Meet Our Team

Board of Trustees

Robert M. Beren
The Bildner Family
Samuel Bronfman Foundation
The Gottesman Fund
Harold Grinspoon Foundation
The Neubauer Family Foundation
Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation
Stacy Schusterman and Steven Dow
Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life
Abigail and Leslie Wexner

Co-Founders and Co-Chairs, Board of Trustees

• Elisa Spungen Bildner, co-founder of FJC, has worn many professional hats: She was a journalism professor at Rutgers and New York Universities, taught law at Seton Hall University Law School, was a reporter/editor at the Newark Star Ledger, and has authored numerous articles for consumer and trade magazines as well as scholarly publications in the field of media ethics and law.  Elisa is a former practicing attorney, associated with top New York City and New Jersey law firms, as well as a former law clerk to Federal District Judge H. Lee Sarokin.  She is also the previous president of FreshPro, a leading fresh-cut produce company servicing the food industry in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.  Elisa is an active leader at the national and international level in the Jewish community.  She has served as a board member and/or committee chair for many regional Jewish organizations including:  New Jersey Jewish News, Jewish Funders Network, Camp Ramah of the Berkshires, the Metropolitan New Jersey Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, National Council of Jewish Women, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith and area synagogues.  She is currently president of JTA - the Global News Service of the Jewish People, is a member of the board of The Curriculum Initiative and the Community Foundation of New Jersey and serves as trustee and member of the executive committee of Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, NJ.  Elisa and her husband, Rob, are among the founders of the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale University where she has served, and continues to serve, on various committees. 

  
  Elisa has received numerous awards from the Jewish community: In 2007, she was named one of 10 "Jewish Women to Watch" by Jewish Women's International of Washington, D.C. She received the American Jewish Distinguished Service Award from Hebrew Union College in New York in 2004 with her husband. Elisa was named a Wexner Heritage Fellow in 1990 and continues to serve on Wexner's Alumni Council.  In 1989, New Jersey Governor Jim Florio appointed her to the state’s New Jersey-Israel Commission and in 1992, the State of Israel Bonds, New Jersey Chapter, awarded her its “Partners with Israel” award in recognition of her extensive service to Israel.
  
  Elisa is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.  She is an alumna of Yale University, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with Honors.  She and her husband live in Montclair, NJ where they raised four children.
• Robert "Rob" Bildner, co-founder of FJC, is an attorney and entrepreneur who is active in the Jewish and secular non-profit communities and public life. Inspired by their participation in the Wexner Heritage Leadership Program, Rob and his wife, Elisa, founded the FJC in 1998, providing seed funding to launch a public foundation dedicated solely to overnight camps with a Jewish mission.  Rob is a founder and key lay leader of several other non-profit organizations including Repair the World  (Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee), a national initiative seeking to engage young Jewish adults in community service; and he serves at Yale University as a member of its University Council (President’s advisory council), Secretary of the Class of 1972, and board member of the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life (Yale Hillel). As an entrepreneur, Rob founded several food companies, including RLB Food Distributors, a perishable food distribution and food manufacturing company, which he sold in 2007. In March 2009 New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine appointed Mr. Bildner to serve as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on the Horse Racing Industry, an advisory board to recommend policies to restructure New Jersey's horse racing industry and preserve jobs and state revenues. Prior to starting RLB Food Distributors, Rob served as a state government official in New Jersey and then practiced corporate law with the law firm of Lowenstein, Sandler.  He is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization. He received his B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Yale, his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Masters degree in Jewish studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Rob and his wife have four grown children.

Chair, Board of Directors

• Lee D. Weiss is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Family Endowment Partners (FEP), an endowment style asset management firm for Family Offices, Registered Investment Advisors, Foundations, and Endowments.  Lee has spent his career advising wealthy families in the areas of investments, estate planning, taxes, and insurance.  He has participated in the Pan Mass Challege charity bike ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA for the last 9 years.  Lee grew up in the Atlanta, GA area and attended four different summer camps over his 11 years as a camper and counselor.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from the University of Maryland and has received a Certified Investment Manager Analyst designation and is a Certified Financial Planner.  Lee currently lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and four children.

