ORT America Leaders Elected to World ORT Governing Bodies
July 31, 2008
A distinguished group of longtime, respected ORT America leaders have been elected to serve on the
World ORT Governing Bodies for 2008.
“All have impressive portfolios of senior leadership positions and have taken on important
roles on the World ORT stage,” said World ORT Director-General Robert Singer. “I am confident they
will make important contributions and bring to World ORT their collective knowledge, management
skills and vision, and diligently work to enhance our critical mission of advancing technological
training and education.”
Elected treasurer of World ORT’s Board of Trustees, Judy Menikoff (Salisbury, CT) is a
member of ORT America’s Board of Directors and serves on its Executive Committee. She is the
immediate past national president of Women’s American ORT (WAO) and has been a member of ORT for
more than 35 years. Mrs. Menikoff has visited ORT schools and programs around the world, both
participating in and leading missions to Israel, the former Soviet Union and France. During her
term as WAO president, she challenged and strengthened the organization, advanced its fundraising
capabilities, reached out to new members and supporters in their communities, and increased the
effectiveness and productivity of their actions.
Joe Cohen (Atlanta, GA) was named honorary chair of the World ORT Board of
Trustees. He is immediate past president of American ORT (AO) and is now a member of the ORT
America Board of Directors Executive Committee. Mr. Cohen’s numerous leadership positions at AO
included first vice president, executive committee chair, vice chair of the National Campaign
Cabinet and treasurer. In addition, he served as a member of both the World ORT’s Strategic
Alliance Committee and Control Commission.
Mrs. Menikoff and Mr. Cohen are also co-chairs of World ORT’s 1880 Society, an elite donor
group that acknowledges members who pledge a minimum of $100,000 over three years. It was their
combined leadership and vision that led to the successful merger of AO and WAO into ORT America in
2007.
Doreen N. Hermelin (Bingham Farms, MI), national president of ORT America and a
member of its Executive Committee, has joined the Board of Trustees of World ORT. Mrs. Hermelin was
married to the late U.S. Ambassador to Norway, David B. Hermelin, a former president of AO and
World ORT. Much of Mrs. Hermelin’s time is spent with numerous charitable endeavors and traveling
extensively to countries where ORT has schools and programs. She is one of the organization’s most
effective ambassadors. Mrs. Hermelin is a recipient of the
Women of Valor Award from State of Israel Bonds; the
Humanitarian Award from B’nai B’rith; the
Heart of Gold award from United Foundation; and the
Vision of Hope Award from the WAO Michigan Region. She was also presented with an award
from Yad Ezra and has been named
Woman of the Year by B’nai B’rith Women.
ORT America Lifetime Trustees Murray Koppelman, (New York, NY) and Reese Feldman (Englewood,
NJ) have been elected to serve as honorary vice presidents of World ORT. Mr. Koppelman is an
honorary chair of World ORT’s 1880 Society, and was a past AO president and vice president of World
ORT. Mrs. Feldman (Englewood, NJ) is a former WAO president and chair of World ORT’s Administrative
Committee. She also serves on the World ORT Trust.
Chairing World ORT’s Audit and Risk Committee is Dorene Berger (Virginia Beach, VA), a past
national treasurer and former member of WAO’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Joining
Mrs. Berger is Herbert W. Ackerman (Oceanside, NY), treasurer of ORT America’s Board of Directors
and member of its Executive Committee. Mr. Ackerman helped to establish AO’s Finance and Investment
Chapter and was chair of its Executive Committee. A certified public accountant (CPA) and former
member of the New York Stock Exchange, Mr. Ackerman was a 17-year partner with Neuberger &
Berman, a money management firm in New York City.
Roslind Vermut (Jericho, NY), a vice president of ORT America and member of the Executive
Committee of its Board of Directors, has been elected to serve as vice chair of World ORT’s Finance
Committee. Mrs. Vermut has been an active ORT member since 1972, serving on WAO’s Executive
Committee, as national chair and treasurer, and as chair of various committees. She was also a
member of the Financial Management Team, Restructuring Committee and the Finance Committee for both
AO and WAO. She is the current chairperson of U.S. ORT Operations and was chair of Bramson ORT
College’s Board of Trustees. Mrs. Vermut has visited ORT schools in Israel and in the United
States.
Serving as an observer on World ORT’s Finance Committee is longtime World ORT board member
Michael Broida (Beverly Hills, CA). A CPA for 30 years, Mr. Broida, a member of AO for more than 25
years, served several terms as vice president and chaired its Finance, Budget and Investment
Committee, Planned Giving Committee, and National Campaign Cabinet. He also served as vice chair of
U.S. ORT Operations for AO for a number of years, and was vice chair of World ORT’s Finance
Committee, as well as liaison to its International Cooperation Committee.
Chairing World ORT’s Allocations Committee is Shelley B. Fagel (Naperville, IL), who
currently serves as executive committee chairman on ORT America’s Board of Directors. A member of
WAO for more than two decades in the Metropolitan Chicago Region, previously she served a
three-year term as first vice president of WAO, was a member of both its Restructuring Committee
and Interim Governing Committee, and was on the organization’s Board and Executive Committee.
Visiting ORT schools and programs in St. Petersburg, Russia; France; Argentina; Italy; and Israel,
Mrs. Fagel was co-chair of WAO’s Mission to Montreuil, France in 2002 and associate chair of the
2000 Mission to Israel in celebration of ORT’s 120th anniversary.
As the former chair and co-chair of the By-laws Committee of World ORT, ORT America’s
National Leadership Development and Outreach Chair Terry Azose (Mercer Island, WA) is now a member
of World ORT’s Constitution and By-laws Committee. Previously, Mrs. Azose served on WAO’s National
Executive Committee for nine years, serving as vice president and holding various chairmanships.
ORT America provides cutting-edge training and strategic educational initiatives that empower
300,000 people annually in 62 countries to become productive citizens and lead their families and
communities forward. This is a responsibility ORT America welcomes as part of its commitment to
supporting Jewish values, strengthening Jewish identity and providing the educational opportunities
that help people help themselves. For more information, please visit
www.ortamerica.org