Board Of Directors
Lila Lazarus
President
FOX 2 NEWS ANCHOR
Anchor & Health Reporter at FOX 2, Lila races across town with a camera crew, researching and interviewing for her award-winning stories. Extremely active in community and charitable organizations, Lila serves on multiple boards (Huron Valley Sinai Hospital and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation). Lila is very involved with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. She’s been a big sister for 20 years.
A graduate of Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan, Lila holds two Masters Degrees. Her professional accomplishments include covering Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in South Africa and receiving multiple Emmy Awards, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award, two Clarion Awards and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Award in back-to-back years. Lila and Fox 2 have been actively involved in promoting the work of Kids Kicking Cancer for many years.
Joel Jacob
Chairman of the Board
CEO The Bottle Crew
Mr. Jacob serves on numerous community board of directors including Vice Chairman of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger www.mazon.org, Seeds of Peace, www.seedsofpeace.org, Students in Free Enterprise, www.sife.org, and The Leonard N Simons Jewish Community Archives Joel is also the Founder and President of CEO’s Under 17, a program that teaches inner city youth entrepreneurial skills. Joel has been a partner with Kids Kicking Cancer from its very beginning.
A dedicated worker for all good causes, Mr. Jacob is a recipient of the United Way Heart of Gold award. Joel Jacob and his wife have five children.
Dawn Barnes
Owner and CEO of Karate Kids
Dawn is a third-degree black belt and the founder of Dawn Barnes Karate Kids, the most successful all-children’s karate school in the United States. She has taught martial arts to children for nearly twenty years, and writes columns for Martial Arts Professional Magazine and Los Angeles Family Magazine, and is the author of The Black Belt Club, Seven Wheels of Power. She is the Director of Children’s Education for the National Association of Professional Martial Artists. Dawn lives in Los Angeles, California, with her family and two dogs. Dawn originally saw the Early Show presentation of Kids Kicking Cancer in 2005 and has been a major supporter and mentor to the Rabbi and the organization since that time.
Hadas Bernard
Community Activist and Not for Profit Consultant
Hadas is a current Governing Board member of Hebrew Free Loan and Treasurer of JVS. She is a previous Governing Board member of Wayne State University and The University of Michigan’s Hillel boards and past national member of UJA’s Woman’s cabinet. In addition, she is an avid advocate for the elderly and special needs in childhood education. Hadas brings extraordinary experience in organizational structure and fundraising to our group. She has been an avid worker for our children.
Robert Bronstein
President, The Scion Group
Robert Bronstein is president and co-founder of The Scion Group LLC, a Chicago-based real estate consulting, development and management firm solely focused on up-scale student housing. Since founding the company in 2000 with his brother Eric, Scion has grown into one of most respected firms in its industry, with over 100 employees, nearly $40 million in annual revenues and a property portfolio valued of over $325 million. Scion has worked on 80 college and university campuses in 23 U.S. States, Mexico, Canada and Great Britain. Prior to founding Scion, Mr. Bronstein was Vice President at Equis Corp., a Chicago-based real estate services and consulting firm.
Robert is a founding member of the Real Estate Center at DePaul University, which grants BBA and MBA degrees with a concentration in real estate. Mr. Bronstein also volunteers with several organizations dedicated to urban revitalization, including having served for over five years as a member of the loan committee of the Chicago Community Loan Fund. In 2004, he was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of its “40 under 40” rising stars in the Chicago business world, recognizing leaders who have reached success in the fields of business, government and culture prior to their 40th birthdays. Mr. Bronstein has lectured on matters related to affordable housing, urban redevelopment and student housing to graduate level students of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kent State University and DePaul University. Mr. Bronstein holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. He has been a major supporter of Kids Kicking Cancer for the last three years.
Meagan Celeste
AdForum
Meagan is currently the Marketing Manager for AdForum a global advertising company; responsible for maintaining its position as the #1 trade resource for all advertising agencies and marketers worldwide; working directly with clients to help increase corporate identity, brand visibility and profitability through the development of mutually beneficial partnerships. In the past Meagan has worked as a writer and producer for News Broadcast Network and had an on-air segment for the Today Show. Also an independent business owner of a production company initially created for television, documentary and film production, but which has since evolved to encompass philanthropic work for a handful of non-profit groups that seek to promote social awareness through media. Meagan is currently producing a promotional video designed to raise the visibility of Kids Kicking Cancer and attract corporate investors/sponsors in 2009; incorporating interviews and footage of the children, their families, doctors, KKC staff and some “Hollywood Heroes” — which will inevitably draw media attention to the campaign and increase the national profile of Kids Kicking Cancer.
