The members of the Gateways Board are a diverse and experienced group of professionals, supporters and parents. Some are new to Gateways; some were involved in the early years of our founding organizations. They represent a wide range of backgrounds, religious observance and generations. Each is devoted to fulfilling the needs of our constituency while seeking strong governance and fiscal management.

OFFICERS

Erik Bittner has been the President of the Gateways Board of Trustees since 2006. He and his wife, Jennifer, a former board member, founded Etgar L’Noar in 1998, which merged with the Jewish Special Education Collaborative in 2006 to form Gateways. Erik also served as Treasurer of Etgar L’Noar. Erik is a self-employed cabinet maker and owner of Case by Case Cabinets, Inc.

Arlene Bernstein, Clerk, has been involved with Gateways since the founding of Etgar L’Noar in 1998, including service on the Governance and Nominating committees. Arlene currently serves on the boards of Yad Chessed, Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England, and formerly served on the Boston University Hillel Foundation board. Arlene is an attorney, now retired.

Rachel Chafetz is Vice President of Development and has been a member for three years. In addition to her board and committee work at Gateways, Rachel is a tutor in the Gateways Jewish Education B’nei Mitzvah Program. Rachel is a former board member of the Bureau of Jewish Education. She is a certified special education teacher.

Louise Citron is Vice President of Governance. She has been a member for two years during which time she also served as the Nominating Committee Chair. Louise has served on the boards of CJP's Women's Division, Zamir Chorale and the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center. Louise is a clinical audiologist as well as an officer of South Shore Hearing Center.

Alan Crane is Vice President for Strategic Planning. He has previously been involved with Gateways as a member of the Board and the Finance Committee. Alan sat on the boards of Momenta and Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, T2 Biosystems, Hydra Biosciences, Vaccinex, the Boston Autism Consortium, Medicine in Need, Adnexis Therapeutics, Controlled Delivery Systems, and several Children’s Hospital of Boston boards. Alan’s professional background is biotechnology and venture capital. He is employed at Polaris Venture Partners and is CEO of Cerulean Pharma.

Hershel Ellenbogen, Treasurer, has been worked with Gateways since 2006. Hershel has served on various school and synagogue boards. Hershel is a dentist in private practice in Whitinsville.

Robert Fein is the Vice President for Finance. He was on the Gateways finance committee prior to becoming a board member and his family has been involved with Etgar L’Noar since its inception: his wife taught in the B’nei Mitzvah Program for its first two years and their daughter was a volunteer for three years. Robert has served on the boards of Gann Academy and Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston. Robert is Vice President of Business Development at Trex Enterprises Corporation.

BOARD MEMBERS

Michelle Alkon has been active with Gateways for the past seven years, as the parent of a Gateways student, an Etgar L’Noar Board member, as well as a participant in the Etgar L’Noar/JSEC merger committee. Michelle is a member of the board of Temple Shalom, Newton. Michelle is the owner and principal of the RBC Group, a health care strategy consulting company.

Joyce Bohnen was involved with Gateways previously as a member of the Governance Committee in 2008-2009. She has served on the boards of Zamir Chorale of Boston, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, and Temple Emanuel of Newton. She recently retired after six years as the founding admissions director for the MetroWest Day School.

Christy DeRoche serves on the boards of the AIPAC Young Leaders’ Council and AJC ACCESS and is active with Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Young Leadership Division. Christy is an elementary special education teacher focusing on reading disabilities in the Boston Public Schools.

Sara Dickman has a long history with Gateways since the inception of Etgar L’Noar in 1998 and served as its first Executive Director, as well as on its Board of Directors. Sara is on the Board of Connect Africa, an organization that provides support for small businesses and education for children, mainly orphans, in Uganda. Sara is an art therapist in private practice. She trains teens and staff on ways to use expressive arts at Gateways.

Mady Donoff recently completed her term as the President of Greater Boston’s Hadassah chapter. She is a new member of the Gateways' Board. A special education professional, Mady has extensive experience in the field.

Laurie Gershkowitz has been involved with Gateways for three years. She has worked on the Planning Committee and was the recent Co-Chair for Sweet Sounds, Gateways’ annual fundraising event. Laurie has served on the boards of the Women’s Philanthropy group of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston, and Congregation Mishkan Tefila of Newton. Laurie has a child in the Gateways' Program. She holds an MBA and works in the mortgage business.

Stephanie Gertz has sat on the boards of the Greater Boston Jewish Community Centers, United Jewish Communities National Young Leadership, Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Board of Governors, The Handel & Haydn Society, The Huntington Theater, The American Jewish Historical Society, Mount Auburn Hospital, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, American Jewish Congress, AIPAC Young Leaders, and Pro Arte Orchestra. She is an independent educational consultant specializing in policy and assessment in grades K-12.

Catharyn Gildesgame has served as a member of the Gateways' Governance, Finance and Strategic Planning Committees. She was the president of the Board of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School. She has also served on the boards of Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly and Boston's Bureau of Jewish Education. Her professional background is in health care administration and clinical research. She is currently the Director of Strategic Implementation at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Mark Grossmann has been involved with Gateways since before the merger. He has served on the Strategic Planning Committee as well as the Development Committee. Mark has served on the boards of the South Area Solomon Schechter Day School, the Brotherhood of Temple Israel in Sharon and Friends of Jewish Dokshitzy, Inc. Mark managed nonprofit organizations for 25 years. He is currently serving as Director of Marketing for Abbott Home Health Care.

Danya Handelsman has been a part of Gateways for the past three years. She volunteers in the Gateways Toddler and Preschooler Program, and serves on the Education and Community Outreach Committees. She is a pediatric physical therapist, specializing in early intervention.

Miriam May was active for many years with Etgar L'Noar. She has acted as Marketing Committee chair and is a member of the Development Committee. Miriam has served on Newton's Congregation Shaarei Tefillah's Building Committee as campaign co-chair, and sat on the boards of Planned Parenthood and the Jewish Federation in Providence as well as various other boards. Miriam is Managing Director of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.

Susan Rosenzweig has been involved with Gateways since 2006 and served as a chair of the Education Committee. Before retiring, Susan served for many years as the Department Chair for Special Education at Newton North High School. Susan belongs to Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley.

Sharon Shapiro has been involved with Gateways since 2006 and serves on the Development Committee. She is active in The Ruderman Family Foundation, her family's charitable enterprise. Sharon has sat on the boards of Congregation Beth Israel of Malden, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the CJP Day School Advocacy Forum. She is a trained dietician.

Jerome Smith has been an advisor to Gateways for over five years, prior to becoming a board member in 2009. He has sat on the boards of Temple Emunah in Lexington and the Jewish Vocational service and currently sits on the AIPAC National Council. He is Co-Director of MIT Venture Mentoring Service, a consultant, and a senior executive at Dupont.