Board of Directors

• Jules Eisen is the former operator and owner of several bus and tour companies including Greyline and Short Line.  “Julie” serves on the board of the The Davidson School for Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and he is the former president and current member of the board and executive committee of the UJA of Northern New Jersey and the Bergen County YJCC.  He and his wife Susan have three children and five grandsons.
• Michael Feinman began his career in the financial services industry in April 1990.  First specializing in Life Insurance and then other insurance related products, he later started an Employee Benefits company specializing in Healthcare, other Group Insurance products, and 401K plans.  Michael earned his Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow degree, LUTCF.  In May of 2009 he completed the sale of his healthcare business to a large public company but continues to build his 401K and life insurance businesses while consulting in healthcare.  Among his professional and personal contributions to his community, Michael serves as a Board Member of the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia.  Michael graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1985 where he earned his BA in Economics.  Michael and his wife of over 22 years, Lynn, have two children and live in Newtown Square, PA.
• Archie Gottesman is Executive Vice President and owner of Edison Properties the parent company of Edison ParkFast, Manhattan Mini Storage, The Hippodrome Building, and other real estate interests.  As a member of the third generation of a business started by her father, uncle, and grandfather, Archie speaks frequently on the issues facing family owned business.  Archie is also dedicated to ending the nation’s problem of pet overpopulation and serves as Chairman of the Board of Animal Haven Shelter in NYC.   She is on the board of Camp JRF and is currently co-chairing their capital campaign.   Archie additionally serves as a board member of the Newark Police Foundation and the Women’s Board of New Jersey Performing Arts Center was a past board member of Kent Place School in Summit, NJ.   Archie attended Northwestern University and recently graduated from the Wexner Heritage Program.  She and her husband, Gary DeBode, live in Summit, NJ with their three daughters Lilli, Sophie, and Ella, and three shelter dogs.
• Jim Heeger is President, CEO and Chairman of GreenRoad, the leader in cloud-connected driver performance and safety management for fleets.  He has also held a number of high tech senior management positions in Silicon Valley.  He and his wife, Daryl Messinger, have been involved with the URJ camps for many years. Their two boys are “bi-coastal” alumni of URJ Camp Swig/Camp Newman in California and URJ Camp Eisner in Massachusetts, Daryl is the Board Chair of URJ Camp Newman and a leader in several facets of the Reform Movement in North America, and Jim led the Master Plan Committee that developed the long-term vision for Camp Newman’s facilities and he is currently chairing the Building Committee for the first phase of major renovations.  He is also active in the Jewish community in the Bay Area, currently serving as the Senior Vice Chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.  Jim is a Past President of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills and the Immediate President of Hillel at Stanford.  Jim grew up in Sioux City, IA and spent his summers at Congregation Emanuel’s Camp Shwayder in the Colorado Rockies.  He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a BS in management from MIT.
• Keith Klein owns two private camps in Maine and is a partner in five other private camps in New York and Pennsylvania. Throughout his career in camping, Keith has served as Vice President of the American Camp Association - New York Section, Program Chair of the Tri State Camping Conference (the world's largest industry conference), and Board Member of the ACA - New England. In addition to his own camps, Keith was formerly the Vice President and Director of the Cal Ripken Baseball Camps in Scottsdale, AZ and Palm Beach, FL.  Keith graduated the University of Maryland and now resides in Tenafly, New Jersey.
• Lois Kohn-Claar spent her formative summers at B’nai B’rith Beber Camp in Mukwonago, WI where she developed a love and appreciation for Jewish summer camp.  After years of working in the field of education and educational technology, Lois now devotes herself to Jewish communal service.  Originally from Louisville, KY, she moved to Scarsdale, NY in 2001 and became actively involved in UJA-Federation where she now serves as Fundraising Chair for Westchester Women’s Philanthropy.  Lois is a member of the Board of Directors of UJA-Federation New York and on the Commission for Jewish Identity and Renewal’s Task Force for Experiments in Teen Engagement.  She is a founding member of the Neshamot Women’s Impact Philanthropy group, serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Jewish Education Project, and is a Wexner Heritage Graduate.  She holds a BA and MS in education from the University of Pennsylvania.  Lois and her husband, Gary Claar, have three children, all of whom are devoted campers. Lilly and Isaac attend Beber Camp and Benjamin attends Camp Ramah Berkshires.
