Howard A. Simon holds an BA from UC Berkeley, a JD from Berkeley Law, and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Graduate Theological Union.  He has been a lay leader in the Bay Area Jewish community, including at Lehrhaus Judaica/HaMaqom, Brandeis Hillel Day School, Congregation Ner Tamid, the Berkeley Hillel Foundation, the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley.  He has been a teacher and lecturer in Jewish studies and ethics at San Francisco State University and in lifelong learning programs around the Bay Area.  He recently retired from an extensive career in biotechnology.