Lauren has been actively involved with UJA for nearly 15 years. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors and the Women’s Executive Committee, she chairs Philanthropic Services, an initiative dedicated to creating meaningful volunteer opportunities and facilitating agency visits. Passionate about engaging the next generation in UJA’s mission, Lauren helps organize annual programs such as Wrapped with Love and back-to-school packing projects, providing children and teens with hands-on ways to make an impact.

Beyond UJA, Lauren and her husband, Lee, have supported the launch of the Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM) at Washington University in St. Louis, an...

Laurie is the immediate past Westchester regional chair, having assumed the role of chair in July 2024. In this capacity, she helped advance UJA’s mission of supporting Jewish communities across New York, Israel, and more than 70 countries worldwide. Previously, she served as chair of Women’s Philanthropy and Women’s Planned Giving for UJA. For the past eight years, Laurie has been a member of UJA’s National Women’s Philanthropy Board. She is also on the board of the Sunrise Association and has served as parent advisory chair for J-Teen Leadership. In 2004, Laurie was selected to participate in the Wexner Heritage Program.

Professionally, Laurie is a founding...

Fern was exposed to UJA at an early age through her parents’ involvement as longtime UJA donors. She wears her mother’s Lion pin with pride. 

She met her husband, Lowell, at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned degrees in biology and medical technology. She went on to work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a microbiologist.

Fern’s many charitable and community endeavors include serving as the women’s president and board member at the Glen Oaks Club, as well as co-chairing the American Cancer Society’s Babes Against Cancer program for 22 years. She was a board member of the Roslyn Y as it transitioned to the JCC. She was...