Board of Directors

Joanne Gorenstein is native to Ottawa and is a graduate of the former Hillel Academy. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Information Security Auditor. Joanne is currently the Deputy Auditor General for the City of Ottawa. In this role, she is responsible for assisting City Council in holding itself and its administrators accountable for the quality of stewardship over public funds and for achievement of value for money in municipal operations. Previously, Joanne led the Internal Audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She provided strategic, value added advice to non-profit and public sector organizations to mitigate operational, financial and reputational risk. She has been involved in the Jewish communities in both Ottawa and Vancouver as a board member of Hillel Lodge and Shalom BC. Joanne has one son who currently attends OJCS.

Jonathan is a Real Estate investor and developer fluent in all aspects of Real Estate from acquisition to building and managing. He is the President of Jazz Realty Group Inc.  Jonathan attended Hillel Academy as did his children; his daughters are graduates of Rabin High School.

A graduate of the Hebrew University Law School and a member of the Israeli Bar Association, internationally Jonathan was involved in the acquisition, planning, rezoning, financing, servicing and construction of two unique residential developments in Israel.

On a volunteer basis Jonathan serves on many fronts. He was Treasurer of the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Area, a member of the Mayor’s Downtown Task Force, a member of the campaign cabinet of Saint Vincent’s Hospital, a member of the BOMA Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Chair of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and a board member of the Sarah Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem. Jonathan is a past chair of the City of Ottawa Parking Task Force, a past President of CAFE Ottawa, a past member of the national board of CAFÉ, and a national board member of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Currently he is the Past Chair of the Jewish Memorial Gardens, Past Chair of Hillel on Campus. As well he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Defense Forces (Reserve) and is a former Battalion Commander.

Yossi Bokhaut is the Director of Compensation at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and is responsible for the management of pay and benefits for the 31,000+ regular and civilian members, public service employees, reservists and cadets of the RCMP, including pay policies, pay systems, pay standards, and group life and disability insurance. Prior to that, Yossi was responsible for the accounting and financial management of the $20 billion RCMP Pension Plan.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Yossi holds an Honours Bachelor in Commerce degree with a specialization in Accounting from the University of Ottawa and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He also attended and graduated from Yitzhak Rabin High School and École Maimonides.

An active community volunteer for many years, Yossi has served as the Vice-President at Kehillat Beth Israel and the Treasurer at Tamir, Congregation Machzikei Hadas, and the Ottawa Bach Choir. Yossi is currently a member of the finance and audit committee at KBI.

Yossi and his wife Julia are proud parents to three children, who all attend the OJCS.

Dr. Lindsay Borovay is a registered Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director of Borovay Psychology Services, offering psychological assessment, therapy and educational services (advocacy and tutorial support) to children, adolescents, families, and adults. She works collaboratively with these populations in a therapeutic setting and especially enjoys working with parents to support their children’s diverse needs. Dr. Borovay has extensive training and experience in various settings, including hospital, school, and within the private sector, and has provided assessment, intervention, and consultation in each. She received her Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) from Queen’s University and her Master’s Degree and Ph.D., from McGill University. Her previous work experiences at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) have provided extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and families dealing with various psychological and psycho-social difficulties. Dr. Borovay has also worked within the school system, at the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Montreal, where she provided assessment, intervention, counselling and consultation to teachers, parents, and students at both the elementary and high school level.​

Dr. Borovay maintains memberships in national, provincial, and local psychological associations and keeps up to date on current developments in the field by regularly attending post-graduate educational workshops and lectures. In addition to being on the OJCS Board of Directors, she also sits on the Board of Directors for the Learning Disability Association of Ottawa-Carleton (LDAO-C). Additionally, she is a co-developer of the Parenting Workshop Series offered through the Canadian Women in Medicine Organization (CWIM).

Lindsay grew up in Ottawa and attended the former OJCS, Hillel Academy. Lindsay and her husband (a former teacher at OJCS and Yitzhak Rabin High School) are the proud parents of three children, all of whom attend OJCS.

Howard Fremeth is the Director of Communications at the Business Council of Canada — a national advocacy organization representing the chief executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s top 150 businesses.

Prior to joining the Council, Howard worked as a consultant with NATIONAL Public Relations (2016-2019) and the Director of Communications at the Embassy of Israel in Canada (2011-2016) where he oversaw all media and public diplomacy activities during a period of growth in Israel-Canada ties.

Howard holds a PhD in Communications from Carleton University where he still serves as an Adjunct Professor and teaches courses in professional communications and digital diplomacy. He is also a Board Member of the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom and a recipient of the Freiman Family Young Leadership Award – recognizing someone under 40 for exceptional service to Ottawa’s Jewish community.

Jessica Greenberg (CPM), is Vice President of Asset Management at Osgoode Properties, where she leads the asset management, marketing, training and human resources departments.

An Ottawa native and former Hillel Academy student, Jessica holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Questrom School of Management at Boston University.  Deeply committed to giving back Jessica is also a Director on the Jewish Federation of Ottawa Board and volunteer at The Royal Ottawa Hospital.

She is proud mom to Eloise, Noah and Laz and loves being an OJCS parent.

Chuck is the retired founder of the law firm Merovitz Potechin LLP ,which he managed for 45 years. He is now focusing on golf, pickleball ,travel and his grandchildren. He was born and raised in Montreal and he and his wife, Bonnie (Leibovitch), also a Montrealer, moved to Ottawa in 1974. He and Bonnie were co chairs of Shalom Ottawa( Jewish welcome wagon) in the late seventies.

