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Search Committee

Aron Ain

Aron has been Chief Executive Officer of Kronos and a member of its Board of Directors since 2005. Regarded as a pioneer in the workforce management and human capital management areas and instrumental in revolutionizing the way organizations manage their workforces, Aron has received numerous prestigious awards for his visionary leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and personal commitment to business and the community. Aron deeply believes that leading people is a privilege and that great management is the single largest component that adds to shareholder value and company performance.

Being an active participant in the broader community brings balance to Aron’s life and allows him to give back in recognition of all the guidance he has received. He has actively participated in various CJP leadership roles including as a participant and later co-chair of the Acharai program, a past member of the CJP board, and a past campaign chair. Aron also has current and past leadership roles at The Rashi School, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, American Technion Society, and AJC. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College, the Trustee Advisory Board of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Massachusetts High Technology Council, where he serves as its current Chairman. Aron received his degree in economics and government from Hamilton College, and he has participated in a series of executive education programs, including the AEA/Stanford Executive Institute at Stanford University.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I am inspired by what CJP does for so many every single day. As a meaningful way to say “thank you,” I am honored to now help find our next leader.

Bradley M. Bloom

Brad is a Managing Director of Berkshire Partners LLC, a private equity firm he co-founded in 1986. Berkshire Partners has raised nine private equity funds with more than $16 billion in aggregate capital commitments and manages a marketable securities fund, Stockbridge Investors, with nearly $2 billion of capital. Through the years, Brad has served on many of Berkshire’s portfolio company boards, including Acosta, Carters, Coty, and Bare Escentuals.

Brad received his A.B. and M.B.A. from Harvard University and currently serves on the Harvard Corporation’s Committee on Finance and the International Council of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Among other non-profit activities, Brad has chaired the boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and Milton Academy.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I am delighted to be serving on CJP’s search committee as a way of building upon CJP’s 120-year heritage and Barry Shrage’s 30-year legacy to ensure the vibrancy of Boston’s Jewish community for future generations.

Diane J. Exter

Diane is a retired Managing Director of Sankaty Advisors/Bain Capital. Diane was part of the team that founded Sankaty Advisors (now named Bain Capital Credit) in 1997, and, before retiring, she was responsible for the oversight of Sankaty's loan portfolio and involved in overall firm management. She received an M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and a B.A. from Grove City College.

Diane currently serves on CJP’s Board of Directors, is the Co-chair of CJP's Committee on Strategic Priorities, and is a past Chair of CJP's Boston-Haifa Jewish Education and Identity Committee. In addition, Diane is the Board Chair of City Year Boston and a board member and Treasurer of Belmont Country Club.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
CJP is a vision-driven organization, and, under Barry's leadership and with the passionate support of CJP staff, volunteers and local agencies, many great programs have been imagined and implemented... programs such as the Boston-Haifa Connection, IACT, Me'ah, the Anti-Poverty Initiative, and many more. I am hopeful we will be able to find a leader who will retain that vision orientation and take the organization on to the next level.

Lara Freishtat

A Boston native, Lara is an alumna of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, and she received her Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and her Master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in Non-Profit Management from The Wagner School of New York University. As an HR Business Partner at athenahealth, her responsibilities include employee relations, performance management, learning and development, strategic planning, and recruiting. Prior to athenahealth, Lara has worked in HR at TripAdvisor and WilmerHale, a leading Boston law firm.

Lara is an active member of Boston’s Jewish community and has served on the Young Leadership Board of the ADL as well as being involved in many community organizations. Lara currently sits on the board of JArts, where she previously chaired their Young Adult Program. Within CJP, Lara has twice chaired the Dewey Stone Kadimah Program for Young Leaders, and as a previous member of CJP's Executive Committee for Young Adults, Lara is proud to be its incoming chair.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I’m honored and excited to be a part of this committee. For our community to grow and thrive, it's very important to continue to focus on expanding our reach to young adults. Having seen the amazing impact CJP’s work has in our community, I’m passionate about bringing that experience to others. Finding the right leader who can continue the wonderful work Barry has done will be one of the most important ways to do that.

Ari Freisinger

Ari is an investment analyst at Highfields Capital and an active member of CJP.
He helped co-found CJP's Young Financial Services Group, completed CJP's Dewey Stone Kadimah leadership program, and was a member of CJP's Strategic Planning Group.

Ari also serves on the board of JFS Metrowest and is a member of Riverside Boat Club in Cambridge. Originally from San Francisco, Ari has been a member of the Greater Boston Jewish community since 2010. He received his B.A. from Columbia College and MSc in Economic History from Oxford University. 

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
Barry Shrage is an irreplaceable part of the Greater Boston Jewish community. There's no better way for me to give back than to work to find a successor who can take up the torch to build upon what Barry has created and position CJP to continue to build community for future generations. It's an honor to be a part of it. 

Shira Goodman

Shira is Staples' Chief Executive Officer, President, and member of the company’s Board of Directors. Staples brings technology and people together in innovative ways to consistently deliver products, services, and expertise to enable the workplace to work. Shira joined Staples in 1992 and has served in a number of leadership roles across the company over 25 years, including marketing, human resources, and operations.

Shira came to Staples from Bain and Company where she was a Manager. Staples was one of her clients, and she helped develop the strategy to launch Staples’ delivery business.

Shira serves on the Board of Directors of CarMax, Inc. She holds a Master of Management Science degree with a concentration in strategy and marketing from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.

