A board member’s role at JF&CS is to enhance the prestige of the organization, increase its visibility and importance to the community, and ensure its financial security and ability to grow. It also is entrusted to make sure that our strategic direction will deliver the agency’s mission, oversee operations of the organization, and ensure that the “heart” of the organization is in all that we do.

Our newest board members come from all over the Greater Boston area and work in a variety of industries. They are community leaders and passionate advocates for our mission and values.

Meet the new members:

Michelle Black is a dedicated leader in the Greater Boston Jewish community. She is the current Board Chair of Gann Academy where she is a strong champion for expanding the reach and impact of our local Jewish Day Schools. Michelle previously served on the boards of The Rashi School and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP). She is an alumnus of CJP’s Acharai Leadership Development program and JFNA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. She is a past recipient of CJP’s Young Leadership and Circle of Excellence awards, recognizing her commitment and passion to Jewish communal service. Michelle currently co-chairs CJP’s Teen Initiative and recently co-founded TribeTalk, an organization that helps prepare teens for Jewish life on a college campus. Michelle earned her BA from University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from Harvard Business School. She worked as a consultant with a focus on change management leadership development, corporate strategy and organizational design. She now applies her business skills and experience to strengthen and support the local Jewish non-profit community. Michelle lives in Newton with her husband, Darren, and her four kids, Evan, Scott, Emily and Alex.

Joan Wasser Gish and her husband Jason live in Newton. They have two daughters. Joan is a Director at the Boston College Center for Thriving Children where she leverages knowledge from research and implementation to inform education policy and practice nationally and internationally. Joan previously served in the United State Senate, on a Presidential Campaign, and in a nonprofit focused on children and families. She was twice appointed by the Governor to serve on the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care, and is a past and present member of several nonprofit boards, including the Board of Trustees of Temple Emanuel and an Israeli non-profit, Educating for Excellence. A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, Joan received her MA from Columbia University Teachers’ College, and her JD, with honors, from Columbia University School of Law. At JF&CS, Joan serves on the Advisory Committee for the Center for Early Relationship Support and her family is engaged with Family Table and Center for Basic Needs Assistance. Joan enjoys time with family and friends, exercise, reading, writing, travel, and art.

Shirley Sperling Paley lives in Lexington with her husband, Eric Paley, and their children, Zoe and Sam. Shirley is currently the General Counsel at Formlabs, a leading 3D printing company based in Somerville. A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and NYU School of Law, Shirley started her career as a law clerk to Hon. Sandra L. Lynch on the First Circuit Court of Appeals. She then practiced intellectual property law at Goodwin LLP before switching to the in-house legal departments of various Boston area technology companies, including Demandware, which was acquired by Salesforce. Shirley is on the Boston Advisory Committee of KIND (Kids in Need of Defense). At JF&CS, Shirley is a member of the Services for Older Adults Advisory Committee. In her free time, Shirley treasures time with her family and friends, she loves to try out new (often healthy) recipes and travel the world.

Karen Rosenberg lives on the North Shore in Marblehead with her husband, David. She is most proud to be the mother of their four children: Shelby, Amanda, Whitney and Andrew. Karen attended Marblehead High School and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Communications. Karen’s professional experience was centered in public television in Boston and New York City but her job of choice and current role is that of raising her family. Over the last thirty plus years, Karen has been involved in many organizations, offering her time and resources. Some of those institutions include: The Jewish Federation of the North Shore Board and CJP Board, Temple Beth-El/Congregation Shirat Hayam Board, Jewish Teen Initiative Board, Marblehead Counseling Center Board, Marblehead Museum Board, Marblehead For Teens Board, Hillel Academy Board and the Jewish Community Center Board in addition to the Jewish Family & Children’s Service CBNA Board. Devoting her time and energy to her family and community provides Karen with a great sense of purpose and personal satisfaction. In her leisure time, Karen enjoys traveling, sporting events, exercising and practicing spiritual wellness.

Larry Schoen lives in Newton with his wife, Margaret. They have two daughters. Larry is a litigation partner in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. He is a trial lawyer who handles complex commercial litigation, including antitrust, securities, contract and bankruptcy-related matters, and was part of the Mintz team that won the Adams Pro Bono Public Award in 2011. Larry graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and from Harvard Law School magna cum laude, and then clerked for the Honorable William G. Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is a member of Temple Beth Avodah in Newton, and serves on the Finance and Business Advisory Committees of JF&CS. Larry is also the former chair of the Complex Commercial Litigation section of the Massachusetts Bar Association and is a member of the professional advisory board of the Melanoma Education Foundation. In his leisure time, Larry enjoys running, rooting on the Celtics, and spending time with his family.

Lori Shaer and her husband, Jon, live in Needham with their college-aged son and their high school-aged daughter. Lori earned a degree in Television, Radio and Film Production from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Her professional career started in New York City in news, and she moved into children’s television working at Sesame Street and then launched a children’s production company, Little Airplane Productions. Lori is a member of Temple Beth Shalom and served on the Board of Trustees for seven years. Presently, she is on the Nominating Committee and recently founded a new group at TBS, ConNEXTions, for soon-to-be empty nesters and empty nesters. At JF&CS Lori served on the Women’s Breakfast committee for several years and co-chaired the event in 2019. She is a co-chair of the upcoming Day of Service to take place in 2023 and volunteers with her family at Family Table. Lori is also a big sister through Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters. Currently, Lori sits on the Executive Board of the Noble and Greenough Parents’ Association and on the Nobles Development Committee, where her daughter attends school. She and Jon previously co-chaired the Nobles Annual Fund. Lori is on the President’s Parent Leadership Council at University of Richmond where her son attends college. She is also a Corporator at Tenacre Country Day School where her children attended elementary school. Lori enjoys playing tennis, snow and water skiing, seeing any musical theatre production, and traveling with her family.

Meet all of our Board of Directors here.