Board of Directors

Executive Board

• Gary Abramson – Chairman
• Diana Ely Epstein – Vice-Chair
• Mark D. Biegel – Treasurer
• Roberta Pieczenik, Ph.D. – Secretary
• Peter Kreeger – Chairman Emeritus
• Daniel Heifetz – Founder & Artistic Director Emeritus

Full Board

• Pennie Abramson
• John Bellis
• Robert Braun. M.D.
• James Cafritz
• George Doetsch, Jr.
• Susan Duprey, Esq.
• Geoffrey Menin, Esq.
• Joseph B. Orlick, M.D.
• Henry Rosenberg, Jr.
• Bruce Rosenblum
• Annie Totah
• David Wolowitz, Esq.

Biographies

Gary M. Abramson, Owner/Partner, The Tower Companies
Mr. Abramson is a commercial real estate developer in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of American University and continues to serve on their Board.

Pennie Abramson
Ms. Abramson, in addition to the her position on the Heifetz board, is currently on the Board of Trustees for Friends of Cancer Research, Operations Embrace, Project Medishare and the MCPS Educational Foundation. She is President Emeritus of the American Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

John Bellis
Mr. Bellis is the retired 30-year CFO and Director of Schramm, Inc., of West Chester, PA, a leading manufacturer of drilling equipment serving the oil and gas industries.  Prior to that Mr. Bellis was a Senior Vice President at Mellon Bank in Philadelphia, PA, after serving as a Captain in the United States Air Force.  Mr. Bellis received his MBA from Temple University, and his BA from Gettysburg College.  In addition to serving on the Heifetz Institute board, Mr. Bellis is also a Director of the Church Farm School in Exton, PA.

Robert Braun
Dr. Robert Braun received his BA from USC in 1970, his MD from UAG in 1975, and his specialty in Psychiatry from LAC-USC Medical Center in 1979. Dr. Braun worked as the Medical Director of the Los Angeles Professional Standards Review Organization from 1981 to 1983, and as Medical Director for US Administrators from 1983 to 1985. In 1985, he became the President of S.M. Morgan, Inc., a real estate management company. Robert Braun is a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Board of Overseers, Board of Directors of the Museum of Latin American Art, Board of Directors and Treasurer of LA Opera League, and is President of the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Opera. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Council of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. He has served as a Board Member/Treasurer of the Los Angeles Committee for Philanthropic Arts and the Business and Professional Committee for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Robert Braun and Joan Friedman are Founders of the Los Angeles Music Center.

Mark D. Biegel, Co-Founder & Partner, Biegel Waller Inc.
Mark is a member of the Maryland Bar and a Certified Public Accountant. Prior to establishing the firm, he honed his knowledge of derivatives at Prudential. Additionally, Mark worked at Deloitte & Touche and KPMG Peat Marwick. A cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, he holds a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.  Mark is the father of two medically fragile children. Consequently, Mark supports philanthropic organizations that address the needs of medically challenged children.  In addition to the Heifetz Institute, Mark serves on several nonprofit boards.

James Cafritz, President, James Cafritz, Inc.
Mr. Cafritz is a builder and developer of private real estate in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Anti-Defamation League and the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation, Inc.

George Doetsch, Jr., Chairman and Owner, Apple Ford Lincoln
George Doetsch, Jr. is the Chairman and Owner of Apple Ford Lincoln, based in Columbia, Maryland. Born and raised in Maryland, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland College Park and completed his graduate studies at Loyola College. Mr. Doetsch has served as General Partner of Concert Technopolis, a Russian-American business entity franchised Ford dealer, in Chelyabinsk, Russia since 1990. Additionally, he is the owner of Marama Farm Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing Horse Farm, which is the new host site of Howard Community College’s Grand Prix Event. Mr. Doetsch serves the Maryland community in a number of ways, including being a Board Member for numerous charities including the Howard County General Hospital Board of Trustees, the University of Maryland Medical System Shock Trauma Center, and the American Heart Association.

Susan Duprey, Of Counsel – Bernstein Shur
Ms. Duprey is an attorney for the Northern New England law firm of Bernstein Shur.  Previously she was a shareholder at Devine Millimet Attorneys at Law. During her time at the firm, she has specialized in zoning and planning issues, municipal law, and commercial real estate. In 1998, Mrs. Duprey served as President of the firm and has been instrumental in the firm’s continued growth throughout the region. Mrs. Duprey’s leadership activities extend well into the local and national community. She currently serves on the Board of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. and the Advisory Board of Ocean Bank. Her contributions to numerous Republican political campaigns include serving as Treasurer of the Lamontagne for Senate Campaign, on the Finance Committee of the Guinta for Congress Campaign, and on the Steering Committee of McCain for President. Her numerous awards include inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America ® 2011 and being named as an “Ideal Lawyer” in the Town Lawyer category in New Hampshire Magazine in 2003.

Diana Ely Epstein
Ms. Epstein is the current Development Chair and past President of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy. For the past 30 years, she has been a radio and television personality in the Washington/Baltimore region, including 9 years at WMAL AM 630.

