Meet the Gather Board

Kevin Berman is a Principal at Berman Enterprises and CEO of LIVEbe, the multifamily division of Berman Enterprises. He has more than 20 years of real estate experience and developed LIVEbe into a property management company with a focus on building authentic communities amongst all stakeholders. He has served on the board of the University of Michigan Hillel, helped initiate the DC Holocaust Survivor Fund, Co-Chaired the founding cohort of the DC Federation Next Gen Philanthropist Program, is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program and is currently serving as the Board Chair of GatherDC and Gather, Inc. He graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife and three sons.

Julien Teitelbaum grew up in Cincinnati, OH and spent over a decade in Washington DC. As a registered nurse, she has worked in community health, for the federal government and in the healthcare start-up space. Julien cares deeply about relationships and community, meaningful engagement and Jewish identity. She first connected with Gather as a participant and is honored to serve on the board. Julien also serves on the board of the Mayerson JCC and is a regular volunteer with Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. Julien lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband and children.

Adina Dubin Barkinskiy serves as the Director of Programs at The Morningstar Foundation, where Adina manages the Foundation’s overall portfolio of grants. Adina has represented the Foundation’s interests on numerous boards and committees, including the Greater Washington Jewish Community Demographic Study and the Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society. Prior to joining The Morningstar Foundation, Adina served as a program officer at a foundation in New York City. An alum of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, Adina holds an MPA/MA from NYU; in her free time, she relives her undergrad days by cheering on the Carolina Tarheels. Adina is passionate about the pathways through which young adults access Jewish life, and she is thrilled to serve on Gather’s board!

Michael C. Gelman was the inaugural chair of GatherDC. He is the Managing Director of The Morningstar Foundation, a family foundation. Michael is a past president and current life member of the board of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, is past chair of the executive committee of the Jewish Federations of North America, and is a past member of the executive committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is a current board member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Hillel, and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Michael was the founding partner of GRF CPAs and Advisors, an accounting firm in Bethesda, Maryland.

Rachel Giattino is based in Wilmington, DE, where she also grew up. She is currently the Associate Vice President for Grantmaking at Hillel International. Prior to joining Hillel, Rachel spent eight years at Crown Family Philanthropies in Chicago as a Program Officer focuses on strengthening Jewish identity and community. Prior to moving to Chicago, Rachel lived in Washington, DC where she built community as a Program Officer at Emanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies, as an engagement professional at GW Hillel, and as the very first director of GatherDC (back when it had a different name). Rachel holds an MBA from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and an Honors BA in International Relations (Middle East Concentration) and History from the University of Delaware. In her free time, Rachel enjoys traveling anywhere and everywhere, perfecting her challah recipe, and spending as much time as possible outside with her husband, son, and pup.

Sam Kaplan grew up in the New York City area and moved to Maryland in 1972. After graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a serial entrepreneur. Sam is the past President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, as well as past President of both the Jewish Community Relations Counsel and the Jewish Council for the Aging. He has served, and continues to serve, on numerous non-profit boards. Sam was one of the founders of Makom, formerly the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, and has been a lifelong advocate for persons with disabilities. Sam and his wife Leslie have three sons and four grandchildren. They live in Bethesda, Maryland.

Joe Levin-Manning (he/him) is a fierce advocate for equity and belonging for all members of the Jewish community. He has spent over a decade working, professionally and as a volunteer, to build stronger connections within the Jewish community through an intersectional approach that focuses on inclusion, belonging, and accessibility. He's passionate about the work of Gather because of its focus on relationships as a driver of connection to Judaism and meaningful Jewish experiences. When he's not building bridges through dialogue and individual connections, you can find him performing around the DC metro area with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC.

Glenn Merberg has lived in Maryland for most of life, having relocated for a one-year post-doctoral fellowship in 1992. His passion for philanthropy and hands-on service to the community has grown since his exit from his professional life as an entrepreneur and executive in the federal government contracting sector. Glenn serves as Vice Chair of Capital Camps and Retreat Center and Treasurer of the Intelligence and National Security Foundation. He is an active volunteer and supporter of the Children’s Inn at NIH, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and Jewish Community Relations Council.

Glenn recently retired after selling Quadrint, a software development and systems integration company he founded more than 25 years ago to serve the National Security Community. In a previous life, Glenn conducted research in fiber optics and materials science, including as a post-doctoral associate with the National Science Foundation, where he was awarded several patents for his inventions related to photo-chemotherapy. He received his BS, MS, and PhD from Rutgers College of Engineering and his MBA from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Lucy Obus was born in the Empire state, raised in the Garden state, and schooled in the District, where she first encountered the Gather community as a DC community member. After completing graduate studies in Communication, Culture and Technology, she headed west (San Francisco, to be precise) to begin a career in User Experience Research. She has supported product development and learning for teams at IBM, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Department of Homeland Security, and has most recently been exploring the classically-Silicon-Valley startup life. She is passionately curious about how we interact and engage with not just software but communities, practices, and people. Lucy is proud to be one of a small handful of "bi-coastal gather-ites," joining the Gather's Bay Area community when the organization expanded its cities initiative to northern California. She previously served as the chair of GatherBay's Advisory Council.

Jeff Rum is an award-winning creative director, author and public speaker with 20+ years of experience in strategic marketing and communications, brand strategy and entrepreneurship.

Jeff currently works as an independent consultant with nonprofit organizations supporting brand and messaging, campaign development, and digital fundraising. He founded and served as CEO of Ignite Digital Strategy Group, served as a brand and marketing consultant with the Obama administration to launch My Brother’s Keeper, and volunteers as co-chair of National Young Leadership Cabinet of Jewish Federations of North America.

Jeff received a B.A. from American University in Communication: Visual Media and Jewish Studies. He received his M.A. in International Affairs from Georgetown University. He resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his three children.

Jessica Sher is a dedicated educational professional with nearly 20 years of experience in capacity building and talent strategy for public schools. She has proven success in managing leader and teacher recruiting, creating public-private community partnerships, and designing youth development programs. Jessica earned a Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a BS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

Jess is also a National Commission Member, Executive Committee Member, and VP of Education at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and Ora DC Co-Chair, member of National Young Leadership Cabinet, and Forever Lion (Lion of Judah Endowment) at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.