Board of Trustees

Visionaries, stewards, and partners in our students’ success

A yellow, jagged line doodle done by a child

Schechter’s Board of Trustees includes leaders in business, law, education, Jewish life, and more—many of them current parents and alumni.

Meet the Board

  • A woman with curly brown hair and glasses, smiling, wearing a black apron, in a room with shelves filled with books and supplies.

    Alison Judd

    President

    Alison is a practicing artist and founder of Gallery Tempo, a pop-up art gallery concept. A graduate of SAR, she’s passionate about Jewish education and community-building. Her work has been exhibited widely, and she is active in CJP, Jewish Arts Collaborative, and more. Alison lives in Brookline with her husband, Isaac, and their three children: Avery ’22, Penny ’24 and Eloise ’27.

  • Sydney Schwartz Gross

    Executive Vice President

    Sydney Schwartz Gross is assistant dean for communications at Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences. A former journalist, she holds degrees from the University of Chicago and Columbia. Sydney lives in Newton Highlands with her husband, Tal ’95, and their daughters Sally ’26 and Nora ’29. She previously served as co-chair of the Schechter Boston Parent Association.

  • Owens Stearns

    Executive Vice President

    Owen is CEO of Excel Academy Charter Schools. A former strategy consultant and City School leader, he’s passionate about education equity. An Amherst alum, he lives with his wife, Molly, and sons Richard (Grade 7) and Freddy (Grade 3).

  • Professional woman with glasses and dark hair smiling, wearing a black blazer and a blue patterned blouse, arms crossed.

    Adele Sage Budovksy '94

    Clerk

    Adele is an Engagement Manager in Cortico-X, helping clients improve customer experience. She previously worked at Forrester and co-hosted a CX podcast. Adele was a founding staffer at The David Project and serves on the Zionist House board. She also served on the Winsor School alumnae board.

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    Moshe Spinowitz

    Finance Chair

    Moshe is a tax lawyer specializing in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and IRS appeals. He advises global companies on restructuring, integration, and U.S. tax reform. Moshe lives with his wife, Tovah Day, and their children—Shalev ’24, Adir ’27 and Yatziv ’31.

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    Jessica Levin Rittner '02

    Development Chair

    Jessica ’02 is Vice President of The Krupp Foundation, where she oversees grant-making, administration, and family engagement. She previously managed children’s and community health portfolios at The Klarman Family Foundation and has a background in consulting and program evaluation. A Brandeis and Heller alum, Jess lives in Newton with her husband, Spencer, and their children, Lila ’33 and Jonah.

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length wavy hair standing in art gallery, wearing a black top and red skirt, surrounded by colorful paintings on the wall.

    Leora Kimmel Greene

    Nominating Chair

    Leora is founder and CEO of One28 Strategic Events, bringing over 15 years of experience in fundraising and event strategy. She has led major campaigns and rebrands for Boston nonprofits and holds a master’s in Communication Management from Simmons. Leora lives in West Roxbury with her husband, Ben, their daughters Avie ’30 and Mila ‘35.

  • A woman with dark, curly hair smiling outdoors in front of green trees, wearing a navy blazer and a light purple blouse.

    Melissa Sydney

    Governance Chair and
    Audit Chair

    Melissa is a trusts and estates attorney at Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, and leads the firm’s estate planning department. She advises families on wealth transfers, charitable giving, and probate matters. Melissa is active in professional and philanthropic circles and brings thoughtful leadership to the board. She lives in Newton with her husband, Adam, and daughters Yaira ’26, Ophira ’29 and Yardana ’31.

  • Anthony Goschalk


    Tony founded Transatlantic Investment Management after a tech career in product strategy. A longtime Newton resident, he’s active at Shaarei Tefillah. He and his wife Julie are parents to three Schechter grads: Zaria ’91, Nadja ’98 and Mia ’03.

  • Mike Isman


    Mike is a software engineer at Devoted Health and a veteran of the Boston tech and startup world. He joins the board as as senior co-chair of the Schechter Boston Parent Association. Mike lives right behind the Stein Circle Campus with his wife, Emily and their three children Henri Joy ‘29, Sam ‘31 and Izzy ‘33.

