Photos > Board of Directors
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WE HAVE A GREAT BOARD.
Our board is highly functioning, efficient, passionate, supportive, and creative. They meet monthly and serve on sub-committees with names like Presence, Development, Finance, and Event. They all like each other, too. We feel lucky.
If you would like to talk to someone about being on the board, that would be Gary Bernhard. You can find his contact info here.
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Gary Bernhard, President
From 1975 to 1979 Gary was director of an alternative school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. From 1979 to 2009 Gary was with the University Without Walls at UMass Amherst and was Director of the program between 1988 and 2006. He retired in 2009. After chairing the Finance Committee being a member of the Presence Team for the last two years, he has now moved on to serve as President.
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Joshua Hornick, President Emeritus
Josh co-founded North Star and was co-director of North Star for its first seven years. He then went on to serve as President of the Board of Directors for the next eight years. His inspiration to start North Star grew from his belief in the extraordinary beauty and genius of every person, a beauty and genius which he believes is commonly stifled by the structure of modern schooling. Currently, he teaches high school math in Greenfield and trains life coaches.
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Jodi Lyn Cutler, Clerk
Jodi is a hydrogeologist who fills her time being an editor, bringing world-class performance arts to Holyoke, being on the board of the Children’s Museum at Holyoke, doing development work, organizing/planning people and events, and being a mom. She brings her organizational skills, enthusiasm, and deep appreciation of North Star (as a North Star alum parent) to the board.
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Jack Rosenblum
Jack has an A.B. from Brown University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an Ed.D. from UMass School of Education. After serving in the Peace Corps, he administered Community Action grants in Puerto Rico and the Territories for the US Office of Economic Opportunity; worked in the Lindsay Administration as NYC Chief of Drug Prevention for Youth; and worked as a partner in the management consulting firm The Atlanta Consulting Group. Jack brings to the North Star board his lifelong passion for alternative education, beginning with his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica in 1962-4, through teaching teamwork skills to top teams of organizations for 30 years, to currently teaching couples the skills of committed partnership.
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Ellen Rainville
Ellen Berger Rainville OTD, OTR, FAOTA is a Professor of Occupational Therapy and Research in the School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies at Springfield College in Massachusetts. She holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University and a Master of Science in Management from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. Dr Rainville has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in research, pediatric occupational therapy and clinical practice for more than twenty years. She was a founder of the Massachusetts Early Intervention consortium and has been a clinician, administrator, educator and consultant in early childhood intervention for many years. She co-authored the book Pediatric Therapy: A Systems Approach (F.A. Davis) and has published and presented locally and nationally. -
Thomas Erwin
Thomas Erwin is a recent North Star alum, and currently studies Japanese and history at Amherst College. In the past year, he was a speaker at the North Star fundraising brunch and attended an alternative education conference. He is an avid music enthusiast, both composing and recording original music. He also plays keyboards in a touring band. He plans to travel to Japan soon.
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Loran Deihl Saito
Loran Diehl Saito works in the Marketing department of River Valley Market, and as a freelance writer and graphic designer. She is pursuing an MFA in graphic design from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She homeschools four children in Florence, including two current North Star members. Loran is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who loves to travel, but feels her biggest life adventure is raising her children and learning with them as they learn.
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Jonah Meyer
Jonah is a recent North Star alum, after a four year membership. During Jonah’s last year at North Star he developed a passion for alternative education and began assisting North Star staff with a variety of projects. Currently he works at North Star as an intern where he helps run open houses, is the assistant editor of North Star’s newsletter, Liberated Learners, and generally does things other people don’t feel like doing. When not at North Star Jonah studies Chemistry and Geology at the University of Massachusetts and is an avid rock climber and outdoorsman.
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Daniel Yalowitz
Daniel is currently Associate Academic Dean/Director of Special Projects at Southern Vermont College, where he is also Associate Professor of social sciences. He received his Ed.D. in Comparative/Cross Cultural Human Development from UMass/Amherst in 1995, and was a special educator for many years and was Headmaster at an alternative special education high school. Daniel is adjunct associate professor of early childhood education at Lesley University, and continues to write, publish, teach, and lecture on issues of gender equity and development, family issues, and play. His perspectives are based on his 30+ years of work in a wide range of
educational milieux and travel to over 75 countries. -
Sue Surner
Sue Surner joined our board in 2011, though she is no stranger to North Star! The parent of three children, including one current North Star member and one North Star alumnae, Sue lives in Belchertown. Sue is co-owner and operator of her family business, Surner Heating. Sue also has a Masters in Education from Springfield College. Sue brings her dynamism, intelligence, and common sense to the board and is a valued member of several committees.
