Board of Directors - Newton at Home

HomeBoard of Directors

Board Members

Jennifer Sax, President

A dedicated health and human services professional with almost 20 years of experience in not-for-profit hospice and palliative care management, Jennifer's leadership has helped grow Good Shepherd to be one of leading providers of hospice and palliative care in greater Boston. Jennifer's area of expertise is in developing and implementing strategic campaigns to advance philanthropic growth and business operations and is a strong advocate for strategic internal communications to build engaging, collaborative and productive work cultures. Jennifer became President on Newton at Home’s Board in November 2023. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Vermont and the LeadingAge MA Leadership Academy, a member of the MA Coalition for Serious Illness Care and serves annually on the LGBTQ+ Elders in an Everchanging World Conference Committee. She is a mother to Adriana (9) and Jaxon (5) and a passionate cook and indoor cyclist.

James F. Smith, Vice President

Jim is Media Relations Director at Harvard Kennedy School. Since 2010, he has held diverse media, communications, and outreach roles at Harvard. Previously, he led communications for Swanee Hunt Alternatives, a foundation advancing women’s leadership. He worked at the Boston Globe as foreign editor, and before that he was a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press on four continents. Jim joined the Newton at Home Board in 2021 and became Vice President in 2023. He grew up in Newton Highlands, went to Newton South High, and lives in Auburndale. He is married to Maxine Hart and has two sons, Matthew and Daniel, and a stepdaughter, Leila.

Ed Frankenberry, Secretary

Ed Frankenberry has been a multi-skilled volunteer with Newton at Home since early 2020. He has helped members with various technology requests, and been part of the small appliance repair group. In 2022, he was elected to the Board of Directors and became Secretary of the Board. Over the years, he has assisted local non-profit organizations as both a volunteer and a board member. As a volunteer, he has helped clients and members of the Watertown Senior Center, Belmont Council on Aging, the Cambridge Science Festival, and the Watertown Free Public Library's Hatch maker space. Ed joined the NAH Board following the conclusion of a 3-year term as a trustee of Riverside Boat Club (a rowing club in Cambridge). Ed has an engineering background, and has worked for over 3 decades in technical roles at several firms in the greater Boston area. He lives in Watertown and enjoys most outdoor activities.

Jean Wood, Treasurer

Jean joined the Newton at Home Board and was elected Treasurer in 2023. She spent her career in social policy research and has been an executive in both profit and non-profit international consulting and research organizations focusing on public policy issues including health care and education. Jean has been active in several Newton organizations and served on Newton’s Economic Development Commission. She has Board-level experience in other non-profits and professional organizations, including serving as Treasurer. Jean has an undergraduate degree from Simmons College and a PhD in Economics from Boston College. Jean, a long-time Newton resident, now lives in Boston.

Cheryl Alpert

Cheryl is a licensed realtor with Coldwell Banker, working out of their Newton branch. Previously, her career was in advertising, public relations, and marketing. In addition, she has been a long-time volunteer in philanthropic, advocacy, civic, and community organizations. She has volunteered with local non-profit organizations such as Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston Classical Orchestra, Boston University, Dana Farber, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The Weston Board recently appointed Cheryl to their 2020 Housing Production Planning initiative. She also has experience volunteering on behalf of seniors: She was involved in the Wellesley at Home (now Wellesley Neighbors) village when it was first formed; she has volunteered with the Weston Council for Aging; and she has a certification as Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Cheryl has an MA in Art History, has done graduate work in business, and is a ceramicist. A life-long resident of Massachusetts who grew up in Newton, Cheryl lives in Weston.

Ellen Bassuk

Ellen is the founder and Technical Advisor of C4 Innovations. She is a psychiatrist who has served as Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School for more than 30 years. As a clinical researcher and advocate, she has investigated the connections among poverty, homelessness, trauma, and mental illness, and developed solutions to prevent and end homelessness for families and children. She has been a pioneer in documenting the causes, course and consequences of homelessness for families and children. She received her B.A. from Brandeis University, her M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine, and an Honorary Doctor of Public Service from Northeastern University. She served as Editor-In-Chief of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry and has published more than 150 articles, monographs and books, and lectured frequently. Among her numerous awards are the Blanche L. Ittleson Award for Promotion of Children’s Mental Health, the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contribution to Child Advocacy Award, and Tufts Medical Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ellen became an NAH member in 2018 and was elected to the Board in 2021. Ellen lives in Newton with her 2 dogs and close to her two adult children.

