Our People
We are fortunate to have a select group of prestigious health, community, and business leaders who have joined our Founders Circle, Board of Directors, and Staff. These individuals share a deep concern for our cause.
Our Founders
President
Daniel Goodman
Rabbi and educator. President of MagicMobility Vans by Special Kids Fund and CharityChoice Gift Cards.
Chair
Mark Finkel
Corporate executive, investor, community leader, and philanthropist. Chair of Special Kids Fund and Founder of CharityChoice Gift Cards.
Trustee
Mordechai Rindenow, OBM
Psychologist, lecturer, and educator. Trustee of Special Kids Fund.
Our Founders Circle
The following individuals are public advocates and are active in the world of health care and commerce on behalf of our organization. Their wisdom and experience have been invaluable in guiding us since our beginning.
Jason Alexander
Actor/director and national celebrity spokesman for the Scleroderma Foundation.
Jerry Greenfield
The founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Jerry Greenfield, mailed cases of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to spread the cause and name of Special Kids Fun in its beginning.
Dr. Paul Gerson
Founder of Camp For All. Camp For All (CFA) is a barrier-free, fully-accessible camp working to enrich the lives of children and adults with chronic illnesses or disabilities.
Dr. Malvin and Barbara Barer
Malvin Barer OBM MSc, MD Volunteer for Orthopedics Overseas, former Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital of the East Bay, Oakland, CA and orthopedic consultant for the Golden State Warriors.
Barbara Barer A senior research associate at the Department of Medical Anthropology, University of California at San Francisco. One of the leading authors in the field of aging, co-author of ‘Life Beyond 85’.
Drs. Harvey and Susan Kayman
Harvey Kayman, MD, MPH Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Member, South Carolina Medical Association Ethics Committee and was responsible for creating an HRSA/CDC sponsored Emergency Preparedness Team. Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Pediatrics Department of USC.
Susan Kayman Dr.P.H.,RD. Deputy Director, Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, USC Associate Research Professor, Health Promotion Education and Behavior.
Dr. Howard L. Weiner
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine. Pediatric Basic Research Award by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Society for Neuro-Oncology Young Investigator Award and Best Individual Investigator Award by the AANS/CNS Tumor Section.
Board of Directors
Founder & President
Daniel B. Goodman
Daniel’s personal involvement is motivated by his own special needs child as well as over 25 years of experience as an educator and Rabbi, involved in the social needs of a community. He guided parents in founding a social club for physically challenged young adults in Palo Alto that has now evolved into a communal residence, and hosted a special needs program within the Jewish High School, where he was Principal in Miami Beach. Professionally, he has served on the National Board of the Association of Hebrew Day Schools, was Chairman of the Federation’s Association of Rabbis and Agency Executives in Palo Alto, and cofounded the Institute for Jewish Medical Ethics in San Francisco.
Chair
Mark Finkel, Esq.
Mark is CEO and majority owner of RightAnswers LLC, an information technology knowledge base company, and General Partner of Prism Opportunity Fund, a venture capital fund. He also serves as a director of a number of companies and not-for-profit entities. He is a 20 year technology industry veteran, with 15 of those years in Silicon Valley. He has held executive positions with Consilium, Logic Works, Neuron Data (Blaze Software), GEO, BackWeb, and ServiceWare. All of these companies went public during his tenure. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, an MBA from New York University and a JD from the University of California.
Our Trustees
Robert C. Lawson
Chief of Police, Lakewood Township, NJ. He is a graduate of Columbia University B.A., Rutgers University Certified Public Manager Certification, FBI National Academy and Fairleigh Dickinson University Masters in Administrative Science. Chief Lawson serves on the board of Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus Foundation and is a member of many professional associations, including New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Certified Chief L.E. Executive.Mordechai Rindenow, OBM
M.A. and Ed. M., Teachers College, Columbia University, served as Executive Director of Project SPARK for at-risk youth and was program coordinator for substance abuse counseling at Christ Hospital in NJ). Presently has his own practice.
