Suellen Kadis has been involved in ORT for more than 30 years. She currently serves as Vice-President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter. She is a past President of the Cleveland Region of Women’s American ORT, served nationally on the U.S. Operations Committee, and co-chaired ORT America’s mission to South
America.

Suellen was recognized for her leadership at the annual ORT America Brunch in Cleveland and was their first individual female honoree.

Suellen currently serves as a Vice-Chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Secretary of the Friends of JCC Krakow and on the board of 70 Faces Media. In Cleveland, she serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Leadership Committee of the Jewish Family Service Association. She is an active leader with the Jewish Federation in Cleveland, serving as incoming Chair of the Development Committee and on the Community Relations Committee.

Suellen is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in International Relations & Photojournalism and has a JD from CWRU School of Law.

She is the proud mother of three children and grandmother of two.

Debbie Kanter has a B.S. in Speech from Northwestern University, and taught and supervised programs for deaf children and negotiated teacher contracts for South Suburban Chicago. Her next stop was Cleveland, where she founded and supervised the first Total Communication program (using sign language) in the Cleveland suburbs while earning her M.Ed. in Special Education Supervision.

From a very young age, Debbie Kanter was aware of her family’s commitment to ORT. She has worked as Chapter President in Des Moines and served on the Midwest District Board in Chicago. Through ORT, she became active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines, where she served on the Women’s Division Cabinet and as local Program Chair of the “Anne Frank in the World” exhibit from Amsterdam. She then turned her attention to the Des Moines Jewish Community Relations Commission.

A prolific writer, Debbie penned articles for ORT, Federation, and other local publications, which led to authorship of a series of op-ed articles on Soviet Jewry for the Des Moines Register. After relocating to Miami, Debbie served as School Board Chair of the local Solomon Schechter Day School during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew and subsequently became president of her congregation.

A move north to Boca Raton and environs rekindled her interest in writing—newsletters, speeches for local politicians, proposals for policies, and strategies for organizational implementation.

ORT recaptured Debbie’s imagination. Still passionate about writing, she wrote and gave a speech to the ORT America Florida Region Leadership Cabinet about the history of ORT and its impact on the Jewish world. She deeply believes that education in its highest contemporary applications will help individuals gain career skills and personal dignity, and result in Jewish communities’ ability to survive and flourish. In our quest to fundraise for our ORT schools and programs, it became evident that public awareness of our mission and our cutting-edge quality are inextricably linked to the funds we are able to raise.

She is married to Larry and they have two children and two grandchildren. And at 93, Great Grandma Shirley Sokolsky has overseen the fun, still stays focused and in the loop, and is grateful that ORT continues to command our attention and commitment.

Roberta Goodman has been involved with ORT Chicago for many years, including serving as President (2018-21), Vice President (2017-18), Annual Campaign/Contributions Chair (2014-16) and Education Committee chair (2014). She has been a member of the ORT National Board since 2021.

Roberta works as counsel at EMCO in Pleasant Prairie, WI, and has served as counsel at several Chicagoland companies over the past 30+ years.

She graduated from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the field of marketing and received a law degree from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.

Roberta and her husband, Steve, live in Highland Park, IL, and have two children.

Richard N. Bernstein served as Deputy President of World ORT in 2016-2020.

A prominent corporate attorney, Richard is a specialist in non-profit governance and operations as well as cross-border transactions, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity.

His communal service includes being on the Board of ORT America since 2020 and serving as Chair of the ORT America Executive Committee from 2020-2022. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Jewish Federations of North America, Past Chair of the United Israel Appeal, past Chair of the iCenter for Israel Education, and membership on the Boards of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Jewish Federations of the Palm Beaches.

Suze Goldman has been a committed member of the Western Massachusetts community since moving to Longmeadow with her husband Dr. Marc Goldman, a gastroenterologist, in 1978. The couple have 3 adult daughters and 2 grandchildren. Immediate Past President of Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts she also served as secretary and Major Gifts Chair. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors of Sinai Temple, Board Member and Secretary of the Springfield JCC and the Board of Directors of Interfaith Homes in Longmeadow. Suze is a former Hadassah vice president, member of the Board of Directors of JFS and one of the founders and President of the Hatikvah Holocaust Education and Resource Center.

Professionally, Suze maintains a private psychotherapy practice working with adolescents, adults, couples and families. In addition, she has been an adjunct Professor of Psychology at Elms College teaching many students for whom higher education is a first experience for their families. Suze has been actively involved in collaborative interfaith programming linking Elms College and the Jewish community through film and other educational modalities.