Don Freedman

Don Freedman is an attorney concentrating in elder law and the legal problems of adults and children with disabilities and special needs. He has written and spoken on elder and disability law topics. He joined our Board in 2020. Don has volunteered with a number of human services and advocacy organizations, including as board chair of both the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Association and the Learning Prep School for children with special needs. He has served on the Governor’s Commission on Mental Retardation, the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, and the board of Jewish Vocational Service. He has also been active with Newton’s Temple Emanuel and volunteers with the Stars of David, a group he and his wife helped found, serving Jewish adults with developmental disabilities and special needs. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and Boston College Law School and has done graduate work at the Boston University School of Law Graduate Tax Program. With his wife, Ruth, he has lived, raised his children, and worked in Newton for more than forty years.

Arthur Glasgow

Arthur was elected Vice President of Newton at Home in December 2021. Previously, he had served a year as NAH’s Co-President. Since joining NAH's Board of Directors in 2012, he has provided a variety of direct services to NAH members, including transporting them to medical appointments, taking them grocery shopping, doing simple handyman jobs, and gardening. He was elected vice president of NAH in 2017 and has also served as a member of the Health and Wellness Committee and Membership/Marketing Committee. Arthur retired in March 2011 from a surgical weight loss practice, which he shared with one of his sons. His medical degree is from NYU Medical School. He and his wife have lived in Newton for nearly 52 years and raised three children here.

Marcia Herrera

Marcia is a Human Resources leader focused on achieving business results and acquiring new business and people for global consulting organizations. Her areas of specialty include organizational development and corporate culture, employee acquisition, and assimilation, employee professional development, and performance optimization. During her career she had the privilege of working with people in their countries including in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia. Marcia works as an independent HR consultant to companies of various sizes, from very small to large, and for both for-profit and not-for-profit. She joined the Newton at Home Board in 2023. Before becoming a consultant, she was an HR director at Pathfinder International and Management Sciences for Health. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in Human Development and the Family. An east coast transplant, Marcia moved to Massachusetts from Colorado and has lived in West Newton since 1988 (around the corner from NAH) and for the past several years with partner, Henry Magno. She is an avid reader, gardener, and knitter.

Bob Larner

Bob returned to the NAH Board in 2019. He previously served on the Board from 2010 to 2016 and at various times as Vice President, Treasurer, and Committee chair (Finance, Member Recruitment). With a Ph.D. in economics, Bob has taught at Brandeis and other universities, worked at the Federal Trade Commission, and been a consultant, executive, and board member at Charles River Associates (CRA). Bob has been an active direct service volunteer since NAH opened in 2011. Bob and his wife, Anne, have lived in Newton since 1973. They have three children, five grandchildren, and their first great-grandchild.

Cynthia Pill

Cynthia has a Ph.D. in social work and has had a long career as a therapist. She has also managed organizational volunteer services for much of her professional life. An active member of our original steering committee before NAH began operations and one of our original Board members from 2009 to 2017, she returned to our Board in 2019. Over the years since NAH was founded, she has headed the Volunteer and Staffing Committee, facilitated three long-running caregiver support groups for Newton at Home, and co-chaired our NAH Health and Wellness Committee. Cynthia has lived in Newton for over 50 years and has raised three children here.

Ghazwan Tapponi

Ghazwan is a branch manager at the Village Bank in West Newton. He has worked with and been very helpful to the Newton At Home staff and some of our members since joining the bank in 2018. Representing the bank, he has been involved with many local organizations and events. Ghazwan joined our Board in 2022. He has an Associate in Science degree in accounting from Mass Bay Community College and a B.Sc. in Information Technology from AL-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. He is originally from Iraq. Ghazwan moved to USA in 2009 and is now a Framingham resident.

photographs by Bonnie Greenberg and others