The MWJDS Board of Directors (BOD) works closely with staff and parent volunteers to create an excellent educational program and a warm and welcoming community.
Officers
Benjamin is the product of Jewish day schools in Montreal and Chicago and is an avid supporter of the importance of vibrant Jewish day schools. Having experienced first-hand with his younger son how differentiated MWJDS’ approach is to provide an individualized education to its students, he was thrilled to join the Board of Directors in 2021. He can think of no better institution in the greater Boston Jewish community to support.
As a private equity investor, Benjamin has invested in and served on numerous private company boards. After a 20+ year career working for larger private equity firms, in 2021 he founded his own firm, JDA Advisors, LLC to invest in and advise closely held businesses.
Benjamin earned a B.S. in finance and accounting from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Benjamin and his wife, Amy, live in Newton and are the proud parents of two boys at MWJDS. They are active members of Temple Emanuel.
David Rothkopf
Vice President of Finance / Treasurer
F. David Rothkopf is currently the MWJDS Vice President of Finance as well as the Treasurer, and has been on the MWJDS Board for many years. David and his wife Francine have sent all three of their children to MWJDS; their oldest son Sam was in the first graduating class and middle child Micah was in the second graduating class. Daughter Sofia was the first student with Down syndrome at MWJDS. The Rothkopfs are active members at Temple Israel of Natick, where David served on the Ritual Committee for several years.
He is the CEO of MEDIcept, Inc., a regulatory medical device consulting firm and President of SON Medical, a medical software consulting firm. He is also a founder of two medical device companies: Exofix Frame and Acies Orthopedics. He previously served as the COO of ZMed, Inc., and the Vice President of Operations and Regulatory Affairs of MRad, Inc., until both were sold. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of two medical device companies: dB Diagnostics and OrthoCor. He also teaches Regulatory Affairs at MIT, as an adjunct professor, a mentor at John Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, an advisor at the NIH Catalyze program and is a regular teacher at several professional society organizations. David earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Manufacturing Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and an MBA from Boston University.
David also serves on the 3-21 Learning Program Advisory Board: The 3-21 Learning Program. The 3-21 Learning Program is an educational program for children with a primary diagnosis of Down syndrome. David’s daughter was also a student in the Learning Program.
Jeff Fleisher
Recording Secretary and Clerk
Jeff is the father of fourth grader Abby. A resident of Natick, Jeff has expertise in the area of cyber security. He and his wife, Joanna, have already taken on active roles at MWJDS in Family Connection and the gala.
Irit Tau-Webber is the Immediate Past President of MWJDS. She was previously the VP of Governance and served as the President of Family Connection, MWJDS’s parent association. She lives in Natick with her husband, David, and their three children, two of whom attend MWJDS and one who just graduated. Irit is a staff attorney at Community Legal Aid in Worcester, where she represents low-income clients in a variety of family law matters. She earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard University.
Directors
Renée Finn
Founding Chair
MetroWest Jewish Day School was founded in 1999 by Renée and Steven Finn. Renée held the position of Founding President through the first six years. A former resident of Framingham, she has served as a Town Meeting Representative, President of a public school PTO, and as an incorporator of the Framingham Education Foundation. Renée has served on the Board of Directors of CJP, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest and as co-chair of the Commission on Jewish Life and Learning. It was her experience as an adult learner in Me’Ah that led to the founding of MWJDS. Renée and Steven live in Natick where their children and grandchildren are neighbors. She is an active member of Temple Beth Sholom (Framingham) and is passionate about accessible Jewish education as a critical link to Jewish continuity.
A retired clinical audiologist, Renée practiced at MEEI (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) and the Newton Wellesley Hospital. She holds a B.S. degree in education from Boston University and an M.A. degree in audiology from Northwestern University. She received CCC designation from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) in 1971.
Hope Casey
Hope is a long-time member of the MWJDS Board, serving as President, VP of Community Outreach, chair of the Marketing Committee, and many other roles She was also co-editor of the MWJDS yearbook. She and her husband Clay are proud parents of three MWJDS graduates.
Hope has a BA from Barnard College and an MBA from Columbia University. She has had a vast career in marketing for the technology industry and is currently employed at American Express. She has had experience in conceiving and implementing new business ideas in different industries, developing concepts and business cases and managing complex programs.
As an interfaith couple, Hope and Clay decided long ago to raise their children in the Jewish Faith. The MWJDS affords them the opportunity to help raise their children develop a strong Jewish identity. “MWJDS is fulfilling an important role in the Metro West community and I look forward to the opportunity to be part of its success.”
Dr. Lindsay A. Farrer
Lindsay is a Past President of MWJDS and has served on its Board of Directors for many years. A native of New Jersey, has lived in Metro West for more than 35 years. He is married to Dr. Fran Davis, a clinical psychologist who has a private psychotherapy practice and was a career counselor at Harvard Business School. They have four adult children and live in Wayland. Lindsay is the BUSM Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Chief of the Biomedical Genetics division at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine where he teaches several courses, mentors PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, provides genetic counseling to patients with neurological disorders, and conducts research funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health. His research team has discovered genes and biological pathways related to several common chronic conditions including Alzheimer disease, age-related macular degeneration and substance use disorders. He is the Principal Investigator of the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program and several other large multi-disciplinary projects aimed at identifying therapeutic targets for multiple complex diseases.
Lindsay has a strong passion for Israel and education. He participated in the Young Judaea Year Course after completing high school and has returned to Israel on a regular basis, in part due to professional collaborations with Israeli doctors and scientists. He has been a member of several area congregations including Temple Beth Am in Framingham, Congregation Sha’arei Shalom in Ashland (where he was a founding member and served as vice-president), and currently Congregation Beth-El in Sudbury. Lindsay served on the Board of Directors of the Boston Area Bureau of Jewish Education from 2003 until its dissolution in 2010, including the last four years as the President. He is also a member of CJP’s Board of Governors.
Dana Gitell
Dana is motivated by a passionate belief in individualized education as a pathway to Jewish continuity and by her gratitude to MWJDS for its incredible impact on both her sons’ lives.
As the marketing director at Hebrew SeniorLife and the social media strategist behind the 2013 Thanksgivukkah phenomenon, she has extensive experience in Jewish community marketing. Her contributions support MWJDS’s efforts to grow its reputation, donor base, and student body. By doing so, she hopes to help more families like hers experience the life-changing benefits of a MWJDS education. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Debra Bieler Klein
Debra joins the Board of Directors this year. She is mom to current second grader Eitan. Debra and her husband Eric have been living in Natick since 2012.