Suze and Marc were participants in the World ORT Missions to Russia in 2016 and Ukraine in 2018.

Steven is the COO of Mayson Food Products, Inc, a leading wholesale syrup, beverage, and cocktail mix manufacturing company. He has been involved with ORT Atlanta on a local basis for many years. Since 2018 he has been an active member of the Atlanta ORT Board. Additionally, he is currently on The Davis Academy Board where he has served for the last four years. He and his wife, Delilah, are active participants and supporters in many local and national organizations including JNF, IDF Widows and Orphans, the Israel Parasport Center, Aurora Day Camps for Special Needs, the Atlanta Jewish Education Loan Fund, Hadassah and the Marcus Jewish Community Center. Steven is a native Atlantan and graduate of The University of Georgia. He loves sports, travel, and enjoys giving back to the community. Steven is married to Delilah Cohen, and they have four daughters. The oldest is a graduate of The University of Michigan, currently working at the Ann Arbor Veteran’s Hospital on clinical studies for suicide prevention among veterans. Their second daughter is a sophomore at The University of Texas; they have a 4th and 5th grader at The Davis Academy.

Saul Berkowitz has been involved with ORT for more than 30 years. He has been a board member since 2016.

He is a Certified Public Accountant and was a partner at RSM US LLP, where he practiced for more than 50 years. He is currently a business adviser to several of his former clients and is a partner in a consulting firm known as Leveraged Wisdom.

For more than 20 years, Saul has been a member of the Accountants, Attorneys and Financial Services Chapter of ORT in New York City, and is the Chapter Leader. He is an active member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs and has been recognized by several charities for his active participation with them. He has been an officer and is a current board member of Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, NJ, where he has been a member for over 40 years. He is the treasurer and board member of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of NJ.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Saul and his wife Suzanne have two children (and one grandchild), both of whom work for non-profit organizations.

Mark Adler is a native Clevelander. He met his wife, Trish, at the University of Pennsylvania and moved back to Cleveland. Mark is a Managing Director and the Manager of Piper Sandler’s California Public Finance practice. His career has been dedicated to advising municipal entities on their capital projects, most specifically for school and community college districts. He previously served on the Executive Board of the California Public Securities Association and was formerly its chairman. While his career has been in California, sharing time between Cleveland and LA, his heart is in Cleveland.

Mark has been a dedicated leader in local ORT leadership for over 20 years. In 2005, he was recognized with ORT’s Sadie and Maurice Friedman Leadership Award and has since served in various positions on the Executive Committee. Trish and Mark Adler have an impressive commitment to and involvement in the Cleveland Jewish Community, to Israel, and to education. In 2016, they were honored with the Ohio Region’s Maimonides Award for their service and fierce dedication to education. Mark is a former member of the boards of The Mandel JCC and The Temple-Tifereth Israel.

Mark and Trish are the proud parents of two adult daughters.

Dr. Louanne Smolin is a retired university professor and research consultant with diverse
experiences in urban education, arts research, and teacher education.

Her areas of expertise include curriculum reform through multimedia and arts integration. She has extensive knowledge in curriculum studies and teacher education. She most recently served as principal
investigator on large-scale program evaluations.

Louanne has published journal articles and book chapters related to collaborative program evaluation, multimedia, and teacher professional development, and has also been a recipient of the Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Jon Lanznar has more than 15 years of experience in advising and managing healthcare services,
technology, and pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, Jon was the Chief Strategy Officer
at vitaCare Prescription Services, a division of GoodRx, where he led the company’s strategy
and commercial functions.

Prior to joining vitaCare, Jon served as the Vice President of Strategy at Truveris, a healthcare technology company providing affordability and access solutions for the pharmacy and market. While at Truveris, Jonathan led the growth and expansion of the life sciences business for 6 years, during which he oversaw sales, marketing, account management, operations, and product development. Prior to Truveris, Jon held
various roles in marketing, business development, sales, and strategy consulting within the healthcare industry.

From a young age, Jon was exposed to the impact of ORT through his parents’ ongoing involvement and dedication to ORT and students around the world. In 2008, he began volunteering for ORT, serving on the national marketing committee and later establishing and leading both the New York City and national ORT Next Gen groups.

Jon has an MBA in Healthcare Management and Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Emory University. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

For more than four decades, David Eaton has successfully guided companies through sophisticated
financing, restructurings, and special situations.

