Meet the board

Molly Galler, Chair

Molly is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, MA, a campus served by Hillel Council of New England. In her time at Wheaton, Hillel was a student-run organization only, and it was a struggle to find like-minded peers to observe or celebrate occasions with throughout the school year. Molly joined the board in 2018 to help spread the word about Hillel Council’s important work supporting Jewish life on campus. Molly is a PR and communications consultant, and she is proud to offer her professional expertise to the board as Chair and the leader of the Development Committee. Molly lives in Watertown, MA with her dog, Scout.

Reverend Dr. Robin Olson, Vice Chair

Robin has recently retired from Bentley University after serving as the Director of Spiritual Life for eight years. During her tenure, Robin created the renowned Spiritual Life program at Bentley, including re-imagining an interfaith Sacred Space. Previous to this role, Robin served as a Chaplain at both Boston University and Nazareth College. She also served local congregations in New York and Wisconsin.

Robin holds a Doctor of Ministry focused in Campus Ministry and Chaplaincy from Wesley Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Boston University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Colgate University. A United Methodist pastor, Robin is dedicated to Interfaith cooperation. She is excited to serve the Hillel Council board and bring her unique perspective and expertise in higher education administration to help Hillel become even more successful in the area of campus partnerships. She lives in Needham with her husband Chris, Professor Emeritus at Boston University School of Theology.

JON MYEROV, Treasurer

Jon Myerov holds an executive position at Mercury Systems, a defense electronics company. He leads a department of project managers and coordinators specializing in major government pursuits. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and West Virginia University and earned professional certificates from Cornell University and Harvard Business School. Having spent 17 years as an instructor in English literature and linguistics, Jon remains fascinated with the diverse languages and expressions found within Judaism. Jon resides in the Metro-West region of Boston with his wife, their three children, and a beloved cat, forming a richly interfaith family.

Deborah Lakin, Secretary

Deborah became a member of the Board in 1983 when she was appointed Hillel Commissioner as the B’nai B’rith representative for New England and New York.  She later was elected Board Secretary, and continues to serve in that position. Deborah is a graduate of Simmons College (now Simmons University) and spent her professional career as a training and information consultant, specializing in the Life Sciences industry. 

Deborah is semi-retired. She resides in Framingham, MA with her cat Lady Grey.  She loves reading and baking for friends and family, taking daily walks and practicing Yoga.  When not running the Entrepreneurial Think Tank, Deborah enjoys helping women business owners achieve WBENC Woman-Owned business certification through the Center for Women and Enterprise.

Cathy Stern, Board Member

Cathy joined the Board more than 15 years ago and was Board Chair from 2018-2024. Her motivation for joining Hillel Council was having college-age nieces and realizing the importance of having Hillel represented on smaller campuses. They, of course, have since graduated but she is still committed to our students. She is a graduate of Boston University and Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now at Drexel University). Cathy specializes in behavioral, developmental and neuro-optometry where she is used to working with students of all ages helping them improve visual processing for lifelong success. Cathy brings that same passion for helping students succeed with her commitment to Hillel Council. When not helping Hillel Council, she can be found mentoring students and teaching colleagues here and around the world.

David Billig, Board Member

David Billig, CFA, is a Vice President and Associate Portfolio Manager on the Securitized Credit team at Pioneer Investments. Prior to joining Pioneer, David was a Research Analyst at New England Asset Management, and was previously an actuary and a data analyst. David holds an MBA from Yale University, an MA in Economics from the University of Toronto, and a BA in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University. He is a CFA® charterholder and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.

DEBBIE HOWITT EASTON, BOARD MEMBER

Debbie currently co-chairs the Governance Committee. She has been a practicing attorney for 30 years. The majority of her career was in private practice, with a focus on commercial real estate. In 2017 she made the move in-house to Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner, and operator with clients throughout North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, where she is an Associate General Counsel. Debbie received a BA from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University. She lives in Somerville, MA with her husband Todd, their three children (Simon-who just recently left the nest, Helena and Emmett), and dog Malcolm.

Gregg Katz, Board Member

Gregg Katz has been a member of the Board since 2006 and works as a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston.  As a member of Goodwin’s Technology Companies and Life Sciences practice, Gregg works on a wide variety of public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and other complex transactions. His practice centers on companies in the software, hardware, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and other technology-driven industries.  Gregg’s representation of start-up and later-stage companies spans the entire corporate lifecycle, including pre-incorporation planning, venture capital financings, public offerings, SEC reporting and disclosure, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate representation and counseling.

Gregg holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and an A.B. in Public Policy and Psychology from Duke University.  He lives in the Boston area with his wife and three boys (who would be upset that he didn’t also mention the dog).

