Lennert J. Leader, Chair (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
Arlene Bearman, Ph.D., Chair Emeritus (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
Michael C. Gelman, Chair Emeritus
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Founder & President
Sheryl J. Schwartz, Co-Founder & Vice President
Margo Volftsun, Co-Founder & Secretary
Harry Ploss, Treasurer (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
Sheldon Bearman, M.D.
Newton Becker
Shmuel Bendror
Alan Dana
Nancy Epstein
Andrew J. Groveman
Seth A. Klarman
Joseph Korff
Richard Levitt
Ronald R. Sklare
Yechiam Yemini
LENNERT J. LEADER, Chair (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
After spending 25 years successfully building industry-leading information technology and Internet companies, Len Leader is now pursuing his philanthropic interests which are focused on working with organizations that promote Jewish education, inform the world about the growing threat of radical Islam and help ensure a strong and secure State of Israel. Mr. Leader is an information technology pioneer and one of America's most successful high technology executives. He was named President of AOL Time Warner Ventures in 2000 and President of AOL Ventures in 1998 after serving nine years as AOL's Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. As the head of AOL and Time Warner corporate venture capital operations, Mr. Leader oversaw the investment in and portfolio management of over 30 companies. Under his leadership as AOL Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Leader helped manage the company's growth from $20 million in revenues and 100 employees in 1989 to more than $2.5 billion in revenues and 9,500 employees in 1998. During that time, Mr. Leader led efforts to fund the company's growth by securing several billion dollars of equity and debt, equipment lease and real property financing and also played an integral role in AOL's active acquisition strategy. In 1992, he guided AOL's initial public offering when the company had a market value of $65 million and helped the company increase its market value to $29 billion in 1998. Before joining AOL in 1989, Mr. Leader was Vice President for Finance for Legent Corp., a publicly traded software and services company. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer of Morino Inc., a publicly traded systems software company, helping the company become a leading independent systems software supplier. He oversaw the company's initial public offering in 1986. Prior to entering the information technology industry, Mr. Leader had a career in public accounting with Price Waterhouse, specializing in auditing and advising emerging, high growth technology-based companies. In 1998, Mr. Leader was named Chief Financial Officer of the Year by the Northern Virginia Technology Counsel. In 1999 he was awarded the Albert Einstein Technology Medal. Mr. Leader graduated with honors from the University of Baltimore and is a Certified Public Accountant. In addition to previously serving on many publicly traded and privately owned company and not-for-profit organization boards, Mr. Leader is currently on the Boards of Directors of The Israel Project, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Endowment for Middle East Truth, is an advisor to Aish HaTorah, and is on the Board of Trustees of the Flint Hill School. Mr. Leader is a Trustee of The Leader Family Foundation and The Leader Family Charitable Trust. Mr. Leader resides in Northern Virginia with his wife Michelle and their two sons, Brandon and Jared.
ARLENE BEARMAN, Ph.D., Chair Emerita (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
Arlene Bearman is Chair Emerita of the Board of The Israel Project. A Ph.D. in economics, she chaired the Administrative Sciences Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) for almost 25 years while also teaching and holds the title of retired Emeritus Director of Administrative Sciences at UMBC. She was awarded the prestigious governor’s citation for her contributions to the state of Maryland. She is currently Chair of the Shoshana S. Cardin School, a Jewish day school in Baltimore, and serves as Vice President of the Herbert Bearman Foundation. Dr. Bearman is a member of the Baltimore Women's Giving Circle, the Palm Beach Women’s Giving Circle and the Jewish Women's Foundation of Baltimore, which is part of The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. She has served on the boards of TurnAround, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and abuse; the Lansdowne Magnet School in Finance; and Beth El Congregation. She is married to Sheldon Bearman, M.D. who also serves on The Israel Project board.
MICHAEL C. GELMAN, Chair Emeritus
Michael C. Gelman is Chair of the Executive Committee of Jewish Federations of North America(formerly UJC). He has previously served as JFNA's Treasurer. He was also Co-chair of the 2003 General Assembly in Jerusalem. Mr. Gelman was the Inaugural Chairman of the Board of The Israel Project and currently serves on its Executive Committee. Mr. Gelman served three terms as President of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, two terms as the Federation's Co-campaign Chair and one term as President of its Endowment Fund. He was a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council from 1995 - 2004, having been appointed to that position by President Clinton. He was also a member of the Council's Executive Committee Mr. Gelman was appointed by Maryland Governor Parris Glendening to the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents, serving from 1996 - 2000. Mr. Gelman sits on the boards of several organizations, including the Jewish Agency for Israel, for which he co-chairs the Audit Committee; Hillel; the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; the University of Maryland College Park Foundation; the American Jewish International Relations Institute; and Congressional Bank. He is a founding partner of Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, an accounting firm located in Bethesda, MD. Mr. Gelman and his wife, Susie, have three children.
