Posted by David Schechter

Alan Lipkind has served the agency as a Board member since 2009 and chairs the Board's Compliance and Risk Management Committee, dealing with many of the most sensitive and least glamorous issues that come up continuously for a big agency like ours. Alan lives in Marblehead with his wife, Liz Durstine-Lipkind. They are the parents of Eric, Jess, and Talia. A graduate of Tufts University (1981) and Boston University School of Law (1986), Alan is a partner in the law firm of Burns & Levinson LLP, where his areas of expertise are real estate and business litigation. In 2015 he was named a B.T.I. Client Service All-Star, one of 354 attorneys nationwide designated as a providers of superior client service based upon independent interviews with legal decisions makers. He is a member of the Marblehead Zoning Board of Appeals where he serves as board secretary.

This past year Alan took on the chairmanship of the newly formed Real Estate Task Force. He recruited a new group composed of existing and new Board and Board committee members with expertise in real estate ownership and transactions. Meetings were held on short timeframes with many hours of preparation required before and after. His personal leadership, his familiarity with both the agency and the law, and his tireless attention to detail were required for the effort's success.

Alan, you bring the perfect combination of attributes in a Board member. You give selflessly of your time and wisdom, you inspire others to do the same, and you work harmoniously with the agency's leadership and within the Board, thereby making all of us more successful. You are most deserving of this year's Betsy Gross President's Award.

David Schechter is the JF&CS Board president. The recipient of the President's Award in 2008, he also served on the 2008 JF&CS Strategic Planning Committee, was a Sponsor Chair for the 140th Celebration, and co-chaired the Auction for the 2007 Benefit. David and his wife, Gail, co-chaired the 2008 JF&CS Benefit. David's campaign for JF&CS donations in support of Holocaust Services led to its renaming. With a Chemical Engineering degree from University of Delaware and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, David has held professional and entrepreneurial positions in corporate planning, stockbrokerage, and engineering. David is founder and manager of Perspective Capital Management LLC and the Schechter Foundation. David currently serves on the Board of Directors of MAB Community Services. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the New England Board of Facing History and Ourselves.