In Remembrance of Phyllis Dubinsky-Klein
PHYLLIS CLAIRE DUBINSKY-KLEIN
December 28, 1954 – June 03, 2023
It is with profound sadness that we are mourning the passing of Phyllis Claire Dubinsky-Klein – our trusted colleague, gifted collaborator, passionate educator, community advocate, loving friend, sister, and aunt – who succumbed on June 03, 2023 after a courageous 25+ year battle with Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Phyllis had a national reputation as a problem solver inside creative industries. Considered an expert in business and client development, strategic planning, brand development and marketing, her professional career included serving in principal roles for regional practices and multi-national firms, located in New York and Los Angeles. She cited that her greatest successes in business as having been the jump-starting and repositioning of firms in diverse markets, and the creation of strategic initiatives which often resulted in unique alliances. As a business development expert, she also facilitated panels and workshops which supported and mentored generations of creative professionals.
In leadership positions on the Boards for professional and community organizations, she spearheaded fundraising efforts, chaired events, and evolved organizational awareness and recognition. She was a Past President and Board Member of the Westside Urban Forum and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS Los Angeles), and served as a Board Member of The Association for Women in Architecture + Design (AWA+D), Southern California Biomedical Council, and the Architectural Guild of the USC School of Architecture. Phyllis was a recipient of the prestigious SMPS/LA Leonardo Award and the USC Architectural Guild Outstanding Service Award, and she also vigorously advocated for organizations whose missions involved cancer research and sustainable living.
Phyllis was a lifelong learner who was passionate in her quest to try absolutely everything, so it came as no surprise that she would also have an enormous impact as a marketing educator in institutions of higher learning – among them, the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC), Woodbury University, USC School of Architecture and UCLA. Fueled by curiosity, Phyllis often said that she loved to teach because she learned so much from her students.
A wellness driven lifestyle was at the foundation of everything Phyllis undertook. She was a passionate athlete and competitor – swimmer, cyclist, and tennis player. Music, and the music industry, was also a particular love for her – from listening to classic folk and rock to jazz and hip hop. Whenever she could, she loved to play piano, guitar, drums and even ukulele, and follow her favorite musical artists and groups for a chance to re-energize her soul.
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Phyllis went on to attend the State University of New York at Buffalo where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Linguistics, cum laude, and graduate studies in Theoretical Linguistics at The University of New Mexico. She is survived by her brother-in-law Barry Goldstein of Penfield, New York, and nieces Jaime Adkins of Pittsford, New York and Robyn Goldstein of Forest Hills, New York, along with throngs of loyal friends across the globe who are so grateful for the time and optimism she shared with us.
No service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you advocate, donate, partner or fundraise for organizations who are working tirelessly on research to find cancer cures and the institutions who provide care and healing. Among them, the American Cancer Society | www.cancer.org and The National Foundation for Cancer Research | www.nfcr.org