Hillel Angel, Student Representative

Hillel Angel is a senior at Bentley University (Class of 2026), studying Finance and Philosophy,with minors in Law and Psychology. He’s a leader in Bentley's pre-law community, having taken on roles as President of the Adamian Law Club and Captain of the Moot Court team. He has always been deeply connected to Jewish life, but before October 7 and his involvement with HCNE, Hillel had only ever been to Israel once. Since then, his connection to Israel has grown tremendously through HCNE experiences. He volunteered in Haifa through HCNE’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program and interned at an Israeli law firm through HCNE’s Boston Onward Israel program. These experiences have not only deepened his connection to Israel, but also strengthened his commitment to Jewish leadership, advocacy, and community. That foundation continues to guide him today, including in his role this summer as a congressional intern in D.C., working on issues related to U.S.-Israel relations and the fight against antisemitism.

Katie Sack, Board Member

Katie has been a member of the Board since she graduated from Emerson College in 2017, initially serving as a Young Alumni Representative. While at Emerson, she was inspired to further explore her Jewish identity after becoming involved in Hillel and joining the student E- Board (during which time she met and had the opportunity to work with one of her mentors and current Hillel Council of New England Executive Director, Miriam Blue). Katie enjoyed the community created by Hillel and wanted other students to feel the sense of belonging that she did. She is proud to serve on the Board as part of the Young Alumni Engagement committee. Outside of serving on the Board, Katie works on the Events team at the Alumni Affairs & Development Office at Harvard University and enjoys gardening and spending time with her family and their dog, Cash.

Leah Goldenberg, BOARD MEMBER

Leah is so excited to be the Young Alumni Representative on the Hillel Council Board of Directors. Leah is a proud “double Hillel Council school graduate” having obtained her Bachelors in Social Work from Simmons University in 2021 and her Masters in Social Work from Boston College in 2022. While at Simmons, Leah was active in Hillel and served as President from 2020-2021. Leah helped Hillel transition from in-person to remote programming during the Covid-19 pandemic, and helped to create active and engaging programming that would help keep students feeling connected to their Judaism while living and learning remotely. Leah, a licensed certified social worker, works as a Behavioral Care Manager at Familywell Health, supporting pregnant and postpartum people in receiving equitable access to specialized mental health care. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her kitten Toby and watching true crime. 

Melanie Gerard, Board Member

Melanie is the Director of Advancement & Strategic Initiatives at UMass Hillel (Amherst). In this role, she oversees all aspects of the advancement operations, including major and grassroots annual philanthropy. Melanie started her fundraising career at Camp Yavneh in 2013 and has dedicated her time as a volunteer lay-leader for organizations including Hadassah Boston, Solomon Schechter Day School, and the City of Newton Creative Arts Council. Prior to this, she worked in high tech for the private sector in Business Development and Market Research. Melanie graduated with an MBA in Marketing and BS in Economics & Finance from Bentley University. She lives in the Metro-Boston area with her family.

Michelle Feller Kopman, Board Member

Michelle first connected with Hillel Council of New England when her daughter and son attended Boston College as graduate (School of Social Work ’24) and undergraduate (A & S,’25) students, respectively. She is excited to contribute to the Board’s important work of supporting Jewish students and enhancing Jewish life on New England campuses. Michelle holds a BA in History from Johns Hopkins University and a MILS from the University of Michigan School of Information and Library Studies. From 1995 to 2013, she worked as an archivist at the American Jewish Historical Society, Buckingham Browne and Nichols School and the Park School of Baltimore. Michelle lives in Plainfield, New Hampshire with her husband, David. She serves as a Trustee of the Plainfield Libraries.

Ori Dragon, Board Member

Ori Dragon is from Rochester, New York. He recently graduated from Emerson College, majoring in Visual and Media Arts and is now a graduate student at Brandeis University’s Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership. Growing up, his family has always been active in Jewish life and instilled in him the importance of maintaining that connection to the Jewish community.

An alumnus of Boston Onward Israel, Alternative Spring Break (ASB), and Hillel International’s Israel Leadership Network (ILN), Ori was an active participant in HCNE’s immersive Israel experiences and Israel engagement strategy.

Rachel Goldsmith, Board Member

Rachel is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is a certified urban planner and works as a consultant to public transit agencies and State Transportation Departments to help them maximize their non-fare revenue, particularly from their real estate assets. A former member of the Wellesley College Hillel Alumnae Board, she joined the Hillel Council of New England board in 2015 and focuses on helping students connect to their Judaism and Jewish heritage. When not at work, Rachel can be found cheering on her children at their sporting events, walking her dogs around Jamaica Pond, or skiing in Vermont.