The hard work and dedication of a passionate team of lay leaders and staff around the world ensures ORT continues to have an impact through education.
Our new lay leadership structure and elected leadership were unveiled on June 1, 2023.
You can find out more about those leading World ORT below:
Robert Grey is a partner at the international law firm K&L Gates. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of PPL Corporation, a large and prominent American utility holding company.
He teaches a seminar on Energy Law at Columbia Law School and is on the advisory boards of Columbia College and Emory Law School.
A serious art collector, Mr Grey is on the Photography Council at the Guggenheim and is also on the advisory board to the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.
Robert and his wife Sue are parents of two children and have four grandchildren.
Simon Alberga served as chairman of ORT UK from 2009 to 2021.
Since graduating with a BA in Economics from Harvard University, Simon has spent his career in finance and business. Since 1996, he has been a partner in private equity firm Young Associates, investing in technology companies in the UK together with former World ORT President the late Lord Young of Graffham.
Simon is married to Julia, who founded the ORT JUMP mentoring program in the UK, and they are the proud parents of three boys. He lived in Jamaica – where he was born – Canada and the United States before moving to Britain in 1992.
Yorai was Co-Founder, Partner and CFO at UMT Consulting Group, a global management consultancy established in 1989 and based in New York and London, and UMT360, a software and consultancy company that specialised in implementing large-scale enterprise portfolio management frameworks across the lifecycle of projects, applications and processes.
Yorai holds a PhD in History from the London School of Economics, as well as an MBA and an MSc in Physics from the Tel Aviv University. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.
In 2020 Yorai became chair of World ORT’s finance committee. He also serves as trustee and treasurer of ORT UK, and as a trustee of ORT Braude Engineering College.
Philippe Léopold-Metzger was born in New York in 1954. After graduating with an MBA from the Kellog School of Business in Chicago, he began his career as Product Manager for American Cyanamid, before joining Cartier in Paris as a product manager for pens and lighters.
He has served as President of Cartier Canada in Toronto and as Managing Director in the U.K., responsible for the development of the distribution and retailing of Cartier products.
Having set up Piaget SA’s first boutiques and moved to Asia as Managing Director of Cartier-Asia Pacific, he was appointed to lead Piaget. In 2017, Philippe was appointed President of Piaget, a position he held until his official retirement in April 2018.
Philippe sits on the board of several companies in Switzerland and France, including a wealth management firm, a watch company and a company specializing in corporate gifts.
He is currently the President of the Foundation of EDHEC, a leading business school in Europe. He is a Trustee of World ORT and a Vice President of ORT in Switzerland. He also sits on the board of GIL, the liberal synagogue in Geneva.
A devoted supporter of ORT for more than 35 years, Judy Menikoff was elected as Deputy President of World ORT in 2020. She has served both World ORT and ORT America throughout this time, having also served as Interim President of ORT America.
As President of Women’s American ORT, she advanced its fundraising capabilities, reached out to new members and increased its overall effectiveness and productivity. While Chair of World ORT’s Fundraising Committee she created the organization’s elite donors’ group, the 1880 Society.
Menikoff also served as Assistant Treasurer of the American Section of the World Jewish Congress.
Robert Grey is a partner at the international law firm K&L Gates. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of PPL Corporation, a large and prominent American utility holding company.
He teaches a seminar on Energy Law at Columbia Law School and is on the advisory boards of Columbia College and Emory Law School.
A serious art collector, Mr Grey is on the Photography Council at the Guggenheim and is also on the advisory board to the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.
Robert and his wife Sue are parents of two children and have four grandchildren.
Simon Alberga is Deputy President of World ORT. He served as chairman of ORT UK from 2009 to 2021.
Since graduating with a BA in Economics from Harvard University, Simon has spent his career in finance and business. Since 1996, he has been a partner in private equity firm Young Associates, investing in technology companies in the UK together with former World ORT President the late Lord Young of Graffham.
Simon is married to Julia, who founded the ORT JUMP mentoring program in the UK, and they are the proud parents of three boys. He has lived in Jamaica – where he was born – Canada and the United States before moving to Britain in 1992.
Professor Alexander Asmolov – the serving president of ORT Russia – holds a PhD in General Psychology and a post-doctorate in Psychology of Personality.