Carolyn Fein Levy, MD
Atrending Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation
Schneider Children’s Hospital
Dr. Fein Levy graduated Brandeis University with a BA in Psychology in 1990. She received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in 1994. Following medical school, Dr. Fein Levy did her internship and residency in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. She completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2000. After completion of her fellowship, Dr. Fein Levy worked for Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at their affiliate St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, NJ. In 2002, she joined the Brooklyn Hospital Center as a part-time pediatric hematologist oncologist. This hospital was where the first Kids Kicking Sickle Cell Program was started. Currently, she is a full time attending who takes care of infants, children and young adults with cancer and serious blood disorders at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, NY. Dr. Fein Levy’s research efforts are focused on the study of the biology of solid tumors and implementing the use of new drugs and treatment plans that improve the long-term survival of patients with these cancers. Her fields of interest include bone tumors, sarcomas, pediatric liver tumors, germ cell tumors and Wilms’ tumor.
In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Fein Levy for the last ten years one of the camp doctors at Chai Lifeline’s Camp Simcha, where she worked with Rabbi G. to provide a summer experience to pediatric oncology patients. She is also on the Medical Advisory board for Camp Sunrise the only day camp for children with cancer in New York. As a survivor of childhood cancer, Dr. Fein Levy brings her unique combination of medical expertise and personal experience to Kids Kicking Cancer.
Doug Filzek
President Hydraulic Parts Source
Doug is a dedicated father to four wonderful children, Megan-16, Angel Brendan, Caitlyn-12 and Landon-16 months and has been blessed to share the past 20 years with soul mate, and wife, Maureen. He is the President and founder of Hydraulic Parts Source, an international supplier of hydraulic components. Doug is a founding board member of the Brendan Filzek Childhood Cancer Assistance Fund, which supports children with cancer and their families. Since their efforts began 7 years ago, we have raised almost $300,000. Brendan was in the very first Kids Kicking Cancer class and received our “Master Teacher Blackbelt in 2003.
Josh Linkner
Founder and CEO ePrize
As a pioneer in interactive marketing and promotions, Josh has been involved in the development of thousands of digital marketing strategies over the last 13 years. As the founder and CEO of ePrize, he has led the firm from inception to being ranked the #1 fastest growing and #3 overall promotion agency by PROMO Magazine. ePrize has produced over 5,000 industry-leading interactive promotions across 36 countries, for clients including Coca-Cola, American Express, The Gap, Procter & Gamble, Warner Bros, Dell, Adidas, Citibank and General Motors. Josh is a frequent source-for-comment among business, technology and marketing media. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, AdAge, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, and AdWeek, and is a regular keynote speaker at industry events and conferences. Josh has won several business, technology, and design awards including the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, The Inc. 500, Crain’s Detroit 40 under 40, Fast Company’s Reader’s Choice Fast 50, and the 2006 Automation Alley’s CEO of the Year.
Josh earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Florida. Also, as an accomplished and well-respected Jazz musician, Josh applies that same passion and excitement toward his business which results in an innovative, disciplined and creative working environment at ePrize. Josh sponsored Kids Kicking Cancer corporate entry into stress management. He has been a major supporter of our organization for the last two years.
Max Ritvo
Kids Kicking Cancer Student and Teacher
Max Ritvo is a seventeen year old in remission from Ewing’s Sarcoma. He was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York where he lived for that period. Before his illness Max had been a dedicated martial artist, reaching the second degree of Black Belt in Longfist Wushu. He met Rabbi G as while undergoing treatment. Max has been both a beneficiary and contributor to the organization. He has provided us with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration on the use of the martial arts for cancer therapy. He is currently a senior at Harvard-Westlake Preparatory School and hopes to study Social and Political Sciences in college.
Dana Rosenzweig
Professional Business Trainer
Dana was the Human Resources training specialist who assisted Kids Kicking Cancer in creating the Heroic Response Toolbox seminar. She is an expert in individual and group training and has volunteered to direct prepare and coordinate a volunteer program for the organization. Dana received her teaching degree from Wayne State University and taught for eight years. She served as the Roeper School Parent Council Vice President and as a corporate trainer at ePrize.
Alan Siegel
President and Founder, Alan Siegel Entertainment
Alan has been the most influential voice in Hollywood for Kids Kicking Cancer. He continues to introduce us to the talent that he manages, including Gerard Butler. The stars have supported our kids with empowering messages and their fans have very significantly embraced our organization financially. Despite the time demands of Hollywood, Alan Siegel continues to make our children a priority in his life.
Arthur Weiss
Partner Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss
Arthur Weiss is a member of the Board of Directors and an attorney with Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss. He has published and focused on the areas of business planning, real estate and taxation. Arthur is also an active community and national leader who has given a great deal of his time and attention to charitable and educational programs. He has been a wonderful advocate for Kids Kicking Cancer and has generously given of his time and resources. Arthur has agreed to chair the legal committee of the Board for Kids Kicking Cancer.