The Hadassah Foundation is delighted to welcome five accomplished women to our board of directors: Dr. Olga Brawman-Mintzer of Charleston, SC; Stacey Aviva Flint of Longmont, CO; Avra Gordis of New York City; Kathy Hershfield of Boston; and Lida Sharlin of Sunny Isles Beach, FL.
Dr. Olga Brawman-Mintzer is currently a tenured professor in psychiatry and health professions, serving as the interim medical director for the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Clinical Research Enterprise Network for the VA Healthcare System. As one of the leading researchers and experts in Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and mood/anxiety disorders, Olga has dedicated her time to helping underrepresented patient populations, people with debilitating mental disorders, women with mental health issues, TBI patients, and elderly affected by dementia. She has served on several boards, including Memory Advocate Peers, Jewish Federation, and Jewish Studies Center.
Stacey Aviva Flint is a public speaker, writer, educator, philanthropist, and Urban Planner currently serving as the Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Jewish Federations of N. America. As a Jewish woman of color, combating racism and antisemitism is central to her work. Stacey’s mission is “shalom bein adam l’chavero,” translated from Hebrew as “bringing peace between a man and his fellow.” To this end, she has dedicated her 20+ year career to community economic development and Jewish social justice and engagement. She has designed engagement strategies for synagogues, and Jewish educational and civic institutions. She is a nationally sought speaker, and her writings have been featured in The Forward and her blog at the Times of Israel.
Avra Gordis (not pictured) is a social worker and Jewish educator of children and adults of all abilities. Since 2013, she has had her own business, helping those who would not have the opportunity to prepare for a bat or bar-mitzvah otherwise. She also teaches about Jewish lifestyle and customs to those who wish to be more involved in or knowledgeable of Judaism. Avra was previously a Hebrew school and cantorial teacher at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Trenton, NJ, and at Temple Israel in White Plains, NY. Avra has been active in numerous Jewish organizations, including the American Joint Distribution Committee, Elluminate (formerly Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York), and American Friends of ALYN Hospital.
Kathy Hershfield currently serves in the advocacy division of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA) as a liaison to units wishing to advocate for issues consistent with Hadassah’s legislative priorities. She served as national vice president of HWZOA from 2013 through 2016. Kathy also served as president of HWZOA’s Southern New England region and was chair of the Young Women’s Department. She is on the board of the Anti-Defamation League of New England, where she serves as a senior facilitator leading workshops that address issues of bigotry and prejudice in today’s world. Kathy works as a psychotherapist in the greater Boston area.
Lida Sharlin is the director and co-owner of Sharlin Group, a family-owned business she founded in 1986. In addition to publishing multiple influential position papers, she managed and presented the Sharlin Case against major oil companies in Israel, which ended in a landmark court ruling on anti-trust issues. Lida has had years of experience in TEAM-CBT (Testing, Empathy, Agenda Setting, and Methods – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as well as strategic family therapy and brief solution-focused therapy. In 2017, she founded a private practice specializing in couples’ and family therapy, focusing on helping top-level professionals manage a healthy work-life balance. Lida has taught multiple classes in philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and more for over 20 years.
Board members of the Hadassah Foundation serve up to three two-year terms, and when they step down, they join the Foundation’s community of more than 70 board alumnae.
See a list of all Foundation board members and alumnae here.