• Neil Kuttner has been a Managing Member of Cross Shore Capital Management, LLC since 2002 and serves as chief operations officer.   From 1982 through 2001 he was employed by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Inc. as a principal, holding positions of chief financial officer and treasurer. Neil has been active in synagogue life for the past 25 years and is a past president of Park Slope Jewish Center.  He has served as chairman of the board of the Academy for Jewish Religion: a pluralistic seminary located in Riverdale, NY, and previously was involved with young leadership of UJA.  Neil and his wife Jane and their two sons Samuel and Matthew live in Edgemont, NY.
• Jay P. Lefkowitz is a senior litigation partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and a member of the Firm's Worldwide Management Committee.  He is also an adjunct professor of Administrative Law at Columbia Law School.  Jay has had a distinguished career in public service: he served from 2005-2009 as the United States' Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea; from 2001-2003, he served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to President Bush for Domestic Policy and as General Counsel in the Office of Management and Budget.  Earlier in his career, Jay served in the White House as Director of Cabinet Affairs and Deputy Executive Secretary to the Domestic Policy Council for President George H. W. Bush.  Jay and his wife, Elena, who is a documentary film producer, reside in New York City.  They have three children: Talia, who is presently serving in the Paratroopers Brigade of the IDF, and Danielle and Jacob, who are students at Ramaz.  Jay and his family are products of Jewish camping, having attended Massad, Ramah, and Modin.
• Gerry Maldoff is President of Hymopack, a family owned manufacturer of plastic shopping bags for use by supermarkets, department stores, big box stores, and other major retailers.  He was a long time camper and staff member at Camp Ramah in Canada and currently serves on the camp’s Board.  Gerry has served on other community Boards and Executive Committees including United Synagogue Day School (Solomon Schecter).  Gerry and his wife, Susan, live in Toronto with their three children, David, Matthew, and Stephanie.
• Marcia Weiner Mankoff has a private psychotherapy practice which she started after working for several years in the Los Angeles Foster Care system.  She is a past participant in the Wexner Heritage Foundation Program and UJC’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.  Marcia was the Los Angeles Federation’s first Young Endowment Chair, encouraging younger women to endow their Lion of Judah gifts.  She just finished her term as Women’s Division Major Gifts Chair, overseeing women’s annual gifts over $10,000, is currently co-chair of the Leadership and Training Program, and serves on the Federation’s Jewish Education Pillar, which encompasses Jewish camping.  In addition to Jewish community work, Marcia is also focused on women’s causes.  She is a member of the board of Los Angeles Planned Parenthood and is active in Women’s Political Committee, an organization that works to support and endorse Pro-Choice female candidates for local, state and federal political office.  Marcia attended Camp Sabra in Lake of the Ozarks.  She received her undergraduate degree from American University and a Masters in Social Work from University of Texas at Arlington.  She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, Doug.  They have three children, Sarah, Kate, and Eli.
• Julie Beren Platt comes to the FJC Board with a deep commitment to communal service.  Julie is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of Camp Ramah in California and is currently the Chair of the Ensuring the Jewish Future Strategic Initiative for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and Co-Chair of University of Pennsylvania Hillel Board of Governors.  Julie is a member and Past-Chair, Advisory Board, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and the Sinai Akiba Academy, Day School Committee.  She is a member of the Executive Committees of the LA Jewish Federation and Jewish Federations of North America, a member of the board of overseers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.  Julie is a member of the board of trustees at the University of Pennsylvania.  Her past responsibilities include chair of the Women’s Campaign, LA Jewish Federation, member of the board of directors of Jewish Family Service Los Angeles, member of the executive committee of UJA National Young Women’s Leadership Cabinet, and socilitation trainer of UJA National Training Center.  Julie is a Wexner Heritage Foundation graduate and previously a Vice President, Commercial Banking, at Bankers Trust Company in New York.  She resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, Marc.  They are the parents of five children and a son-in-law and grandparents to baby Ryan.
• Rodger Popkin has devoted his life to promoting, preserving and protecting the Jewish Camp Experience; he has supported the Foundation for Jewish Camp from its inception.  Throughout his forty year career Rodger served the American Camp Association in many capacities including (ACA's) Fund for the Advancement of Camping, the American Camping Foundation, the ACA's National Board and its Executive Committee.  He served as ACA's National President from 1999 - 2001.  He is a member of ACA's Acorn Society and Pioneers of Camping Group.  He met his wife Candy at Boston University where they were both students and later married in Camp Blue Star's Elmore Solomon Chapel.  Since 1971 they have either been the Owners or Directors of Camp Blue Star, which was founded by Rodger's father and uncles in 1948.   They reside in Ft. Lauderdale and are the proud parents of two adult children, Jason and Lauren, who are currently third generation Directors of Camp Blue Star.
