Meet Our Leadership

Carol Ann Schwartz

Hadassah National President

Carol Ann Schwartz is Hadassah’s 28th national president. She has more than 30 years of service to Hadassah at the local, regional and national levels, including roles as member of the Board of Directors of the Hadassah Medical Organization, Speakers Bureau chair, national secretary, a national vice president and Cincinnati Chapter president, among others. Carol Ann was a recipient of the Presidents’ Award in 1994. Carol Ann, of Cincinnati, has been active in her local community, serving as president of Yavneh Day School (Rockwern Academy) and on the boards of Adath Israel Synagogue and Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. She earned a BBA in marketing and management from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in finance from Xavier University. Following seven plus years in banking, Carol Ann now works with her family in commercial real estate.

Carol Ann and her husband, Michael, are proud Guardian donors to Hadassah, and she is a Keeper of the Gate. Her family consists of four generations of Hadassah life members, and Michael is an Associate. Their children Matthew, Elan and Alli are involved with Hadassah as Associates and a member respectively.

MArcia Gabrilove Ladin

National Secretary

Marcia Gabrilove Ladin is the current Hadassah National Secretary and is a Hadassah representative to the Young Judaea Global Board. Marcia’s involvement in Hadassah began after college and continues today because “it is my personal connection to Israel, Zionism and Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Hadassah allows me the privilege to be a part of a better future for all.” Marcia’s previous positions include serving as the Hadassah 2014 National Convention Chair, National MarCom Co-Coordinator, Executive Division Vice-Coordinator, Hadassah Northeast Co-op Chair, and President of Hadassah Upper New York State Region. Marcia and her husband Scott are Hadassah Founders as well as Keepers of the Gate. In addition to her national position with Hadassah, Marcia owns a home-based stationery business, is an accomplished calligrapher in both English and Hebrew, and proud mom of two successful daughters.

Liz Alpert

National Vice President

Liz Alpert is a nearly 40-year life member of Hadassah from Santa Cruz, Calif. She has served on the National Board since 2021, in addition to having served twice previously, and is the geographic area and resource annual planning chair. Her previous positions include president and area/VP advisor of Hadassah’s Santa Cruz Chapter, Central Pacific Coast area/VP advisor and region president of Hadassah Central Pacific Coast. Alpert has served as Hadassah’s representative to the World Zionist Organization and is a member of two Hadassah philanthropic circles, the Society of Major Donors-Luminaries and Keepers of the Gate.

Peg Elefant

National Vice President

Peg Elefant, a national vice president, has demonstrated exemplary leadership over her 40-plus years of Hadassah, including service as a creative consultant, curriculum developer and chair for Building Hadassah Community; national leadership vice chair; Pacific Northwest Region president; and national online training chair. Peg has been intricately involved in Hadassah leadership, creating and delivering trainings for region presidents, multi-region conferences and individual regions. Having served on the Constitution and Governance Committee, Peg has a deep understanding of Hadassah’s constitution and bylaws and how they support the operations of the organization. As an artist, Peg paints both in Israel and at home in Oregon. She believes that art is a way of communicating a sense of place and has shared her knowledge and artwork with multiple regions. Originally from Northern California, Peg has lived in Corvallis, Oregon for over 40 years, where she first encountered and developed a passion for Hadassah.

Fran Feldman

National Vice President

Fran Feldman, elected national vice president in 2023, is a longtime volunteer for Hadassah, having served as chapter and region president in both the Central Pacific Coast Region and the Northern New England Region. Her previous national portfolios include chair of the Communications Department, chair of the Resolutions Committee, resource chair of Hadassah Northeast and chair of Curriculum Watch. Most recently she served for four years as co-coordinator of the Marketing & Communications Division. She is currently an active teacher and learner in two different lifelong learning programs. Fran’s husband, Gary, is an Associate, and Fran, a three-generation life member, is a Keeper of the Gate. Fran and Gary are also Guardians of the Dream.

Michelle Hubertus

National Vice President

Michelle Hubertus was elected a national vice president of Hadassah in July 2023. She serves on the Executive Committee and is a director of Hadassah International LTD. Previously, Michelle was Hadassah's national treasurer. She has served as a Henrietta Szold member of the national board, Hadassah Leadership Fellow, Northern New Jersey Region membership coordinator, Millburn Short Hills chapter president, and has also served on numerous committees. Professionally, Michelle is a senior risk and capital management executive with over 25 years of experience successfully leading risk management, data governance, regulatory, and systems teams overseeing change initiatives at multiple global, banks. Michelle holds a BA in economics and international affairs from Lafayette College and earned an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Michelle and her husband Jim are Hadassah Founders and proud parents of three resilient children.

Shelly Kaplan

National Vice President

Shelley Kaplan is a Hadassah National Vice President. She also serves on the Hadassah Medical Organization Board of Directors, Shelley has held numerous Hadassah National positions including Treasurer, Speakers Bureau Chair, elected member of the Finance Committee and the National Board, Chair and Vice Chair of Major Gifts and Development Resource Services Chair. Shelley also served on the Hadassah International Board of Directors and as President of Hadassah Southern New Jersey from 2006-2009. She is a member of the Ocean Township Chapter.
Shelley and her husband, Sheldon, are proud members of the Society of Major Donors. Shelley and her daughters, Jennifer and Hannah, are Hadassah life members. Her husband and son, Ethan, are Associates.

Valerie Lowenstein

National Vice President

Valerie Lowenstein is a national vice president, a member of the Ethics Committee and the National Nurses and Allied Health Professional Council. Previously, Valerie served as the national chair of Stewardship; national chair of the Department of Health and Wellness; and vice chair of Hadassah Travel. She also served on the National Governance and Constitution Committee as well as the Strategic Planning Committee. Locally, she continues to serve on the Hadassah Boston Region Board and the Health Professional Committee. Valerie is a past president of Hadassah Boston Chapter as well as the Landy Kaplan Nurses Council. She was the recipient of the Hadassah Leadership Award from the Hadassah Boston Chapter and the Volunteer of the Year award from the Landy Kaplan Nurses Council. Valerie and her husband Arnie are members of the Society of Major Donors and Keepers of the Gate.

Jill Sapperstein

National Vice President

Jill Sapperstein is a national vice president and previously served as the national chair of the Operations Division, while being a member of the National Board and Portfolio Council. Prior to her service on the National Assembly, Jill was president of Hadassah Greater Baltimore. During her years of service to Hadassah Greater Baltimore, Jill held many positions including vice president of fundraising, treasurer and president of the Tikvah Chapter. Jill also chaired the 1988 National Young Leaders Institute. She is a member of the Legacy and Chai Societies, a Golden Keeper of the Gate, and along with her husband Louis, a member of the Society of Major Donors.  Jill and Lou are the proud parents of three and grandparents of four, all of whom are Life Members or Associates.

Viviane Kovacs‍

Treasurer

Viviane Kovacs of Searingtown, NY, is the Hadassah national treasurer. She is also simultaneously serving as the Finance Division coordinator and HMO recognition chair. Previously, Viviane served as the coordinator/vice coordinator of Hadassah's Philanthropy Division. She was Hadassah’s national annual plan product manager and a past president of Hadassah Nassau.

For almost 30 years, Viviane has been an active member of the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore, where she was a past president. She was honored by the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation of NY/NJ for her role in bringing the community together and by UJA Long Island Women’s Division for her commitment to the well-being of the Jewish people through her involvement with Hadassah. She previously worked on Wall Street.