  • Portrait of a man with dark hair, slight beard, wearing a blue sweater, sitting at a conference table in an office setting.

    Eytan Shamash

    Past President

    Eytan is an executive director at J.P. Morgan, managing relationships with hedge funds and asset managers across New England and Canada. Eytan holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. He brings strategic leadership and a deep commitment to Jewish education to his role as board president. Eytan lives in Needham with his wife, Krissy, and their children Kobe ’26, Ava ’29 and Tali ‘32.

  • Hagar Berlin


    Hagar is the founder of Caterpillar Partners, a consulting firm supporting fundraising and communications in education. She previously led development at Brooke Charter Schools and held leadership roles at Reading Partners, Summer Search, and Jumpstart. A Wesleyan and Stanford alum, she lives in Newton with her husband and two daughters.

  • Rabbi Jordy Callman


    Rabbi Callman is Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. She was previously at Temple Sinai in Denver. A native of MA, she’s passionate about youth learning and Israel. Jordy lives in Watertown with her husband, son Matan and dog Rosie.

  • Simon Chafetz


    Simon is a leader in Deloitte’s Customer Strategy practice, helping companies elevate customer experiences. Raised in Dallas and educated at Maryland and Michigan, he’s passionate about Jewish education. He lives in Needham with his wife, Allie and their son, Asher.

  • Gene Dolgin


    Gene is CEO and co-founder of Lumin Health, a provider of interventional psychiatric care specializing in treatment-resistant depression. He brings deep expertise in strategy, finance, and innovation, shaped by experiences in both the U.S. and Israel. An MIT Sloan alum, Gene lives in Newtonville with his wife, Judith (Schechter ’97), and their children, Maddy ’28 and Lev ’34.

  • Dr. Liron Edelist


    Liran is Chief Product Officer at Lumel, with over 20 years of experience in business strategy and digital transformation. He previously led Jedox Americas and founded TopIT. Liran teaches at BU’s Questrom School of Business and holds a Ph.D. and MBA from Bar-Ilan University. He lives in Newton Centre with his wife, Roni, and their children, Gil ’22, Shir ’24 and Or ’29.

  • Nafi Israel


    Nafi serves as a Senior Partner within Bain & Company’s Strategy, Retail and Social Impact practices, specializing in corporate growth and value creation. He has dedicated significant pro bono efforts to partnering with educational organizations to foster equitable learning environments. A resident of Brookline, Nafi lives with his wife, Rachel—a pastry chef at Blacker’s Bakeshop—and their two sons, Ethan ‘33 and Noah ‘35.

  • Rachel Chiel Katz


    Rachel is a former Schechter teacher and children’s author. She taught Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies from 2005–2021 and is the author of Rise Up! Powerful Protests in American History. A Penn alum, she lives in Newton with her husband, David, and their three children, all current Schechter students.

  • Jessica Keimowitz


    Jessica is Upper School Director at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge. She previously spent 18 years at Dana Hall and was the founding Director of College Counseling at what is now Gann Academy. An Amherst and Columbia alum, she lives with her wife, Polly, and their children, Hannah and Mimi (Grade 8).

  • Matthew Klein


    Matthew is Head of Underwriting at Berkshire, where he leads the credit team responsible for structuring and executing complex real estate debt transactions. Previously, he helped launch and scale CrossHarbor Capital Partners’ debt business, growing it to over $2.5 billion in AUM. He holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, a BS from Cornell University and is a CFA Charterholder. Matthew lives in Newton with his wife, Sofiya and, their daughter Bella and son Alexander.

  • Sonia Passer


    Sonia is a Managing Director and partner at BCG, where she has advised pharmaceutical clients for over a decade on topics across strategy (e.g., corporate, portfolio, pipeline, commercial), operating model and organization design, large-scale transformation and integrations. She is a scientist by training, with a PhD from University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Newton Centre with her husband, Joel, and their children, Naomi ‘32, Eli ‘35 and Maya

  • Jennifer Slifka Vidal


    Jennifer is an attorney with deep leadership experience in Jewish organizations including Rashi, Gann, and Gateways. A Tufts and American University alum, she lives in Needham with her husband and their three children

Meet the Trustees