His years handling sophisticated global deals as a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis and Managing
Director at PriceWaterhouse Coopers Corporate Finance gave him a steady hand in navigating
complex financial deals, M&A, and strategic alternatives. His background includes being a founder and managing director of AEG Partners, a financial advisory and business transformation firm. Mr. Eaton has also served on the boards of numerous companies in special situations, including as executive chairman.

Throughout his career, David has been recognized as an elite player in the restructuring space,
including leading the deal M&A Advisor named the 2011 “Large Turnaround of the Year” and
“Large Divestiture of the Year.” He was lauded by legal industry guide Chambers as “an
esteemed and skillful” professional “who delivers every single time” with a “deeply practical
and no-nonsense” style.

David has played major roles in innumerable high-profile workouts, reorganizations,
financing, acquisitions, and divestitures of stressed businesses. He has also led some of the
largest out-of-court restructurings and complex Chapter 11 reorganizations in the world.

David received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.A. in
Economics from the University of Michigan. He served for 4 years as an Adjunct Professor at
the University of Illinois College of Law, teaching International Insolvency law.

Joe Loeffler is active in his community and business. He resides in Kansas City, MO, and has offices in New York City, and Sayulita, Mexico.

Professionally, Joe enjoys growing proven teams at the intersection of people, projects, and markets through innovative collaboration. Joe’s projects focus on the real estate and energy industry with a broad interest beyond the asset to work with transformative managers.

Communally, Joe is involved in Jewish leadership, with a focus on communities of shared values like Chabad, Jewish Federations of North America, and the Orthodox Union. Beyond the Jewish community, Joe is active in education and helping provide opportunities for those who are seeking rehabilitation.

Personally, Joe is dedicated to his family, community, and health. He is passionate about personal and professional growth, as well as helping others realize and obtain their full and greatest potential.

Barbara Siegel joined ORT in 1972. She served in several capacities until she became President of the North Woodmere-Hewlett Chapter of the South Nassau Long Island Region. She has served as Vice President of the newly formed chapter of Nassau Singles ORT.

Barbara was a teacher for 34 years in the New York City School System. In addition, she ran her own Defensive Driving business. Barbara is a graduate of Long Island University and has accumulated additional courses in Human Resources towards a master’s degree at the New School for Social Research.

When she and her husband Jerry moved to Cascades in Boynton Beach, Florida it was another perfect fit. She quickly joined ORT and served as its first Membership Chair and in that capacity, Cascades had phenomenal growth and is still growing strong. She then became president of Cascades for two very successful years.

Barbara went on to become Executive Vice President of the North Palm Beach County Region and from 2005 through 2007, she served as President of the Region. Currently she is on the ORT America Florida Regional Board and serves as Annual Campaign Co-Chair, Major Gifts Co-Chair and Area Development Advisor, and previously served as president of the ORT America Cascades chapter. She was the Florida Region Chair for the 2011 Mission to Israel, and the National Chair for the ORT America Annual Meeting 2016.

Barbara is a mother of three, as well as a stepmother of three more, and has ten lovely grandchildren to enjoy. Her love of fundraising and her unique ideas are well known. Her high level of energy enables her to enjoy Jewish studies, literature, the theater, mahjong and golf.

Barbara lives her favorite quote, which is: “Life is not a dress rehearsal!”

An alumnus of the College of Charleston, Austin Center spent eight post-university years in New York City, honing his artistic talents and teaching in the mediums of drawing, painting, ceramics, and sculpture at the Children’s Museum of the Arts. This led to his work being exhibited across the United States and internationally as he continued to master his craft before returning home to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2003 – continuing as an exhibiting artist and forming Austin Center Studio.

It was during his time in Chattanooga that he was trusted with overseeing the growth of Acuity Merchant Services, a credit card processing company that serves community banks across the South, before selling the company in 2021.

Austin has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Bright School – the oldest elementary school in Tennessee. Additionally, he is currently Community Relations Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, and former Chair of the Board. He also served on the advisory board of the Children’s Rights Institute, the Lawfare Project, and the Board of the Association of Visual Arts.

Through the building of new affinity groups, such as the young-minded professionals’ group Avant-Art at the Hunter Museum and early-childhood curricula at Thompson Street Coop in SOHO, Austin has maintained a focus on art, education, and community cultivation through all his efforts. In 2019, he helped lead a delegation from the University of Tennessee to Israel to help facilitate and form partnerships with Israeli universities and continued his involvement with education through his work with World ORT as an executive committee member of ORT America and a representative of the World ORT Council of Governors.