Shira has been intensely involved with the Jewish community for her entire life. The daughter of a rabbi, she attended day school and was active in Princeton Hillel. Years later, she married a rabbi and became very involved in the Boston Jewish community. She is a past President of Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston and Vice President of Gann Academy. Shira currently serves on the Board of Directors of CJP and the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale. Most recently, Shira co-chaired the CJP strategic planning effort that culminated in a plan that sets the stage for CJP’s continued growth and innovation for years to come.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
Our Boston Jewish community is unique and wonderful, and it is a tremendous honor and opportunity to find the right leader to ensure its continued vibrancy and relevancy.

Joanna Jacobson

Joanna is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Grant Partners, a venture philanthropy organization that is both a foundation and pro-bono consulting firm. She is also President of the One8 Foundation. Prior to this, Joanna’s career was in private industry where she held senior management and marketing positions in turnaround businesses including the President of the Keds Corporation and SVP Marketing and Product Development at the Converse Corporation. Earlier in her career, she worked at Colgate-Palmolive in product management and worldwide new product development. She has also taught at Harvard Business School and was a partner in Core Strategy Group, a marketing strategy consultancy.

Joanna earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University. She serves on the advisory board of EdLabs, the boards of Youth Villages & YV MA, Edward Brooke Charter School, HBS Social Enterprise Initiative, and the Unlocking Potential Education Network.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I believe that leadership is the single most important factor in organizational success. I have watched Barry’s visionary leadership over the last few years and how it has shaped peoples’ perspectives, engagement, community priorities, and actions. We all benefit from strong leadership, and when asked to serve on the committee, I felt compelled to lean in to help position CJP for the next chapter.

Cindy Janower

After spending eight years with The Boston Consulting Group, Cindy has her own strategy consulting practice. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and its Wharton School as well as Harvard Law School.

Cindy is Secretary and incoming Chair of the Board of Directors of CJP. After co-chairing the Community Study, she transitioned to co-chairing CJP’s ongoing strategic planning effort and serves on the Commission for Strategic Priorities. Previously, she also co-chaired the Day School Education Commission, a task force examining CJP’s Capacity Funding of agencies, and helped lead the effort to integrate the North Shore Federation, among many efforts. Outside CJP, Cindy has served as President of The Rashi School’s Board of Trustees and on committees for the JCRC and JCC, and she has participated on the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
CJP’s 2015 Community Study convinced me that dynamic leadership is more important in the Jewish community than ever, given unprecedented rates of change in our demographics, engagement with Judaism and Israel, and approaches to philanthropy. I am eager to help secure a leader who can realize and help shape our bold strategic vision for CJP and our community.

Neal Karasic

Neal is the SVP of Product & Technology at SavingStar, delivering digital loyalty programs to leading national brands. During his career, Neal built products in mobile, online advertising, search, and retail for both privately and publicly held companies. Neal joined SavingStar from Jumptap, a mobile advertising network that has since been acquired by Verizon/AOL.

Neal previously held various product management roles at Be Free and Commission Junction (now part of Alliance Data Systems). He holds 18 patents including foundational patents in mobile advertising, targeting, and search, and he holds an S.B. in Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering from Harvard University. Neal has held various leadership roles within CJP and the Jewish community, including co-chairing the Executive Committee on Young Adults, co-chairing the PresenTense program, and serving as the campaign chair for the Young Leadership Division. He currently sits on the Board of Yad Chessed.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I am delighted to be a member of the search committee, and I am excited to find a world-class leader for the next generation of Jewish Boston who is committed to supporting our thriving community, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Daniel A. Kraft

Dan is the President of the Kraft Group-International, a private holding company headquartered in Boston. The Kraft Group is comprised of companies in the forest products and packaging industries, sports and entertainment, and private equity investing. Dan also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of International Forest Products LLC, the world’s largest privately-owned forest products commodities trading company. The company is annually ranked among North America’s top 10 exporters. Dan previously served as Vice President of Marketing for the Kraft Sports Group, which includes the New England Patriots, the New England Revolution, and Gillette Stadium. In this role, Dan was responsible for all team and stadium sponsorship sales, broadcast rights, promotions, advertising, and special events.

Dan earned a B.A. from Tufts University in 1987. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at CJP and is a Trustee Emeritus at Tufts University. He is a founding member and current Board Chair of Team IMPACT, a member of the Board of Directors of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a Trustee for the Rivers School.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
I am excited and humbled to be a part of the committee and to play an integral role in selecting the next President of CJP at such a pivotal time for the Jewish community and CJP’s constituency.

Neil Wallack

Neil is a Co-founder and Managing Director of 1901 Partners, an energy-focused private equity investment firm and the successor organization to ZBI Ventures, the private equity practice of Ziff Brothers Investments, where he served as President from 2007 through 2014. Neil is a graduate of Yale University (1989) and the Harvard Business School (2003).

He is a graduate of Jewish Federation of North America’s Young Leadership Cabinet and CJP’s Acharai program, and he has served on the Board of Jewish Vocational Service of Boston. Neil is chair of CJP’s Board of Directors and previously held the position of CJP’s Budget & Administration Committee chair. In addition to supporting a variety of Jewish causes, Neil and his wife, Lisa, are very involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where they co-chaired that organization’s Israel Initiative.

What inspires you to be a member of the search committee?
We are so fortunate to live in a community that has been on the forefront of Jewish life, learning, caring, and engagement with Israel. There is no greater honor than helping to select our next leader who can take us from strength to strength, building an ever more vibrant and engaged community over the coming decades.

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