Boston Fellowship

Eric serves as General Counsel to Signature Consultants, LLC, a national IT staffing company.   Eric is an avid Duke basketball fan having graduated with a J.D. in 1999 after earning a degree in mathematics and communication studies from Hamilton College in 1996.Since moving to Boston immediately after law school, Eric has volunteered with Combined Jewish Philanthropies in a variety of roles and, notably, serving as Chair of the Young Leadership Division and as a member of the Board of Directors from 2008-2009.  He is currently involved with, and a member of, the Greater Boston Food Bank’s young professionals group, Kitchen Cabinet.In his spare time, Eric can be found riding his Harley-Davidson, enjoying a tailgate before a sporting event or concert, blogging on behalf of Young Leadership on www.nextgennjews.org or sampling one of Boston’s restaurants with friends.  

Eva hails from Berkeley, CA where the weather is mild, and the food is divine. She is the stock of a passionate Moroccan and a sharp Berkeley native. Although she swears that every Boston winter will be her last, she has found a happy home in Jamaica Plain. Eva currently works at the New England Conservatory as the Program Manager in the new Department of Entrepreneurial Musicianship. Before joining the NEC team, she spent two years working at the New Center for Arts and Culture, producing public programs and co-directing Prism, the center’s young adult initiative. There are two things Eva just loves to talk about: 1) what she cooked last night and 2) traditional musics from around the world. She developed a passion for both topics while living in Jerusalem next to the large open air market (Machane Yehuda) and studying Ethnomusicology at Hebrew University.

Gary is a Senior Associate at OpenView Venture Partners, a venture capital fund that invests in software companies. Prior to helping found OpenView, he was an Analyst at Insight Venture Partners, first in New York and then in Boston where he helped set up Insight's office as its first employee here.  Gary grew up in New Jersey and went to school in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania.

Michelle has been involved with CJP for over 10 years.  She started her involvement in YLD and Women's Philanthropy, co-chairing the Ben Gurion Society, serving on the Jaffa Society and Women's Philanthropy Board.  In these roles, she was honored to receive both the Ben Gurion Society and Young Leadership Division Awards.  She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Young Adult Planning Committee and had the priviledge of Co-Chairing CJP’s PresenTense Boston Fellowship program last year.  She also currently serves on the CJP Board of Directors, is involved with JFNA National Young Leadership Cabinet and is an Executive Member of her temple, Beth Elohim in Wellesley.  She has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she earned her degree with a focus of non-profit/social enterprise.  She lives in Newton with her husband and four young kids.

Jillian is currently a graduate student at Brandeis University and is working towards an MBA in social policy and management as well as an MA in Jewish Professional Leadership. Her focus is in organizational development and strategic marketing. Prior to graduate school, Jillian worked in the Jewish community in the areas of Israel education, camping and social action. She is also an avid traveler, having most recently spent six months backpacking through Southeast Asia and India.

Benjamin is a Senior Associate for Cope & Associates, Inc. a management and strategy consultancy based in VT.  In October, after two years of the CT-NY commute, Benjamin enthusiastically moved back to Cambridge to open a new Boston office. Before consulting Benjamin was the Chief of Staff at Physicians for Human Rights in Cambridge and managed US emergency response operations with Save the Children. Benjamin became a supporter of PresenTense through his work with Jewish organizations and involvement in the 2007 and 2010 ROI Summits. Benjamin holds an MS in Nonprofit/NGO Management from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in philosophy and sociology from St. Lawrence University.

Rachel has established her career in consulting in the Boston area.  She currently works as a management consultant at OC&C Strategy Consultants, focused mainly on the media, information and retail industries.  In her spare time, Rachel acts as the strategic advisor to an online retail startup.   Rachel received her MBA from MIT Sloan and undergraduate degree in Economics & Mathematics from Emory University.

Erin is a technologist with a passion for helping nonprofits and social entrepreneurs use the web to further their mission. She owns and operates nptechconsulting - a technology consulting firm. She was a member of the 2010 PresenTense Steering Committee and had a great time coaching 2010 PresenTense Fellow Michael Goldstein on his venture, Hebrew Play.

Reni is the editor of Massachusetts Medical Law Report and news editor of Lawyers USA. She graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Biomedical Ethics in 1997. In January 2005, she obtained a Master’s degree in public health from Boston University. She has been involved in CJP for more than a decade, serving on the Young Leadership Division Board for 8 years and as YLD Campaign Chair for the 2008 campaign. She has served as a vice president on the CJP Women's Philanthropy Executive Committee and currently sits on the CJP Women's Philanthropy Board.

Meggan Levene is the Senior Manager of Business Development, Care Force, for City Year's National Headquarters where she builds innovative integrated partnerships between the private and voluntary sectors. Prior to her work at City Year, Meggan worked in the Community Relations Department of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts where she represented the company at charitable events and managed the corporate volunteer program. Originally from Rochester, New York, Meggan is a graduate of Boston University where she studied International Relations and Cultural Anthropology. Meggan is a member of Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Young Leadership Board, a graduate of the Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute and a past participant of the Center for Leadership Initiatives' ROI Summit.

Gregg is President and Founder, Perfect Curve Inc., a worldwide consumer product development company that works with such companies as Wal Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lids and others.  Gregg often speaks at Bentley College on entrepreneurship and spent over 10 years as a member of the Entrepreneur Organization (EO).  Gregg has a dual advertising and marketing degree from Syracuse University and their Newhouse School of Communications school and business school.  Gregg is also a member of the New England region board of the Anti Defamation League.  Gregg lives in Boston with his wife and daughter.

Jared offers a rare blend of marketing, product, positioning, and business strategy to help define, lead and execute that next step in the lifecycle, whether it’s startup to profitability or midlife to refocus. His approach is simple: put forward a product/service that is meaningful to the target user in both what it says to them and does for them, and then generate unforgettable, unwavering demand. He started the company CoupMe.com, and CoupMom.com almost 2 years ago and currently runs a 13 employee company that has inventory in every state in New England.

Joshua Plavner joined Berkshire Partners in 2009. Prior to joining Berkshire, Joshua was an analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He received a B.A. from Northwestern University in 2007.

Lisa is a Vice President at Denterlein | Public Affairs, creating communications and business strategies for clients in the healthcare, human service, and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining Denterlein, Lisa served as Senior Media Liaison to Mayor Thomas M. Menino, helping shape and deliver the administration’s message through the Democratic National Convention, election cycles, and the crisis of September 11, 2001. Lisa holds a BA from Brandeis University and professional accreditation with honors from the New England School of Photography. In addition to her work with PresentTense, Lisa sits on the boards of Jewish Vocational Services, Boston Neighborhood Network, and GRLZ Radio.

Shirah is a non-competitive scrabble player and avid traveler originally hailing from the MD/DC area. Currently, she works as a research associate for the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University where she studies Jewish sociological trends including the emerging field of Jewish service. Prior to her work at the Cohen Center, Shirah spent 4 years working as an informal educator with 16-23 year old Jewish young adults and disadvantaged youth populations in Seattle, and Jerusalem.