Search Committee

Helaine Greenfeld, a past President of the Milton (then JPDS-NC) Board of Trustees and current Board Member, is the parent of two alumni, Jake Mintz (Class of 2007) and Abby Mintz (Class of 2011). She has served in multiple capacities at Milton, from Chair of the Purim Ball to member of the Head Support Committee. A member of Ohr Kodesh Congregation, she is a lawyer in the U.S. Senate.

Pete Federowicz is the proud father of current Milton students David (Class of 2024) and Lila (Class of 2027). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Milton since 2017 and has volunteered in a variety of capacities, including serving as co-chair of the Ru’ach Campaign (2016 and 2017), chairing the Endowment Committee (2018), and participating in the Security Task Force and Security Committee (2015-2018). Pete also serves as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Pete is the Chief Operating Officer of Nellis Corporation, a private capital management firm. Pete and his family attend Beth El Congregation.

Edna Friedberg is President-Elect of the Milton Board of Trustees and mom to Noam (Class of 2023) and Isaac (Class of 2017). Edna serves on the Milton Endowment Committee and co-chaired the Ru’ach Campaign, but her proudest Milton volunteer moment was introducing the “Parent Lounge” concept to Pajama & Movie Night. Edna was selected as a Fellow of the Jewish Theological Seminary and regularly teaches adults around the country on a range of Jewish topics. She received her PhD from JTS and is a Historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Edna is a proud alumna of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and a member of the Traditional Egalitarian Minyan at Adas Israel Congregation.

Denise Gershowitz is an early childhood/elementary educator. She was Head of Concord Hill School in Chevy Chase, MD, from 2002 until her retirement in 2016. Prior to heading Concord Hill, Denise was Assistant Head of Sidwell Friends Middle School (2001-2002), and a first and second grade teacher at Sidwell Friends Lower School for 13 years. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Education Program at George Washington University, where she helps train teacher interns. Denise and her husband are members of Adas Israel Congregation, where Denise recently served on the search committee for the newly hired Director of the Gan HaYeled Preschool, who will begin in the post in July 2019.

Tova Jaffe is a parent of three current Milton students, Nava and Mayer (Class of 2021) and Micah (Class of 2023), and one alumna, Shuli (Class of 2015). Tova was a member of the Milton Board of Trustees from 2009-2016, serving on numerous committees. She is currently the treasurer of the Smithsonian Institution. Her family attends the Kemp Mill Synagogue.

David Kurtzer-Ellenbogen grew up in the DC area, graduated from Jewish day school (not Milton – it didn’t exist then), and now lives in the Shepherd Park neighborhood. He and his wife Lucy are parents of three current Milton students, including one member of its first middle school class (Class of 2020) and members of the Classes of 2022 and 2025. The family belongs to Ohev Sholom Synagogue. David has been a member of the Milton Board of Trustees for four years, and currently serves as Treasurer. He is a partner at the Washington, DC, law firm of Williams and Connolly.

Steve Laufer currently serves as President of the Milton Board of Trustees. He is the parent of two current Milton students, including a member of its inaugural middle school class, and was co-chair of the school’s Middle School Steering Committee. Since moving to Washington, DC, six years ago, Steve has worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Board. His family belongs to Ohev Sholom Synagogue.

Kenneth R. Weinstein, father of Raina (Class of 2010), Harry (Class of 2011), and Eden (Class of 2014), previously served as President of the Board of Trustees at JPDS-NC (2009-2011). A former First Vice President of Kesher Israel – The Georgetown Synagogue, Ken serves on non-profit and advisory boards in the U.S. and Europe, including for Chai Lifeline. Ken is the President & CEO of Hudson Institute, the Washington-based policy organization.

Michaela Wilkes Klein is a 2001 graduate of Milton (then JPDS-NC) and a recent addition to the Milton Board of Trustees. A graduate of Wellesley College and the Georgetown University Law Center, she is an associate at the DC law firm of Williams and Connolly. She and her husband (another Jewish day school alum) live in Washington, DC, with their two beagles.