BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ann Bialkin, Chair, Co-founder
Ann Bialkin is the Chair of ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel, a non-profit organization she cofounded 30 years ago.
Bialkin received a Bachelors degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York and earned a Master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work in New York City. Upon graduating, she worked as a family therapist and treated youth similar to those ELEM serves.
Bialkin managed and supervised a liaison program at the Jewish Board of Guardians to support children who were in trouble with the law by linking them with volunteers in the family courts of New York City. These activities gave her insight into the functioning of the juvenile justice system and spurred the creation of ELEM in 1982.
She served as President of ELEM/America for 28 years, and currently serves as a member of the International Board of Directors of ELEM and as the Chair of ELEM’s American Board. Ann routinely travels between New York and Israel to participate in policymaking and professional issues.
Ann Bialkin’s civic and philanthropic commitments extend beyond ELEM. She is an executive committee member of the board of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, a patron of Carnegie Hall and an honorary director of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She is married to attorney Kenneth J. Bialkin, a committed supporter of ELEM’s activities and a member of ELEM’s advisory board.
Lenore Ruben, President
Lenore Ruben, LMSW co-founded the Group for ADHD, LLC, a multi-disciplinary clinic providing full diagnostics and treatment for families, adults and children living with ADHD and/or learning disabilities. The clinic is dedicated to providing a combination of both traditional and alternative treatments. Ruben holds a B.S. from Boston University School of Education and an MSW from the Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work at New York University.
She has been active in ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel for the past ten years. Ruben currently holds the position of President of ELEM/America and is a member of the International Board of Directors of ELEM. She has been instrumental to the success and professionalism of ELEM’s vocational training program at Liliyot Restaurant in Tel Aviv. The program trains youth who have fallen out of traditional educational frameworks in the culinary arts.
Ruben has served on the National Board of Directors of Hillel and AIPAC. She is a member of the Women’s Campaign Board of the American Jewish Committee and the Women’s Board of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.