and was an alternate/delegate to the WZO's Vaad HaPoel from 2015-2020. Sandy is the proud recipient of the MERCAZ Olami Award 5776 (October 2015), and current board member of the American Zionist Movement representing MERCAZ USA. Former board member of USCJ and Midwest Region USCJ. 

Sandy is a tireless advocate for expanding Adult Jewish education, for creating more meaningful connections between US Jews and Israel, as well as between Jews across the globe. She was a student at the Conservative Yeshiva of the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, during the summer of 2005.  

Sandy is a longtime member of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, Illinois, where she is a trustee and past Chair of the Gertrude Lederman Family Continuing Education program and a daily minyan and Shabbat/yom tov attendee. She has degrees in Economics and Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Proud to have visited Masorti Kehilot in Berlin, Budapest, Kiev, London, and Prague, she is married to Larry Pachter and is mother of Uri and Avram.