Board

Rhoda is a former vice president at several area hospitals in charge of strategic planning and marketing functions.  She is a retired principal of Strategic Innovation Management, providing consulting services to hospitals and healthcare organizations.

Rhoda has a BA degree from Hunter College in history and political science and an MUP degree from Hunter College in Urban Planning.  She served on the Ridgewood Planning Board,  Hospital Planning & Marketing Society, American Heart Association, North Jersey Regional Chamber of Commerce, and as Chairperson of the United Passaic Organization.

Leigh M. Chinitz

Leigh is currently a Director of Product Management at Spirent, a global test and measurement company. Before joining Spirent, Leigh was the CTO for octoScope (which was acquired by Spirent), and he has worked in the CTO organizations of several other wireless communications companies, including Casa Systems and Proxim.  Leigh has been in the wireless industry for many years, working for well-known companies like Motorola and Cisco, as well as for smaller start-up companies such as Airvana and Ubiquisys.  In addition to his technology background, Leigh also worked in Washington, DC, for Motorola as a technologist responsible for working with regulatory agencies and for coordinating Motorola’s participation in FCC proceedings. Leigh has worked in wireless and data communications since 1993, addressing areas such as macro-cellular network design and simulation, small-cell network architecture, and Wi-Fi solution design.  His focus areas include wireless network simulation and design, overall solutions architecture, business development, and policy and regulation. He is the holder of 22 US patents, an experienced speaker at industry conferences, and a participant in IEEE, Broadband Forum, ETSI, TIA, and ITU standards activities, among others. Leigh has a BS in Physics from Yale University, a Ph.D. in Physics from The University of Virginia, and an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Ruth Kramer has held positions as a Vice President and Senior Trust Officer at two major private banks.  She also worked as a Senior Legal Assistant in the Estates and Personal Group of a global law firm in the New York City office.  She served as Past President and Trustee of the Greater New Jersey Estate Planning Council. She has volunteered in the Walk to Defeat ALS and has served as a mentor to children in New York City through the nonprofit Read Ahead. Ruth has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Rutgers University.

Lana Sherman

Lana has over 25 years of experience in strategic organization in the sports communications and entertainment industry.  She received a BA from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) and a Master of Arts in Communications Management from the University of Southern California. Lana was a member of the Canadian National Figure Skating Team, competing at events in Europe, and was the winner of the Canadian Bronze Medal for figure skating in 1982. A background as a Producer for NBC for Olympic Replays, Equestrian Producer, Live Gymnastics Producer, Studio Show Producer, and Swing Team Events from 2002-2024. Lana speaks French and German and currently serves on her town’s Environmental Commission. In addition to her Bronze Medal, she has received seven Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Events and Specials.

Jennie Smith Wilson

Jennie Smith Wilson is a senior communications executive with over 25 years of experience in consumer products, retail, financial services, corporate branding, and non-profit sectors. Working with leading advertising agencies, Jennie led relationship management teams in all facets of brand strategy and communications plan development.  Jennie worked with leading advertising agencies in Dallas, Philadelphia, and New York. Jennie is also a community leader with over 20 years of experience serving on non-profit boards focused on education and social services for women and children. In 2014, Jennie was named Bergen County Volunteer of the Year. She was appointed to the Ridgewood Board of Adjustment and served for three years before being appointed and subsequently elected to the Ridgewood Board of Education, winning with the greatest number of votes in a Ridgewood municipal election.  Jennie was elected Board President and served on the Finance, Curriculum, and Communications Committees, and was the BOE representative to the Fields Committee. Jennie also served on the board of trustees of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County and the YWCA of Northern New Jersey, serving on the governance, communications, and nominating committees.