JENNIFER LASZLO MIZRAHI, Founder & President
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is an internationally recognized expert in public policy, communications, public opinion research, media and politics. Prior to starting The Israel Project, she was Founder and President of Laszlo & Associates, Inc., a strategic communications and training company. She worked on winning political campaigns and communications efforts in the United States, France, Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent, Ukraine and Venezuela. She has worked on projects with the White House, dozens of U.S. senators and a host of advocacy organizations. Mrs. Mizrahi has been interviewed on "One-on-One with John McLaughlin," CNN, CNBC, FOX and MSNBC. She has been profiled in several publications including The Washington Post, Working Woman and Lifestyles. President George H.W. Bush recognized Mrs. Mizrahi as "A Point of Light" for her efforts in the non-profit and Jewish communities. Co-founding the D.C. Jewish Community Center’s (DCJCC) Community Services Program remains one of her proudest achievements. Mrs. Mizrahi previously served as Chair of the DCJCC’s National Institute for Public Leadership. She is an alumna of the UJC's Young Leadership Cabinet and is a member of The National Press Club. She is co-director of the Mizrahi Family Charitable Trusts and has been honored by the Baltimore Zionist District and Aleph Bet Jewish Day School.
SHERYL J. SCHWARTZ, Co-Founder & Vice President
Sheryl J. Schwartz is an attorney, entrepreneur and influential community leader. She is one of the three mothers who started The Israel Project and represented the organization at The Hague. From 1981-1996 she was Vice President and General Counsel of her family's home building business, Schwartz Enterprises, Inc. In her work as an attorney she specialized in family, business, construction and real estate law. Ms. Schwartz's volunteer work includes serving on the boards of the University of Virginia Annual Giving Advisory Board, Founding Member of the University of Virginia Families, UVA Hillel Northern Virginia Advisory Board and The Board of Managers of the Club Villas Corp. Ms. Schwartz also serves on the Northern Virginia Leadership Council and is Co-Chair of Lion of Judah for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Ms. Schwartz attended the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C., where she received her juris doctor degree. She graduated magna cum laude from Temple University in Philadelphia, where she received her bachelor of arts degree in political science. She lives in Oakton, Va. with her husband and three children.
MARGO VOLFTSUN, Co-Founder & Secretary
Margo Volftsun is a full-time philanthropist and a volunteer in the Jewish communal world. Ms. Volftsun immigrated to the United States from Kiev, Ukraine in 1977. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in computer science, Ms. Volftsun pursued a successful career in the telecommunications industry. In 2002, she co-founded the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization educating Jewish teens about organized philanthropy and civic engagement. Ms. Volftsun serves on the board and executive committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the board of the Shalom Education Center (a Jewish educational institution aimed at the Soviet émigré community in Washington, D.C.) and the board of NCSJ (advocates on behalf of Jews of Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia). Ms. Volftsun is also one of the three founders of The Israel Project, where she serves on the Executive Committee and frequently travels on behalf of the organization. Margo is a graduate of Leadership Fairfax, the Heritage Program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and the Wexner Heritage Foundation's Jewish literacy program for lay leadership. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in conflict studies at George Mason University.
HARRY PLOSS, Treasurer (effective Oct. 1, 2009)
Harry Ploss had a long and successful career as a corporate actuary with leading insurance companies, including vice presidential positions with John Alden Life and American Bankers, before becoming a full-time investor specializing in managed futures and hedge funds. Chairman of the Southwest Jewish Congress, Mr. Ploss is dedicated to supporting Israel’s reputation, security and economy. He is the Co-founder of the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, which promotes business between Texas and Israel in nanotechnology, clean technology, security and medical technologies. He is an AIPAC Senate Club member and AIPAC Tomorrow donor. His philanthropic activities in the Dallas community and nationally are focused on Israel. Mr. Ploss is a physics graduate from Cooper Union and the University of Chicago.
