Jeffrey I. Cohen (Chair, Long Term Planning Committee)
Jeffrey Cohen was appointed Chairman of the Weizmann Canada board in 2016. He is the managing partner at Torkin Manes LLP, a full service law firm in Toronto, and a member of the firm’s Business Law and Corporate Finance Groups. Cohen is the immediate past-Treasurer of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. He also currently sits on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of several companies to which Torkin Manes provides legal services, including Spin Master Corp., a TSX listed company.
Vice-Chair
Francie Klein (President, Toronto Chapter)
Francie Klein is the President of the Toronto Chapter. She has been active and dedicated since 2005, when she became a member of the National Board. She was the Chair of Weizmann Women and Science from 2006-2012, Co-Chair of the 2012 Global Gathering in Montreal, Honorary Co-Chair of the 2014 Global Gathering in New York City and Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary Gala in 2014. With a Master’s degree in Education and many years of experience in that field, Klein has brought a higher standard of excellence to the Board. Klein has been a docent at the AGO since 2007.
SECRETARY
Joanne Nemeroff (President, Montreal Chapter and Chair, Nominating Committee)
Joanne Nemeroff is a notable leader in the retail industry, with over 30 years of experience in the field. She has held executive positions with many Canadian retailers, including Holt Renfrew/Ogilvy, Limited Brands, Sears Canada Inc., La Senza Corp. and Aldo Canada. Nemeroff’s business expertise brings fresh ideas to Weizmann Canada’s National Board.
TREASURER
Jeffrey Goldfarb, CPA, CA (Chair, Finance Committee)
Jeffrey Goldfarb is currently the Treasurer of the National Board and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. He recently retired as a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. His expertise as an accountant has ensured Weizmann Canada’s continued financial success. In addition to his commitments to Weizmann Canada, Goldfarb is also Board Chair and Executive Committee Chair for JVS Toronto. He previously held various positions for UJA Federation, served as Treasurer and Board member of Muki Baum Treatment Centres, and was a member of the Board of Jewish Education.
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO
Susan Stern
Susan Stern is the National Executive Director and CEO of Weizmann Canada, a position she has held since April 2005.
CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Catherine Beck
PRESIDENT, WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Prof. Alon Chen
Prof. Alon Chen has been President of the Weizmann Institute of Science since December 1, 2019. Born in Israel in 1970, he recieved his PhD through a direct track from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2001. In parallel, he attained an MBA from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in California. Chen returned to the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2005 as a senior scientist, ultimately becoming the head of the Neurobiology Department. Prof. Chen is also a director in the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany, and Head of the joint Weizmann-Max Plank lab for experimental neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurogenetics.
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Laurent Amar
Laurent Amar is the co-founder and co-president of VoiceAge Corporation; a Montreal-based company that develops speech and audio compression technologies. Amar is also founder and president of Sipro Lab Telecom Inc., a company that licenses patent portfolios including the ACELP portfolio of “Université de Sherbrooke”. VoiceAge Corporation and Sipro Lab Telecom are world leaders in speech an audio compression. Their technologies are used worldwide and are key to the cellular, IP and land-based telecommunication industries. Amar has more than 25 years’ experience in the development of successful business models for technology transfer in the telecommunications industry.
Stephen Bear
Stephen Bear served as a Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company until his retirement in April 2013. During his 26 years at McKinsey, Bear led the Firm’s practices in Korea and Canada and served for six years as an elected member of McKinsey’s global Board of Directors. Bear has served as a board member of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (including as Chair of the Board), Street Kids International, the Foreign Investment Advisory Committee to the Seoul government in Korea, and as a member of the United Way of Toronto Cabinet. He also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.
Bear earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Natal (South Africa) and an MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans.
Anne-Marie Boucher
Anne-Marie Boucher has been an active member of the Board since 2012. As a co-founder of the law firm BCF in Montreal, Boucher brings forth her expertise in the fields of estate planning, wealth management and corporate governance. She has taught tax programs at several universities and is a frequent speaker at tax conferences on estate planning. She also serves as member of the Lower Canada College Board of Governors, the Board of the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, the McCord Museum, the Jewish Community Foundation and is involved with a number of other charities in Canada, Europe and Israel.
Mike Florence, CPA, CA
Mike Florence is currently the president of Rikare Management Inc., an investment company. He was recently president of Sherfam Inc. the parent company of Apotex Inc., a major manufacturer of generic drugs. He is a chartered accountant and spent over 30 years at an accounting firm. He has been on the Board of Directors of Israel bonds for many years. As a member of the Finance Committee, Florence brings forth his strong business experience to the board.
Dr. Rose Geist
Dr. Rose Geist is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Geist has an interest in the integration of medicine/pediatrics/geriatrics and mental health. Most recently, Dr. Geist was the Director of the Collaborative Care Program of the Medical Psychiatry Alliance (MPA) a partnership with the Government of Ontario, The University of Toronto and three affiliated hospitals in Toronto. Supported by a generous grant, the goal of the MPA was to transform the delivery of care using innovative models which integrate medical and mental health conditions.
