Staff Profiles

As the former Executive Director of Etgar L'Noar, Arlene's efforts to raise the profile of the organization's mission helped lead to the merger in 2006 of Etgar L'Noar with the Jewish Special Education Collaborative(JSEC) to form Gateways. Arlene previously worked as a Project Director on U.S. Department of Education-funded projects focusing on educational technology for students with special needs at Education Development Center, a non-profit educational research and curriculum development organization. She has been a special education teacher in both New York and Massachusetts. Arlene holds a Masters in Technology and Education from Columbia University, Teachers College, a Masters in Special Education from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Certification in Special Education from Clark University. Arlene is a past president of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston.

Sharon has worked with children and families for more than 15 years. She previously worked as the director of early childhood services at The Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, where she managed programs in early intervention, therapeutic childcare, and the development of an early childhood system of care. She has experience working with children (through age 21) and their families, teachers, special education providers and schools, as well as acting as a liaison, regarding case coordination and the IEP process. Sharon received Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She holds Masters in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work and in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is a licensed clinical social worker.

Sherry joined Gateways on July 1, 2009, as Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston shifted the funding for coordination of supplementary and preschool special education services from the Bureau of Jewish Education to Gateways. She works with synagogue preschools and religious schools throughout the community and coordinates the TeenAde Program for youth who volunteer their time in synagogues to work with children who have special learning needs. As a senior educator, consultant, coach and program manager, Sherry's career spans 30 years in Jewish educational settings. Sherry has a Bachelor in Psychology from Simmons College, a Master in Education in Early Education and Special Needs from Tufts University's Eliot-Pearson School of Child Study, and a Master in Judaic Studies from Boston's Hebrew College. She has Massachusetts certification in Early Education and Care, Director Level II, and State Teachers' certification.

Nancy has worked in the field of special education as a teacher and consultant, providing behavioral support, curricular adaptations and instructional design for schools and families in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts. She has additional training in autism spectrum disorders and applied behavior analysis. Nancy holds a Masters in Education from Simmons College through the New England Center for Children's partnership program, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Sarah has worked in a variety of Jewish educational settings in both teaching and administrative roles. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Heller School and a Masters from the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, both at Brandeis University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University.

Marion is devoted to children with special needs. She is an experienced teacher in both secular and Jewish settings and was a founding member of Etgar L'Noar's board and the CJP Disabilities Committee. Her education – Yeshiva of Flatbush, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Special Education from Boston University – has set the stage for a multi-layered career in Jewish education in synagogues, public schools and in private tutoring.