Diane Sembler-Kamins, Chair
Diane Sembler-Kamins is active in serving her community and is passionate about her political activities. Diane was President for the Pinellas County Jewish Day School and served 6 years as Vice President for Development. Diane has served her local Jewish Federation in many capacities from Campaign Chair, Women’s Division Campaign Chair, Budget and Allocations Chair, Main Event co-chair, as well as being a member of the National Women’s Young Leadership Cabinet. She also served the national organization as a solicitation trainer. She was co-chair of Jewish Outreach for the State of Florida in the Bush 2004 race. Diane has served on the Temple Beth-El Art Festival committee, a large weekend art show supporting the Temple, for the past 35 years. She has 5 children, 3 of whom are married and 2 grandchildren. Diane has been a member of the RJC for the past 19 years.
Ilene Flaum, National Honorary Chair
Ilene Flaum is actively involved in running a family owned real estate business with her husband, David. The business is primarily real estate ownership, finance and management. Ilene sits on the Board of Trustees for Monroe Community College in Rochester New York -- an appointment by Governor Pataki-- and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Community Center of Rochester. Ilene is a New York State Senate Women of Distinction Honoree and former member of Hillel Foundations Budget Committee for large donors for the Jewish Federation of Rochester.
Eloise Gerson, Board Member
Eloise Gerson was born in Peru and came to the US as a student. Eloise rapidly learned English and graduated from Loyola University with a business degree in Marketing. Thereafter, Eloise worked as an account executive for a major Chicago advertising firm for more than ten years. Eloise eventually obtained her Real Estate license and joined her husband in their real estate management/investment business. The career switch afforded Eloise more time for her avocation, politics. Upon earning her US Citizenship in 1994, she immediately got deeply involved with the Republican Party. Eloise joined the 42nd Ward Republican Organization, the most vibrant and largest GOP organization in Chicago. The lake-front 42nd Ward encompasses Chicago's renowned business downtown (the "Loop") as well as the city's "Gold Coast," "Magnificent Mile" of Michigan Avenue and the Rush Street entertainment district. She became 42nd Ward President in 2001 and was elected its Committeeman in February, 2008. In April 2008, Eloise was elected Chairman of the Chicago Republican Party by her 49 fellow Ward Committeemen. Eloise was an Illinois State Delegate and Deputy Whip to the 2004 Republican Presidential Convention in New York. Eloise is a member of International Women Associates, Chicago Chapter, an organization promoting understanding and co-operation among Chicago area women of all nations. She has been a member of the RJC since 2005.
The Honorable Cheryl Halpern, National Honorary Chair
Mrs. Halpern is active in the Republican Party in New Jersey and nationally. She has served as the Coalition Chairman for the New Jersey Republican Party and has coordinated ethnic outreach programs in the state. She has served as a member of Team 100, the RCLC and the Inner Circle. She also served as national chairman of the RJC for eight years. Her wide range of community activities includes participation on the board of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the executive committee of the New Jersey Regional Advisory Board of the Anti-Defamation League, and the New Jersey - Israel Commission. She served as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which has oversight responsibility for non-military international broadcasting by the United States. She lives in Livingston, New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Lynne Lechter, Board Member
Lynne Lechter has lived in Upper Merion Township in Pennsylvania with her husband Ab for 16 years. She has served as a citizen member of the Upper Merion Fire and Emergency Services Board, as a member of the Montgomery County Commission on Women and Families, and most recently as a trustee for the Montgomery County Community College, where she served on its Finance Committee for five years. During her time with the college, Lynne worked towards a number of accomplishments, including the extension of the Pottstown campus, a continual expansion of the curriculum, an increase in enrollment, and guaranteed transfer opportunities for qualified students to a wide variety of four-year colleges. An avid music fan, Lynne is a past President of the Philadelphia Opera Guild and a Board Member of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. She works to promote the arts in the region, and has spent over ten years raising funds to support the Opera Company’s Sounds of Learning Program, a nationally acclaimed, award-winning educational program for Philadelphia and suburban students. Additionally, Lynne and her husband Ab support the Upper Merion’s “Music Under the Stars” series, and the Settlement Music School, which has helped train thousands of local students at affordable prices. Lynne and her husband Ab are also strong supporters of the Cancer Foundation for Personal Wellness, a non-profit organization that provides support and aid for cancer patients undergoing therapy who cannot afford products such as wigs. Recently Lynne joined an organization in West Conshohocken that is dedicated to building a Vietnam War memorial for soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Lynne thinks globally as well, and was a previous Board Member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an organization that works to rescue and resettle Jewish and non-Jewish people and provide assistance to them as they transition into American culture, helping them to become productive members of society. Lynne graduated from Russell Sage College, earned her Masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and her J.D. from Villanova University. Currently, she is the general counsel to an international sales and marketing corporation, designing and producing furniture for American furniture companies and the hospitality industry. Lynne was co-founder and Chair of the International Law Committee for the Montgomery County Bar, and she was a member of the Desmond McTighe American Inns of Court, an organization made up of Judges and Attorneys dedicated to upholding the highest ethical and legal standards. In addition to practicing law, Lynne has previously served as an adjunct professor at the Villanova University Law School’s Domestic Abuse Clinic.
Lauri Regan, Board Member
Lauri B. Regan is a senior counsel in the capital markets practice of White & Case LLP in New York City. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Lauri graduated with a B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta and recieved her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, she moved to New York City where she focused on bank finance transactions at Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston and Rosen, P.C. and Mayer Brown LLP prior to her current position at White & Case. In the fall of 2008, Lauri began writing for the AmericanThinker website and has been a frequent and respected contributor since then. Lauri has also written several articles for the PajamasMedia and RJC websites. Her political analysis and insights have resulted in her articles being linked on many internet news sites including Fox Nation, the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Lucianne. Lauri joined the RJC leadership this past year and has participated in a number of RJC events as well as the Jerusalem Conference in Washington, D.C., which addressed issues relating to Israel's survival in the 21st century. Lauri lives in Westchester County with her husband and college sweetheart, Larry, their three school age children (Gabriel, Andie and Jeremy), and two large dogs. In addition to her expertise in finance law and politics, she is terrific at helping with homework, cheering on her kids at their various sporting events and activities, and is most notably, a proud hockey mom.
Liz Sembler, Board Member
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Liz Sembler is actively involved in her community locally and nationally in the areas of Jewish life, education and cultural arts. Currently Liz is serving on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; she was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the US Senate in 2008 for a six year term. Liz has been serving on the board of directors of her local public television station, WEDU in Tampa, Florida since 1993 and served as chair of the board. Liz has also been a member of the board of the Association of Public Television Stations, a Washington-based national advocacy organization for local public television stations. Liz serves on the board of the Florida Orchestra, the symphony orchestra performing in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater.
Recently retired from her position as Director of Jewish Studies at the Pinellas County Jewish Day School in Clearwater, Florida, Liz remains dedicated to the Jewish community. Active in her synagogue, Congregation Bnai Israel, Liz serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors, volunteers in the religious school, and teaches adult ed seminars. Liz serves on the Board of Advisors of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, our country’s largest pluralistic school of Jewish education, at the Jewish Theological School in New York. She is a former campaign chair and leadership development chair for her local Jewish Federation, and has served on the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJC. She and her husband, Greg, have been presented the Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund and the Shin Award from the Jewish Theological
Seminary.
Liz and her husband live in Seminole, Florida. They are the proud parents of four children, all of whom are currently enrolled in university or college.
Lisa Spies, NWC Executive Director