He has served in several senior professorial and research positions within the Moscow State University, as well as being the Head of the Laboratory of Cultural-Historical Psychology at the
Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, and a Member and Academician of the Russian Academy of Education.
Among numerous senior administrative roles, he is a full member of the Academy of Sciences; Chairman of the policy board at Moscow Technology College #14; Member of the Public Board for the Russian Jewish Congress; Deputy Chairman of the Experts Council for Psychology and Pedagogy at the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of the Ministry of Science and Education;
and Vice-President at the Psychologists Society of the USSR of Russian Academy of Sciences. He has previously served as Deputy Minister of Education of Russia and is a member of the UNESCO Commission under the Government of the Russian Federation, from 2004.
Alexander is the author of more than 100 publications in Russian and other languages and has participated in and reported on more than 22 Russian Federation congresses and conferences. In 2010, he became Laureate of the Award of the Government of the Russian Federation in the Field of Education and in 2018 was named Professor of the Year in the Psychological Sciences field.
Having completed her studies at the prestigious H.E.C, Institut d'Études Politiques and Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) establishments, Emmanuelle became a judge, specialising in taxation, before moving on to become the Head of the Office of the Economic Regime of the Press Media Development Directorate.
From there, Emmanuelle was appointed Deputy Director of the Audiovisual Communication Directorate of Media Development for the Prime Minister's Office, serving as director of France’s public broadcasting services.
Emmanuelle then became Head of Department, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General for Media and Industries at the Ministry of Culture, managing a team of more than 100, with a budget of €720 million.
Having taken other roles affiliated to the Ministry of Culture, Emmanuelle today serves as the Ministry’s Inspector General of Cultural Affairs.
Emmanuelle has also taken on several teaching, training and lecturing roles, including at the ENA (National School of Administration) and as a university lecturer of Law.
Richard N. Bernstein served as Deputy President of World ORT from 2016 to 2020 and has since served as Chair of the Legal, Constitution and By-Laws Committee. He sits on the ORT America Board of Directors and has previously served as Chair of the Executive Committee.
A prominent corporate attorney, Bernstein 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 membership on Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Jewish Federations of North America, Past Chair of the United Israel Appeal, Chair of the Board of The iCenter for Israel Education, and membership on the Boards of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, the Jerusalem YMCA, and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Moti Dotan is the chairman of World ORT Kadima Mada and Honorary Chair of the World ORT Council of Representatives. He was born in Petah Tikva, the son of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel in 1948, and the grandson of the late Binyamin Ze’ev Parkash, who immigrated at the age of 69 after surviving Auschwitz and Dachau.
Moti was educated at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Ra’anana and fought in three wars in an elite infantry unit. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics and graduated from a management course at Bar Ilan University.
Moti has been involved in public activities and youth education since 1982, including the foundation of youth activities with Holocaust survivors in the Lower Galilee Regional Council, where he served as Head of the Council from 2001. He is, among other things, a member of the executive committee of the Friends of the Poriya Hospital Association.
He is married to Penina and is a father of four and a grandfather of 11.
Ellis Falkof is a retail hardware, business strategy and computer software expert. His software business developed, marketed, and supported school administration systems across South Africa for over 20 years.
With this experience, his founder initiative and international chairmanship of the Mica Group, Retail Plus Consultancy was formed. Retail Plus has guided many retailers in strategic business and IT decisions such as marketing, system choices, inventory ranging, reporting structures, best practice routines and business expansion.
Elis served as Chairman of ORT South Africa for six years and is involved in strategy, IT upgrade and business mentoring programs, including ORT SA’s ORT Jet program.
He previously participated in motor racing and international offshore sailing and remains a keen cyclist.
Sami Goldstein was born in Cairo, Egypt and has lived in Brazil since 1957.
After completing his Business Studies degree at Columbia University and his Masters at MIT, he embarked on a 30-year career with IBM, working in Brazil, Uruguay, the U.S. and Colombia and retiring as V.P., Administration and Finance. He then took ownership of Oticas Fluminense, with 15 optical stores in Rio de Janeiro.
A lay leader and councillor participating in Jewish and non-Jewish communities, Sami has served as V.P. and as President of Rio de Janeiro’s largest synagogue, as V.P. of CHCJ (Jewish Center of History and Culture) and as President of ORT Brazil.
Sami is married with one son and one daughter.