SHELDON BEARMAN, M.D.
Sheldon Bearman, a retired radiologist, serves as president and treasurer of the Herbert Bearman Foundation, Inc. The foundation funds projects that can make a difference to the well-being of individuals either by enriching the lives of people in disadvantaged circumstances or benefiting the general community. During his career in medicine, he served as president of the medical staff of Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, chairman of the department of radiology of Northwest Hospital Center, president of the Baltimore County Medical Society, and treasurer of the Maryland Medical and Surgical Faculty. Trained in radiology at Johns Hopkins, he has faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland and is a fellow of the American College of Radiology. He has served on the boards of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Beth El Congregation and MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, which is Maryland's physicians' association. He also serves as board Vice President of Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Palm Beach County, and on the boards of Jewish Community Services in Baltimore; Hands Across the Americas; and the South Florida Donors Forum. Until recently, he served on the executive board of the Miami City Ballet. He is married to Arlene Bearman, Ph.D., chair emerita of The Israel Project board.
NEWTON BECKER
Newton Becker, a CPA, has a long history of innovative entrepreneurial philanthropy. He has served and continues to serve on numerous boards of directors for organizations, including the Jewish Federation Council of Los Angeles, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He has also helped found and fund several other organizations, such as the AIPAC Student Program and the campus-based group StandWithUs, two of the most active pro-Israel organizations on U.S. campuses. Mr. Becker is a staunch supporter of Israel and the environment, and in 1980 became founding investor and board chairman of the formerly L.A.-based Luz International. The company was at one time the world's largest solar power plant manufacturer, with research and manufacturing facilities in Jerusalem. He is well known among CPAs for the Becker CPA Exam Review course he founded in 1957. Almost half of all CPAs in the United States are among his former students. He sold it to DeVry University shortly before his retirement in 1998.
SHMUEL BENDROR
Shmuel Bendror is the former owner of Arazim Integrated Technologies Ltd., a company supplying full turnkey instruments and machines to leading high-tech companies in Israel. Mr. Bendror sold the company in 2007 to devote his time to philanthropic projects and foundations. He recently was elected Chairman of the board of the Israeli Vocal Music Center and for the last 15 years has been a member of the managing board of Erez College for Educational and Social Advancement in Shlomi, in the Western Galilee. He also served as Chairman and board member of the Friends of the Ghetto Fighters Museum, and was Chairman of “Bridge of Gold,” a foundation that creates bar and bat mitzvah projects for boys and girls in Israel and around the world. During his career in industry, Mr. Bendror was the major owner of Metek Metal Technologies Ltd., which subcontracted for Israeli high-tech companies. He was also co-owner of Turbotech Ltd. and founder and owner of Mani-Moto Ltd., a company specializing in the snack food industry. He served in the Israel Defense Forces in four wars as an officer, and was one of the founders and leading managers of Kibbutz Kissufim in the Negev, on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. Mr. Bendror is married to Raya Strauss Bendror; they have six children and 14 grandchildren.
ALAN DANA
Mr. Dana is involved in the management of Myer Dana and Sons, a family-owned commercial real estate business which was founded in 1893. The firm owns and manages retail properties throughout New England. Mr. Dana has been active in numerous Jewish charities in the Boston area and is a past Board President of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Boston. Currently he is a Board Member of the New England Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. Together with his brother, Myer, Mr. Dana serves as a Trustee of the Herman Dana Trust, a charitable trust dedicated to supporting Jewish organizations in the United States and Israel.
NANCY EPSTEIN
Nancy Epstein is a longtime philanthropist for Jewish organizations and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). She is also Founder and President of Artistic Tile, one of the United States' leading luxury stone and tile firms. Mrs. Epstein, who lives in Tenafly, N.J. began the company in 1987 and soon revolutionized the tile showroom design industry with her vignette-style displays, now an industry standard. The company's Secaucus, N.J. headquarters contains a state-of-the-art warehouse, training center, customer service center and design studio. In 2002, the company launched "The Jerusalem Stone Project," donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of its Jerusalem stone products to the UJA-Israel Emergency Campaign. She and her husband Larry have three sons, two daughters-in-law, one grandson and two granddaughters.