• Marc E. Sacks is CEO of Mesirow Financial Private Equity, a Chicago-based investment management firm which manages over $3.5 billion in private equity capital commitments for institutional investors through a series of complementary private equity partnership and direct investment funds. Marc serves on the firm’s Investment Committee, Board of Directors, and Management Committee. Over the course of his career, Marc has built a multitude of deep relationships with top-tier venture capital and private equity managers, as well as institutional investors in the U.S., Europe and Australia.  He serves on the executive board of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and is a board member of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Marc’s other community leadership includes AIPAC, the Community Foundation for Jewish Education, and Jewish Rock Radio. He and his wife Susan grew up in the New York area, where they each attended Jewish overnight camps as both campers and staff.  They now live in suburban Chicago with their three children, all of whom attend Camp Ramah in Wisconsin as campers or staff.
• Jaynie Schultz is a partner in Retreat Central a company assisting summer camps enhance their off-season revenue through sales and marketing.  It is run from her family office in Dallas, TX where she shares her business and philanthropy efforts with her parents and brother.  Jaynie is deeply involved in the Jewish community, serving as Co-Chair of the Center for Jewish Education in Dallas and board member of both the University of North Texas Jewish Studies Department and Yavneh Academy of Dallas.  She is a board member of the iCenter and American Jewish Joint Distribution Agency as well as Executive board member of Moishe House.  In the past, Jaynie was a member of the board of the Jewish Funders Network and birthright Foundation, Executive board member of JESNA, and president of Akiba Academy of Dallas.  She received a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A., in Urban Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington.  Jaynie is a Camp Ramah, Ojai, alumnus, her mother grew up at Ramah Wisconsin, her father at Camp Acadia in Maine and her children are Young Judaeans.  She and her husband Ron Romaner have four children ages 12-19.
• Jodi Schwartz is a tax partner with the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.  In addition to her professional life, she is an active board member of several Jewish organizations including UJA-Federation of New York and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.  A Wexner Heritage graduate, Jodi is married to Steven Richman and has two children, Jessica and Lucas.  They live in New York City.
• Martin Schwartz has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Dorel Industries Inc. of Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. since 1993. Dorel is a global consumer products company and the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of juvenile products in its categories as well as one of North America’s largest marketer of bicycles.  Martin has also made the community a priority. He is active with various charitable and healthcare organizations in the Greater Montreal area, providing the same type of guidance that has helped Dorel Industries succeed.  He serves on the Federation CJA Executive Committee and chaired the 2011 CJA Campaign which was the most successful in several years. He has been a catalyst for putting Jewish camp on the Montreal Jewish Community agenda.  Martin has three married children, Karen, Debra, and Andrew as well as five grandchildren. They all live in Montreal and are active in the Jewish community on different levels.
• Allan C. Silber is the Chairman and CEO of Counsel Corporation, which he founded in 1979.  He plays a critical and decisive role in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, finance and capital market activities for Counsel Corporation and its portfolio of companies, including its real estate acquisition, syndication, and development activities.  Allan is actively involved in a number of cultural, charitable and community-based organizations, including participation at the board level, and has been Chairman of numerous fundraising events for community-based international organizations. His philanthropic endeavors include a focus on the homeless through the United Appeal. He is a Life Govenor of The Jewish National Fund and in 1998 was recognized as an Honoree in recognition of community leadership and dedicated public service.  Allan and his wife Hinda have established the Silber Center for Jewish Camping at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.  He attended McMaster University and received a BS from the University of Toronto.