Jacob has been involved with the Montreal Jewish community for the past 25 years. He is the co-President of ORT Canada and was until recently the Chairman of the National Board of the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research (CIJR).
His previous positions include Israel Bonds-Chairman of the Business Division; Canadian Representative for the Israel-Canada Chamber of Commerce; Beit Halochem-Chairman of fundraising for the Montreal among others.
Having worked as a research engineer and aerodynamics engineer, Jacob runs his own high-tech company in the field of Computer Networking for Personal Computers. He is married and has two children and five grandchildren.
Annette qualified as a dentist before joining the corporate world. She served as International Sales Director at Unilever Cosmetics International for 12 years, developing experience in recruitment and development of teams, cross functional communication and managing multimillion pound budgets for businesses in more than 20 countries.
Annette launched 10 new fragrance brands, including CK One, and took Calvin Klein Cosmetics business to number one in the U.K. Travel Retail marketplace.
Annette is a qualified Leadership coach and “Soft Skills” Trainer and launched her own consultancy in 2004, which specializes in business consultancy, leadership coaching and cross-functional communication development training. She is also a motivational speaker and Toastmaster, she is accredited to deliver Emotions and Behaviours at Work (EBW) psychometric assessment programs to leaders and their teams and is a Neuroleadership Institute-accredited Brain Based Coach.
A trusted Board advisor, Annette currently serves as Chair of ORT UK.
In 2019, Howard became ORT America’s Chairman of the Board after serving in a number of national leadership roles including Treasurer and Chair of the Executive Committee. Previously, he was active in Chicago, taking on numerous responsibilities that resulted in a strong local organization. As Chairman he worked tirelessly with Board members to strengthen the organization by expanding the donor base and focusing on building a cadre of young leaders.
Professionally, Howard is a seasoned business executive and legal advisor. He is a Senior Managing Director of Xyresic Capital, LLC, and a Senior Partner of Sporos Capital Partners, LLC both private equity firms, and is a Senior Advisor with Accordion, a nationally recognized, private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm.
With more than 35 years of experience as a legal counselor and business advisor, principally as Senior Partner and Chair of the national corporate practice of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, a major U.S. law firm, he has focused on all aspects of public and private mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, as well as securities offerings and the counseling of corporations.
Philippe Léopold-Metzger was born in New York in 1954. After graduating with an MBA from the Kellog School of Business in Chicago, he began his career as Product Manager for American Cyanamid, before joining Cartier in Paris as a product manager for pens and lighters. He has served as President of Cartier Canada in Toronto and as Managing Director in the U.K., responsible for the development of the distribution and retailing of Cartier products.
Having set up Piaget SA’s first boutiques and moved to Asia as Managing Director of Cartier-Asia Pacific, he was appointed to lead Piaget. In 2017, Philippe was appointed President of Piaget, a position he held until his official retirement in April 2018.
Philippe sits on the board of several companies in Switzerland and France, including a wealth management firm, a watch company and a company specializing in corporate gifts.
He is currently the President of the Foundation of EDHEC, a leading business school in Europe. He is a Trustee of World ORT and a Vice President of ORT in Switzerland. He also sits on the board of GIL, the liberal synagogue in Geneva.
Yorai was Co-Founder, Partner and CFO at UMT Consulting Group, a global management consultancy established in 1989 and based in New York and London, and UMT360, a software and consultancy company that specialised in implementing large-scale enterprise portfolio management frameworks across the lifecycle of projects, applications and processes.
Yorai holds a PhD in History from the London School of Economics, as well as an MBA and an MSc in Physics from the Tel Aviv University. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.
In 2020 Yorai became chair of World ORT’s finance committee. He also serves as trustee and treasurer of ORT UK, and as a trustee of ORT Braude Engineering College.
A devoted supporter of ORT for more than 35 years, Judy Menikoff was elected as Deputy President of World ORT in 2020. She has served both World ORT and ORT America throughout this time, having also served as Interim President of ORT America.
As President of Women’s American ORT, she advanced its fundraising capabilities, reached out to new members and increased its overall effectiveness and productivity. While Chair of World ORT’s Fundraising Committee she created the organization’s elite donors’ group, the 1880 Society.
Menikoff also served as Assistant Treasurer of the American Section of the World Jewish Congress.