In the 1980s, he served on the board of the Talmud Torah Afternoon School and the Campus Committee. He initiated the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park and he also served on the fundraising committee of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation for 2 major campaigns.  He has been awarded the Rabbi Bulka award by the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, for outstanding leadership and dedication towards improving the lives of cancer patients and their families. Chuck was awarded Top Fundraiser of the Year by the Ottawa Philanthropy Association. He has been a fundraiser for the annual federation campaign since the early 1980s and he is past chair of legal division and past chair of the campaign. He initiated the annual UJA golf tournament in the early 1990s. He is a past member of the board of the Jewish Community Foundation and he co-chaired a $25,000,000 campaign in the early 2000s.

Ron is a partner of Brazeau Seller Law and principal of its affiliate Equitas Consultants Inc.  His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions transactions, family business mediation and family business communications and governance advisory services.  Montreal natives Ron and his wife Avalee moved to Ottawa and started their careers in 1977 – Ron as a lawyer and Avalee as a teacher at Hillel Academy.  Their children, Harris and Dara, were born and raised in Ottawa where they attended and graduated from Hillel Academy.   It must have been a positive experience as between them they now have 5 of their oldest children enrolled at OJCS with their 2 youngest children on deck!   Since the 1980s, Ron has taken on continuous community leadership roles locally, nationally and internationally including chairing the boards of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Queensway-Carleton Hospital Foundation, the Jewish Community Centre and the Canadian Council of Jewish Community Centres.  Ron has received various awards for his community involvement including the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award of the Jewish Community of Ottawa and the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation Community Service Award.  Ron has actively observed the exciting growth and development of OJCS in recent years and very much looks forward to serving on its Board.   

Neil Presner is a Dental Practice Transition Consultant and Sales Representative with Henry Schein, Tier Three Brokerage Ltd. He assists his dental clients prepare for their eventual transition out of dental practice and into the next chapter of their lives. Prior to joining Tier Three Brokerage Ltd., Neil worked in operations management for a multinational modular building company for several years.

Neil attended Concordia University and studied Economics and Marketing at the John Molson School of Business.  He has also served as the chair of the Board of Directors at Early Beginnings Daycare, on OJCS committees, as well as in several volunteer capacities for the Ottawa Jewish community, most recently on the JFO Life and Legacy committee in addition to many years as a campaign canvasser and as a co-chair of the 2017 annual campaign kick-off event.

Neil and his wife Gillian are the proud parents of 3 children, all of whom are currently students at the OJCS, and he is dedicated to helping OJCS be the best learning environment in Ottawa. Neil is also the Chair of the OJCS Property Management Committee.

Lorne Segal is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Ottawa office, practicing in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency, banking and finance, corporate commercial, private equity and capital markets. Representing private and public companies of all sizes – from owner-operated businesses to multinational corporates – Lorne combines strong technical skills with a practical approach and sound business judgment to help his clients succeed.

In the M&A, corporate commercial and private equity areas, Lorne holds expertise in various sectors, including defense, security, aerospace, life sciences, food / agriculture, telecommunications, retail, heavy and light manufacturing, mining, distribution, pharmaceuticals, recycling, software, textiles, telemarketing and financial services. Lorne leads Gowling WLG’s Canadian Private M&A group.

In the banking and finance sector, Lorne represents domestic and foreign banks, insurance companies, merchant banks, private equity investors and venture capitalists in mid-market and larger transactions. In the area of restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency, Lorne represents creditors, debtors and trustees/receivers. His expertise also includes distressed M&A.
Recognized as a leading lawyer in his field by clients and peers, Lorne is listed in the Canadian Legal Expert Directory as a top-ranked professional in the areas of Corporate Commercial Law, Corporate Mid-Market and Insolvency & Financial Restructuring (Financial Restructuring).

Lorne is also recognized in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law. Lorne completed a four-year term as Gowlings’ Firm Managing Partner, Internal and as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. He also previously served on the Firm’s Board of
Trustees.

Lorne has recently completed the Rotman / Telfer Corporate Directors Program offered by The Institute of Corporate Directors and holds the ICD.D designation. An active member of the Ottawa community, Lorne is a member of the Ottawa Jewish Community School Board of Directors, recently co-chaired the 2018 Jewish Federation of Ottawa Annual Campaign Kick-off, and is a past board member of Ronald McDonald House and the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Bio coming soon.

Randi is originally from Montreal, but has lived in Ottawa (with a brief sojourn in Toronto in the early 80’s) since the age of eleven, and considers Ottawa to be her hometown. Randi previously worked as a social service worker with Community and Social Services in Toronto, and then became the original owner of Saint Cinnamon Ottawa, until she sold her business to raise her three sons.

Randi’s three sons and husband are all alumni of Hillel Academy. Randi played a very active role in the school over the 15 years her children attended Hillel Academy. Her involvement included instituting the school Challah program, participating on the PTA, organizing the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Bond program for six years, helping with various lunch programs and spending countless hours assisting teachers in the classroom.

In addition to her many volunteer activities with Hillel Academy, Randi previously sat on the Board of Directors of the Christie Lake Cottage Association, was Chair of Arts Alive Ottawa, Chair of Mitzvah Day, Co-Chair of the 2012 Federation Annual Campaign kick off, and has held various volunteer positions with Congregation Beth Shalom and Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa.

Originally from Montreal, where she graduated from McGill, Kate went on to obtain a PhD from Dalhousie University in Halifax, where she met her partner Alex Wilner. They lived in Zurich, Switzerland, and in Toronto before returning to Ottawa in 2015.  A committed volunteer, Kate was active in student government and leadership and has been a board member of diverse community and research organizations. Kate currently works for the federal government as a manager of a policy team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  Kate and Alex are active members of Machzikei Hadas and are proud parents of three girls, two of whom are  OJCS students.