• Mark Silberman is a partner and co-owner of Refrigiwear, the world’s leader in cold weather industrial work clothing and accessories. The company, nearing its 60th year, has now welcomed 3rd generation of family members into the workplace.  Mark is a past president of Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell, Georgia, as well as a past national board member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), where he served on the North American Camping (NAC) committee, budget committee, and business practices committee. He is currently the chair of the Camp Committee for URJ Camp Coleman in Cleveland, GA and sits on the executive board of the Jewish Federation Greater Atlanta. Mark has been a primary funder and advocate of PJ Library in the Atlanta community.  Mark holds a BA from American University, and lives in Atlanta with his wife Linda. They have four grown children.
• Henry Skier is the president of AMSkier Insurance and AMSkier Reinsurance, the largest national insurer and reinsurer of children’s camps in the United States. Founded in 1920, by Henry's father, Abram M. Skier, the firm is now in its third generation of Skier family ownership, with Henry's son, Jeffrey, and daughter Aimee, sharing leadership of the company.  Dedication to children's camps has been a cherished part of his life since his years as a camper and counselor at storied Camp With-A-Wind in Pennsylvania.  Since then, he has committed most of his professional life to serving his community and children's camps. In 1991 Henry, along with children’s camping leaders Ben Appelbaum and Morry Stein, founded the New York State Children Camp Safety Group that has reduced worker’s compensation insurance costs for member camps, through dividends and discounts, of over $15,000,000. Henry was honored in 2000 by The New York State Camp Director’s Association, in 2000 by Morry’s Camp, in 2003 by the North American Alliance for Jewish Youth, in 2003 by the American Camping Association with the Hedley S. Dimock Award, in 2008 with the Tri-State Camp Award from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania sections of the American Camp Association, in 2012 he was honored with the Valued Partner Award of the Pocono Mountains Visitor’s Bureau, and in 2012 the Skier family was honored with the inaugural New Jersey Y Friends of Camp Award. Henry is President of his Congregation Beth Israel in Honesdale, a Director of the Dime Bank, and a member of the Harmonie Club in New York City.
• David I. Solomon, a CPA by profession, has served as a top level CFO for major national corporations and currently as Executive Vice President and CFO of Pharmavite LLC, Global brand in vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) with the flagship brands, NatureMade®,  SOYJOY® , and Voots® .  David has held leadership finance positions with ARAMARK Uniform & Career Apparel, Tommy Hilfiger Footwear, Stride Rite Corporation, Timberland, Wang Laboratories and started his career with Deloitte & Touche in Boston.  In 2007, the Los Angeles Business Journal named him a finalist for CFO of the year. He served as board member and treasurer of Camp Ramah of New England from 1997-1999 as well as board member and treasurer for Temple Emanuel of Andover, MA.  David is also the current chairman of FJC’s Audit committee, and has served on the board since 2005.  David and his wife Debra and their two children, Jennifer and Max, live in Agoura Hills, CA, near Los Angeles.
• Samuel E. Vichness, “Skip,” is a senior partner in the management company, Quality Camping Properties, Inc. and President of GreyPine, LLC. He oversees camping operations on both owned and rented sites, day and resident camps, throughout the northeastern United States.  Presently, with his partners, he is involved in camping operations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Connecticut.  A recognized expert in the camping field, Skip has presented seminars and been a speaker at professional conferences throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, the Former Soviet Union, and Europe. He is a past president of the New York section of the ACA and past chair of the Tri State Camping Conference. He recently completed a term as the founding chair of the ACA's VOCE group - a special forum created for veteran camp directors/owners.  Skip is a recipient of ACA’s National Honor Award and the Tri State Service Award. He is also past president of the Golda Och Academy (formerly the Solomon Schechter of Essex and Union) and the National Ramah Commission.  A Wexner Heritage program graduate, he is the immediate past chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.   Skip was also the founding president of the Ben Appelbaum Foundation, a business incubator, founded to honor his former business partner. He is a member of the board of trustees of Randolph Macon College, where he was the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award.  Residing in Manhattan, Skip and his wife Ilana and their children, Ittamar, Aileen and Shai.
• Peter Weidhorn is currently a consultant, corporate director, and private investor in the multi-family housing market.  He has over 30 years of experience in the management, acquisition, disposition, and financing of commercial real estate.  Peter is the Chairman of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).  Prior to this position, he chaired the North American camping committee of the URJ and was instrumental in crafting the camp movement structure.  Peter and his wife, Joan, live in Manalapan and have two married children, Ira (m. Robin Levy) and Elyse (m. Scott Everett) and four grandchildren.