Having obtained his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Harvard University in Massachusetts, Arturo has since 1989 been working for Merik – a company specializing in access/entry systems. Under his leadership, the business has opened 30 branches throughout Mexico and initiated operations in Central and South America, with a presence in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Peru.
In addition, Arturo has performed roles for other companies in the Merik Group, which specialize in areas including technological education, the production of brake hoses for the automotive industry, the development of products for the automotive industry, and the manufacturing of agitators and mixers for the energy industry. These companies have achieved great success in Mexico and abroad, serving the public and private sectors.
Married with three children, Arturo served as President of ORT Mexico from 2009 until 2022.
Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, to a family of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Poland, Dov Moran obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (with honors) at the Technion before serving in the Israeli Navy for seven years, becoming commander of its advanced microprocessor department.
Moran formed M-Systems which invented the USB flash drive (DiskOnKey) and the FlashDisk (DiskOnChip). In 2006 M-Systems was acquired by SanDisk Corp for $1.6 billion. He then founded Modu, which sold its patents to Google in 2011, and was chairman of Tower Semiconductor, a developer and manufacturer of semiconductors and integrated circuits, and of Biomas, a developer of pharmaceuticals.
Moran has won several entrepreneurial awards, including Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” and IMC’s “CEO of the Year”.
He mentors Israeli entrepreneurs, he lectures extensively in universities and schools and sits on the advisory board of Tel Aviv University Momentum Fund. He is an active member of the Korean Israel Business Forum. He is married with four children.
Michael Perlmuter is the Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel for the Alex N. Sill Company, LLC, North America’s leading public adjusting company and loss consultants.
He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of ORT America and has been involved with ORT for more than 30 years, including two terms as President of the Ohio Region of ORT America.
Michael is the President of the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple Foundation, and either serves or has served on the Cleveland Board of the Anti-Defamation League and the Cleveland Regional Alumni Admission Committee for Georgetown University. He is also a member of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Jewish Federations of North America.
He is a graduate, cum laude, of Georgetown University and of the National Law Center, George Washington University Law School, both in Washington, D.C.
Michael is married to Shari Sill Perlmuter, and they have two grown children, Brittany and Lexi.
Pablo Reich lives in Toronto, Canada. He is an ORT Canada Board Member and the Executive Vice President at Arconas, the leading manufacturer and distributor of furniture for airports and passenger terminals in the Americas.
Pablo was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he graduated high school in the inaugural class in Media & Communications from ORT Belgrano. After moving to Canada in 1997, he completed an MBA from the University of Manitoba, Executive Business programs at Harvard Business School, and the Executive Coaching Certificate at the University of Toronto.
Pablo and his family are actively involved in the community, supporting several organizations dedicated to providing Jewish and Holocaust education.
Fiammetta was part of the inaugural class at the ORT High School in Rome and has remained a dedicated supporter of ORT and has worked to advance education, Jewish education, culture and artistic expression ever since.
Her current roles as administrative director of the Tagliacozzo Real Estate family office and managing director of Unicampus Residence have allowed her to combine her work skillset with her passion for supporting students and emerging artists.
She was one of the founders of the Associazione Culturale Menorah – the first library in Italy devoted to Jewish culture and a hub for Jewish intellectual life – and after 25 years donated the entire book repository to the Jewish Community of Rome.
She has also hosted, initiated and collaborated on numerous fundraising events for ORT, Keren Hayesod, Hebrew University, Technion, and other organizations, as well as the publication of the translation of the Talmud by Rav Steinsaltz.
A registered chartered architect in both Italy and in Israel, Michele is a shareholder and member of the Board of construction and development companies active in the field of Urban Renewal in Israel.
A graduate of the ORT Renzo Levi School in Rome, Michele was Chair of World ORT Kadima Mada’s Audit Committee, having previously served as a member of World ORT’s Board of Trustees as well as Board member and Vice President of ORT Italy. He has also previously sat on the board of Karen Ha-Yesod in Rome, Rome’s Jewish Community Cultural Centre, Bnei Akiva Italia and Rome’s Parents’ Board and he is a member of Bnai Brith Rome.
Married with two children, Michele speaks Italian, Hebrew, English, French and Spanish, is a keen skier and regularly attends Judaism and Talmud classes.