ANDREW J. GROVEMAN
Andy Groveman has been with Belz Enterprises, a multi-generational real estate development and investment company, since 1979, and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Administration. Mr. Groveman is one of the founders of the Memphis Jewish High School, which opened in fall 2006. He is involved with many local, national and international boards. He is a past President of the Memphis Jewish Federation, Baron Hirsch Synagogue and the Orthodox day school and yeshiva in Memphis. Nationally, Mr. Groveman serves on the Board of The Israel Project, and is a board member of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. He is Vice Chairman and member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of United Israel Appeal, and is a Trustee of Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Ariel United Israel Institutes. Internationally, he is on the Executive Committee of the American & International Societies for Yad Vashem and is one of 36 Americans who sit on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel. He and his father-in-law, Jack Belz, served as the International Co-chairs for the UJC General Assembly held in Nashville in November 2007. He was elected Chairman of the L.A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora in 2009. Mr. Groveman and his wife Jan have been married for 32 years and have two children—a daughter, Ariel, who is married to Josh Weiner and a son, Adam, who is married to Julie Krausz. Mr. and Mrs. Groveman are also the proud grandparents of grandson Ilan and granddaughter Yael.
SETH A. KLARMAN
Seth Klarman is President of The Baupost Group, L.L.C., which currently manages approximately $19.4 billion on behalf of individual and institutional clients. He has been with the company since its inception in 1982 and has been President since 1988. Author of Margin of Safety, a book that outlines his value investment philosophy, Mr. Klarman was chosen as lead editor for the recently published Security Analysis Sixth Edition and has been featured in a variety of investment industry publications. He is a 1982 graduate of Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar, and received his bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in economics from Cornell University in 1979. Mr. Klarman currently serves on several not-for-profit boards.
JOSEPH KORFF
Joseph Korff, founder and president of Arc Development LLC, has been involved in the real estate industry in numerous capacities for more than 30 years. He also has been managing partner or principal/advisor in several billion-dollars of real estate transactions including structuring and restructuring complex financial real estate deals. Mr. Korff began his career at Dewey Ballantine, a Wall Street law firm. Mr. Korff was a key founder of the Council of New York Law Associates, an organization focused on providing legal help for local, national and international non-governmental organizations. The Council, now known as the Lawyers Alliance, also helped spawn groups such as Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and the Environmental Defense Fund. Mr. Korff also has been involved with The Real Estate Board of New York, The Urban Land Institute, Mid-Pac, a pro-Israel Pac and Manhattan's Congregation Orach Chaim. Mr. Korff's ardent support for Israel and for Jewish causes has deep family roots; his father Samuel I. Korff was a rabbi who built up a 1,000-family Orthodox congregation in Boston as well as the Associated Synagogues of New England. Mr. Korff's uncle Baruch, also a rabbi, was a member of the political wing of the Irgun.
RICHARD LEVITT
Richard Levitt is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nellis Corporation, a private capital management company. He is also Chairman of The Barrent Group, a company specializing in forensic loan review services. He is a retired Vice-Chairman of the Board of Wells Fargo & Company (San Francisco). Mr. Levitt currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C.) and the Investment, Acquisitions and Finance committees of the Des Moines Art Center (Des Moines, Iowa). Mr. Levitt attended The State University of Iowa where he received bachelor of arts and juris doctor degrees. He is a member of the Iowa Bar.
RONALD R. SKLARE
Ronald R. Sklare owns the Rowen Development Corporation which builds spec and custom homes in the north suburbs of Chicago. Mr. Sklare is also a partner in Green Way Development. Over the last year, Ron has been very active in the Sklare Family Foundation which was provided significant support to a small congregation in Mandeville, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Ron also serves on the Midwest Board of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Mr. Sklare earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tulane University and a MBA from Loyola of Chicago. He and his wife Leah, currently reside in Deerfield, Illinois with his two sons.
YECHIAM YEMINI
Yechiam Yemini has been a Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University since 1980. Research at his lab has resulted in several seminal networking technologies and innovative startups built by lab graduates. Professor Yemini was also co-founder of Comverse Technology (1983) (formerly a NASDAQ 100 and S&P500 company); System Management Arts (SMARTS) (1993), acquired by EMC in 2005; Arootz (2006); and VMTurbo (2008). He has been an investor/director/advisory-board member of several high-tech companies and served as a member of several government technology commissions and working groups. In recent years he has devoted an increasing amount of time and effort to supporting philanthropic projects.
