Golda Och Academy announced the appointment of a new Board Chair and welcomed three new members of our Board of Trustees. The role of the Board of Trustees of Golda Och Academy includes serving as guardians of the school’s mission and ambassadors in the community, strategic planning, budgeting and fundraising. We are thrilled to announce our new Board Chair and the following new members:
Steve Klinghoffer, Board Chair
Steve Klinghoffer has been a GOA trustee for the last five years and is honored to take on the role as Board Chair. He previously served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, NJ, co-chair of the New Jersey Israel Commission, and as a board member of AIPAC. Steve and his wife Lori have two adult daughters and five grandchildren, four of whom currently attend Golda Och Academy. “I am excited to serve as board chair of Golda Och Academy, ranked the #1 Jewish Day School in New Jersey,” said Steve. “As a school grandparent, it also gives me great joy and pride to help GOA continue to grow and thrive.”
Steve serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Valcor Engineering Corp. in Springfield, NJ, which designs and manufactures highly engineered fluid control and motion control devices for aerospace, nuclear and commercial applications. He is also currently Chair of the Essex County Improvement Authority. Steve and Lori reside in Short Hills and are members of Temple Beth El in South Orange.
Jon Gantman, Trustee
Jon Gantman is a proud father of three Golda Och Academy students and is currently a Senior Vice President at American Express where he serves as the General Manager of the Cobrand organization leading relationships with several key partnerships for the company.
Jon began his career with American Express in 2004 and throughout his tenure has held a number of leadership positions in both the US and International businesses. In addition to his time at Amex, Jon has always prioritized giving back to the communities he is a part of. While in New York, Jon served on the board of Soccer for Peace, an Israeli based organization focused on bridging the gap between Israeli and Palistinian youth, as well as serving on the board of Presentense which helped young Jewish entrepreneurs get their start. Since moving out to New Jersey, Jon has taken on a number of roles within Federation and is currently a Vice Chair with his wife Emily for the Centennial Mission to Israel next year. Emily and Jon live in Livingston with their three children: Ilana, Jeremy, and Abigail. “I am excited to be joining the board to help support a community and institution that has already given so much to our family,” he said. “With three children at GOA, we have seen first hand how special this place is, and I am thrilled to be able to support all of the incredible things our school is doing!”
Amy Skopp Cooper ‘81, Trustee
Amy Skopp Cooper is a proud graduate of the fourth graduating class of Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex & Union (now Golda Och Academy) and all five of her children attended the school. Amy is currently the director of the National Ramah Commission (NRC). She served as associate director of the NRC from 2004-2021 and as director of the Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, NY, from 1997-2017.
Previously, Amy served as the education director of Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ, and as assistant director of the Prozdor high school program at Hebrew College in Boston. A graduate of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Amy holds degrees in Jewish history and Jewish education. She received her master's degree from Brandeis University in Jewish education and communal service. Amy is a recipient of the 2011 Covenant Award for outstanding Jewish educators. “It is a pleasure to return to the Golda Och Academy board,” she said. I am grateful to give back to an institution that has helped raise me and my children.”
Gary Wingens, Trustee, Past President
Gary Wingens is Chair and Managing Partner of Lowenstein Sandler, a law firm with over 375 lawyers in offices in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. In the nonprofit arena, he serves on the Executive Committees of the Victoria Foundation and The Jewish Education Project, as well as on the Board of Directors of Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. He previously served on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Allocations Committee and Strategic Planning Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest, and on the Brandeis University Alumni Board as well as on the Board of the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey. From 2004 – 2006, he served as President of the Board of Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now GOA). Gary and his wife Helene (who served on the GOA Board from 2008 – 2020) are the proud parents of three GOA grads: Andrew ’10, Jon ’15 and David ’19.
“I am excited to return to the board a full generation after I first joined in 1999 (when my oldest son was just starting first grade) in large measure because of my family’s experience with the impact that the GOA education and community had on my three children, now ranging in age from 30 to 21,” said Gary. “I believe that the availability of day school education is critical to producing future Jewish leaders imbued with knowledge of our texts, traditions, and history.”