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.

Adina 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 Gather DC.  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 a Program Officer at Crown Family Philanthropies focused on strengthening Jewish identity and community in Chicago and nationally. Prior to moving to Chicago in 2016, Rachel lived in Washington, D.C. 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 biking around Chicago with her husband, Brad, and their pandemic puppy, Guthrie.

Julien grew up in Cincinnati, OH and spent over a decade in Washington D.C. As a nurse, she has worked in community health, for the Federal government and currently works in the healthcare start-up, value-based care space. Julien cares deeply about relationships, meaningful engagement and Jewish identity. She first connected with Gather as a participant and is honored to serve as a Board Member. Julien lives back in CIncinnati, OH with her husband and son.

Sam 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. Currently, Sam is the President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He is a 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.

An award-winning creative director, author and public speaker, Jeff has 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.