Daniel Heifetz, Founder & Artistic Director
Internationally-renowned concert violinist, impresario, and teacher Daniel Heifetz is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Heifetz International Music Institute. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Mr. Heifetz has dedicated himself to the art of communication through performance and education.  Please click here to view Mr. Heifetz’ complete biography.

Peter Kreeger, Trustee, The Kreeger Museum, and Director, The Kreeger Foundation
Mr. Kreeger serves on the Board of Directors of the Kreeger Foundation, the Washington Performing Arts Society, and the Great Waters Music Festival.

Geoffrey Menin, Esq.
Mr. Menin is a partner in the New York law firm of Levine, Plotkin and Menin. He specializes in negotiating and documenting agreements in all areas of intellectual property and personal services across a wide spectrum of media including film, television, musical recordings and publishing, theater, fashion and books. His clients include writers, directors, producers and performers, as well as production entities and larger companies.

Roberta (Birdie) Pieczenik, Ph.D., Publisher, S & R Literary, Inc.
Dr. Pieczenik is the Founder of S & R Literary, a company that publishes Surfless Guides, topic-specific guides to the best sites on the Internet.  She is a sociologist with extensive background in evaluating criminal justice programs nationwide.

Henry Rosenberg, Jr., Director and Chairman of the Board, Crown Central Petroleum Corporation, and Rosemore, Inc.
Mr. Rosenberg and his family founded Crown Central Petroleum Corporation where he served as President and CEO for more than 25 years.  He is a former Director of SignetBanking Corporation and U.S.F. & G. Corporation, and a long time supporter of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Goucher College.  He is Chairman Emeritus of the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Trustee Emeritus of The Johns Hopkins Health System and Loyola College of Maryland.

Bruce Rosenblum, Chief Risk Officer, The Carlyle Group,

Working out of the organization’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Bruce is a member of Carlyle’s Management Committee and is the firm’s Chief Risk Officer.  Prior to joining Carlyle in 2000, Bruce was a partner and member of the Executive Committee at Latham & Watkins, where he worked for 18 years, specializing in mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance.  Before joining Latham, he served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Bruce currently serves as a trustee of American Jewish World Service; Vice Chair of the Board of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty; and Chair of the Advisory Board for the National Capital Region of Year Up.  Prior nonprofit Board memberships include Washington Performing Arts (1992-2004, 2006-2008; Board Chair 2002-2004) and the Baltimore Symphony (2005-2014), serving on the executive committees and chairing the education committees of both organizations. Bruce is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, and is married to Lori Laitman, a composer of vocal music and opera. They live in Potomac, MD, and have three children and one grandchild.  Bruce is a “serious amateur” musician, performing on double bass, and making his Heifetz Institute debut on July 2, 2017!

Annie Totah
Mrs. Totah has been a leader in human rights advocacy, a lobbyist and fundraiser in local and national politics, and a staunch advocate for cultural, charitable, religious and educational programs in the Washington DC area.  She was awarded the United Nations Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions to Human Rights.  A graduate of the American University of Beirut, holding a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Mrs. Totah has served on the Boards of the Washington Performing Arts Society, The Washington Ballet, Rabin Medical Center, Israel Bonds, Save a Child’s Heart Foundation, and the American Red Cross Advisory Committee.  Ms. Totah is also the first woman Board Chair of the Armenian Assembly of America.

David Wolowitz, Esq.

David advises independent schools and colleges on all aspects of risk avoidance and crisis management. David is able to offer clients advice based on his years of substantial and varied experience in key legal areas that impact schools, including employment, mental health, contract, criminal, fiduciary and tort law.

He is a pioneer in applying behavioral risk management concepts to promote healthy school cultures. David acts as general counsel to many schools, overseeing all aspects of their legal needs. He serves as a consultant to schools experiencing critical incidents relating to student health and safety. He conducts reviews of the policies and procedures of schools to assist schools in meeting the evolving standard of care relating to student health and safety. He trains his clients on how to promote healthy relationships with students, how to recognize and address early signs of inappropriate behavior, and how to respond to allegations of misconduct. David’s clients include boarding and day schools, from small, local schools to nationally known schools. (See the partial list of workshops.) He works closely with heads of school, deans, financial officers, trustees, health providers and others.

David has a consulting practice with a national and international reach. He is a popular speaker and trainer at schools throughout the country and abroad. He presents to national organizations, including the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) and international organizations, including the European Council of Independent Schools (ECIS) and the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS).

He has conducted dozens of training sessions in person and over the internet on various topics relating to governance, enterprise risk management and student safety. He has significant trial experience in federal and state trial and appellate courts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been qualified as an expert witness and testified on the adequacy of independent school policies and procedures relating to the protection of students from harassment, hazing, bullying , sexual assault and related misconduct.

David received his J.D. from the University of Michigan (1975), M.A. from Harvard University (1971) and his A.B. from Washington University (1968).