It is with all of these foundational moments of human compassion in mind that Austin now spearheads anc Group Consulting. Committed to building bridges of community and partnering with nonprofit entities to ensure sustainability, anc Group has become a vessel for Austin to continue his legacy in altruism, while helping to educate and uplift the next generation of leaders and organizations. Currently Austin has been hired by the City of Chattanooga as the Public Arts Collection Specialist – overseeing the city’s vast collection of public art and ensuring its legacy for future generations.

Gail Lanznar has been active in ORT since 1994. She served as President of Highcrest Chapter from 1995 to 1997, then moved on to the Region Board serving as Donor Chair, Annual Campaign Chair, Executive Vice-President and as President of Suburban Chicago Region in 2003-2005.

A graduate of the President’s Young Leadership Council of Women’s American ORT, Gail has served on the National Board of Directors of ORT America since 2007, and she also serves on the Chicago Region Campaign Cabinet. Gail has also been very involved as Sisterhood President and on the Board of Directors of her temple.

Before retiring to raise her children, Gail pursued a career for many years in marketing research and information management in the packaged goods industry.

Gail has two children and four grandchildren. Her favorite activity is traveling with ORT, and she has been to ORT schools in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, Israel and the U.S. “I love meeting our students, administrators and extended ORT family all over the world,” she says.

Jan Kushner is the Director of Tax and Compliance at Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a major charitable organization focused on curing cystic fibrosis. She has previously worked with other large for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, Princeton University and Thomson Reuters.

Jan lives in New Jersey and is engaged in her community as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Princeton Mercer Bucks Jewish Federation, and as a Board Member of both Greenwood House Home for the Jewish Aged and Jewish Learning Ventures. She also serves on the Finance Committee of Jewish Federation of Philadelphia.

Nationally, Jan is a member of Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. Jan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance and a master’s degree in accountancy and is licensed as a certified public accountant in New Jersey.

Greg has been a supporter of the Cleveland chapter of ORT for over 30 years where he held many roles including serving as President from 2019 – 2021. He is also a recipient of the Sadie and Maurice Friedman ORT Leadership Award.

He is an active leader with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Currently serving as vice-chair of the Federation’s National Liaison Team of the Allocation Committee, Technology Committee member, and an active solicitor of the Campaign for Jewish Needs including past Business Division co-chair, matching gifts, and cash committee chair. He is a life trustee of the Mandel JCC and a life trustee and officer of Menorah Park Center for Senior Living. In addition, serving as a board member of the Cleveland Jewish News. In the general community he participated in the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Bridge Builders Program and served as a Pepper Pike Civic League Board Member.

Professionally he is President of Patient Results Network. He is married to Shelley, and they have one son.

Dr. Conrad Giles
Honorary President

Robert Grey
Chair, World ORT

Simon Alberga
Chair, World ORT Council of Representatives

Yorai Linenberg
Treasurer, World ORT, and Chair, World ORT Finance Committee

Philippe Leopold-Metzger
Vice-Chair, World ORT

Judy Menikoff
Vice-Chair, World ORT

World ORT Finance Committee
Yorai Linenberg (Chair)
David Eaton, USA
Larry Kadis, USA
Michael Perlmuter, USA
Ricardo Silbermins, Argentina

Audit & Risk Committee
Howard Lanznar (Chair)
Jan Kushner, USA
Michele di Veroli, Israel

Governance & Legal Committee
Richard Bernstein (Chair)
Lionel Halperin, Switzerland
Jacob Kincler, Canada
Ori Raphael, USA

Programs, Education & Evaluation Committee
Ariel Yukelson (Co-chair)
Louanne Smolin (Co-chair)
Annette Kurer, UK
Slava Leschiner, Russia
Dov Moran, Israel
Fiammetta Segre, Italy
Sami Goldstein, Brazil

Financial Resource Development Committee
Philippe-Leopold Metzger (Chair)
Martin Golberg, Argentina
Gail Lanznar, USA
Ron Mayron, Israel
Judy Menikoff, USA
Arturo Merikanskas, Mexico
Mark Mishon, UK
Pablo Reich, Canada
Marie-Hélène Rheims, Switzerland
Bubba Urdan, USA

International Cooperation Committee
Ellis Falkof (Chair)
Lydia Abel, South Africa
Michael Broida, USA
Austin Center, USA
Suze Goldman, USA
Pablo Reich, Canada
Levi Rubens, India

Marketing and Communications Committee
Judy Menikoff (Chair)
Annette Kurer, UK
Jon Levine, USA