Ariel is a member of ORT Argentina’s Board and Executive Committee, where he actively participates in its development, devoting his time and passion and working closely with his peers. In this function, he has recently been appointed its Treasurer. Additionally, Ariel has been a member of the Board of Trustees of World ORT.
For over 20 years, Ariel has been Professor of Strategic Planning at the Master’s program in Business Administration for Torcuato Di Tella University, where he also directs the Executive Education area and is part of the fundraising committee, creating and leading fundraising strategies that were fundamental for the University’s successful expansion, outstanding evolution and leadership.
As a Management Consultant and Senior Advisor for C-level and Executive Committees of several large international corporations, he has contributed to such enterprises as IBM, Accenture, AT&T, Carrefour, Movistar, Siemens, Microsoft, several banks and a variety of government agencies.
Ariel holds an MSc. in Electronic Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, and an MBA (Distinction) from Warwick Business School in Britain. Additionally he has completed Education Programs at Harvard Business School, and Finance Programs at Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Dan was appointed as ORT’s Director General and CEO in 2020, having previously been Chief Operating Officer since 2016.
He is responsible for representing the organization internationally and for leading its professional staff and strategic direction from its London headquarters, ORT House. Dan joined the ORT family in 2012 as CEO of ORT UK, where he was responsible for raising funds for ORT projects around the world.
Prior to his roles at ORT, Dan worked in Consumer Media running sales departments across newspapers, magazines and digital at Time Inc Media, BBC Magazines and The Jewish Chronicle.
Dan is married with three children and follows Arsenal Football Club. He collects whisky in his spare time.
An educator and engineer by training, Vladimir started his career at ORT in 1992 as the first Director of ORT St Petersburg after ORT re-established its presence in the place where the organization first began in Tsarist Russia in 1880.
After joining the ORT team at the London administrative offices in 2002, Vladimir has been responsible for many educational projects and their implementation across the ORT network and in operational countries. As a team leader, Vladimir participated in a number of projects related to STEM in education as well as to Jewish Heritage.
Vladimir is married with two children and one granddaughter.
Daniel is responsible for programs that connect educators and learners from different parts of the ORT network, helping them to add value to their work through partnerships, collaboration and access to best international practices.
The programs developed by the Education Department address the key challenges of how to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and competencies to thrive after graduating from school, together with providing a meaningful Jewish experience.
Following his studies in Applied Biology and Education, Daniel began his career as a teacher in the UK after a two-year voluntary posting overseas. He joined ORT in 2008 after attending a World ORT Hatter training seminar on Biotechnology.
Hadas Grumet acts as joint CEO of World ORT Kadima Mada and as Chief Finance Officer of both World ORT and World ORT Kadima Mada.
Prior to her roles at Kadima Mada, Hadas held several senior finance positions, including Director of Finance and Treasury at Strauss and CFO and Treasurer of the group of subsidiaries of the IDE Technologies Group Ltd.
As CFO she manages a global finance team based in both Israel and London. She also oversees the development and implementation of all major projects and partnerships for World ORT Kadima Mada and the implementation of the organization’s short and long term strategy.
Hadas was born in the US, moved to Israel as an infant, and is fluent in both English and Hebrew. She holds a BA in Accounting and Business from Tel Aviv University and the College of Management and Academic Studies, and a CPA License (Israel).
Hadas is married, with an adult daughter and son. She is a grandmother of one.
Ruth brings a wealth of experience from the Jewish not-for-profit sector to her role at World ORT, having joined in January 2017. With a background that includes positions at the United Synagogue in the Community Development Department and various roles at UJIA, encompassing both formal and informal Jewish education, she has gained a deep understanding of organizational dynamics.
Passionate about both people and processes, Ruth is a highly-skilled, solution-oriented Operations and HR professional known for her strong decision-making abilities and commitment to fostering inclusive environments. She leads with empathy, bringing to the table strong leadership, communication, and inter-personal skills.
In her capacity as a strategic leader, Ruth has successfully overseen multimillion-pound projects, managed complex budgets, and fostered international collaborations, showcasing exceptional organizational acumen and stakeholder management skills. Beyond her professional endeavours, she actively volunteers as an advocate and befriender to the elderly, engages in youth mentorship, and contributes to her synagogue as a 'chesed' volunteer, embodying her dedication to community engagement and personal growth.