Dr. Cory Goldberg
Dr. Cory S. Goldberg is a plastic surgeon who currently runs his own cosmetic surgery practice in Toronto where he specializes in facial cosmetic procedures. Former Head of Plastic Surgery at Trillium Health Partners, Dr. Goldberg is the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Ambulatory Surgery Centres, and has served as a business development consultant for large pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson and Johnson. He also volunteers for Operation Smile doing cleft lip surgery around the world. Dr Goldberg served as medical advisor for companies in a multitude of industries including health care service, biotechnology, nutraceuticals and cannabis. He has been featured on CTV’s Canada AM, CBC News, Rogers Media and City TV’s Breakfast Television.
Martin P. Molyneaux
Martin Molyneaux is currently President and CIO of Molyneaux Asset Management which undertakes energy and venture capital investments. He retired as Vice Chairman of FirstEnergy Capital Corp. in April of 2014 after a 30-year career in energy investment banking where he was recognized as one of Canada's leading energy research analysts.
Richard Reitman
Richard Reitman served as co-chair of the Weizmann League (Weizmann’s young professionals group) from 2017 until 2021 and currently sits on Weizmann Canada’s Finance Committee. Richard holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (Magna Cum Laude) and a Masters in the Sciences of Accounting from the American University in Washington D.C. Upon graduating in 2013, he worked in assurance services for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. His current role is in U.S. tax transaction services at Richter LLP. Richard is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and chairs a fundraising committee at UJA Federation.
Valeria Rosenbloom
Valeria Rosenbloom is a retired Physical Therapist who worked at the Montreal General Hospital. She is also one of the founders of the Unicorn Children’s Foundation in Florida, an organization dedicated to helping children and young adults with special needs lead successful and fulfilling lives. Valeria is a longstanding friend of Weizmann and an avid supporter. A much-valued member of the Montreal Chapter, she has hosted many successful events and lectures, and in 2010, was honored as one of Montreal’s Outstanding Women at a Weizmann Canada Gala.
Dr. Laurence Rubin
Harvey Sands
A Charted Professional Accountant with over thirty years of experience, Harvey Sands is currently a Practice Leader of the Real Estate Services Group and of the Aboriginal Advisory Practice Group, at Richter LLP, one of the largest accounting firms in Canada. He is a previous member of Richter’s Board of Directors and Governance Committee and served for several years as a member of the Board for the Montreal Holocaust Museum Centre and for March of the Living Canada.
Harvey obtained his ICD.D designation of the Institute of Corporate Directors and is an advisor to client Family Offices, Family Counsels and business Advisory Boards.
Zachary Schwartz
Zachary (Zach) Schwartz is President of ZSC Inc. and Vice President, Client Relations, at East West Investment Management, a Private Investment Office. He previously worked at a Canadian multi-family office. Schwartz was a founding team member of a NYC-based fintech company, where he remains an advisor.
Schwartz is involved with a number of charitable causes: He chaired the Upper Canada College Young Alumni Network and now sits on the Association Council as Chair of its Wellness Subcommittee; he is Co-Chair of the Weizmann League (Weizmann's Young Professionals group); and he sits on the CAMH Young Professionals board. Schwartz graduated from the University of Western Ontario, where he was a member of the Dean's Honour List.
Dr. Arthur Slutsky (Chair, Scientific Advisory Council)
Dr. Slutsky is a highly regarded pulmonary and critical care physician. He is the Keenan Chair of Medicine and a Professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He previously served as Vice President: Research at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and was the Division Director of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Toronto, as well as the Director of the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Slutsky is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Lecturer in Respiratory Sciences Award, was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2015, was awarded the CIHR Health Researcher of the Year in 2014 and received The Order of Canada in 2018.
Dr. Gareth Witten
Dr. Witten holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Cape Town and has a professional background in both academia and business. His current role is Executive-in-Residence at the Global Risk Institute and National Pension Hub. Previous positions Dr. Witten has held include Executive Head: Investment Oversight at STANLIB Wealth Management, Head of Institutional Research, Business Development & Portfolio Manager at Peregrine Financial, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Dr. Witten is also the founder and former Director of Industry Science Solutions Consulting.
SPECIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Dr. Daniel C. Andreae, Chair
Dr. Andreae brings his passion for education and dedication to lifelong learning. His community involvement includes being the first Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, and Chair of the Patrons Council of the Society. He is the longest serving President of the Ontario Association of Social Workers. He has been an award winning academic at university on several occasions. Dr. Andreae’s involvement in neurodegenerative causes and has made him realize that education and research around the brain is crucial, and has led to the management of conditions and enhanced quality of life.