Barbara Alpern - Membership Chair

Barbara Alpern has been a Women's Connection member since 2014, after a lengthy career as a technology project manager.  She joined the Philadelphia Chapter in 2023 after moving here from NYC, where she served on its chapter’s Steering Committee for 8 years in various capacities, including as Chapter Chair. During that time, she also revamped the Peer Group Committee (including SIGs), and chaired its Caring Collaborative.  Barbara also played a significant role in implementing the Association Management System that Women's Connection rolled out in January 2022. She joined Women's Connection's Board of Directors and Philadelphia’s Steering Committee in 2023. 

During her career implementing health administration systems for Fortune 500 companies, she also built a health care claims auditing practice, revamped Merrill Lynch’s Benefits Administration Department, and created a Benefits Administration Outsourcing Service for Buck Consultants, an employee benefits consulting firm.

Barbara’s first love is staying busy by volunteering.  She enjoys theater, reading, and now reacquainting herself with the City of Brotherly Love where she was raised, which has reinvented itself since she left it in 1973.

Margie Bildersee - Member at Large

 Women's Connection offered a perfect transition upon retiring from 35 years of teaching. The support and inspiration from other Boomers (give or take a few years) have been a gift. Presently, I am a liaison for two peer groups.

I live in Wynnewood and keep busy with five young grandchildren, mahjong (I am already in a Zoom group, but am always interested if anyone is looking to play on-line), book club, walking and a variety of crafts. Most recently, I have been taking classes in multimedia art.

My husband and I love to travel. However, since the Pandemic, our traveling has been mostly exploring the many “hidden gems” places in and around the area. (This was one of our many peer group topics.)

Women's Connection is an amazing organization, and it is an honor to be part of the Steering Committee.  I look forward to future involvement and seeing what lies ahead for Women's Connection.

Phyllis Bookspan – Giving Circle

Phyllis is a passionate supporter of equal rights, social consciousness, well-being and mindfulness. During her 20+ career as a law professor she taught and wrote about criminal law and procedure, and the rights of women, and children.  She started a law school clinic to represent juveniles charged with delinquency offenses and also took students to court to represent dependent and neglected children.  Phyllis graduated with a J.D. and M.L.A. from Georgetown Law Center.  She also has a yoga teacher certification from Kali Ray Tri Yoga International.   After early retirement from academia, she founded and owned two successful businesses – RYAH Yoga and Health- an award-winning integrative wellness center, and Bookspan Family Law, llc., a boutique law practice.  Phyllis shares life with her husband, Ian Frank, an infectious disease doctor, Dawkins, their maltee poo,  and the 5 adult children one grandchild, and two grand dogs in their blended family. She is honored to follow in Linda Senker’s footsteps and to co-chair the Giving Circle with Kris Lindenmeyer.

Jean Brubaker – Events

After starting her career as a professional cellist, Jean went on to work as an administrator (in public relations and marketing) for various arts organizations in New York, Washington and Baltimore. She came to Philadelphia in 1986 to work as Director of Marketing for The Philadelphia Orchestra, followed by fundraising and marketing in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Division of Oncology. She is also a photographer. Currently, Jean works as a guide for The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her free time is devoted to her son, Ace, and his new wife Samantha, dog Alberto and to biking and other athletic adventures.

Fatima Class - Finance Chair

Fatima joined the Philadelphia Chapter of Women's Connection in 2013 and has actively served in various positions on the Steering Committee and as chapter chair for over 4 years. Fatima is a member of the Women's Connection's national board of directors.

 

Fatima was born in Egypt, and left at an early age to pursue a computer technology education. She earned a degree in Computer Science and Statistics before engaging in a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. 

 

Family is extremely important to Fatima. She was active in supporting educational and sports activities of her four children, including serving as the fund-raising chairperson for several schools and sports organizations. She is active in the community as an avid supporter of the Lord’s Pantry. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. She enjoys sailing, snorkeling, golfing and a passion for cooking and baking.

Mary Clifford - Community Volunteering

Mary joined Women's Connection in 2016. She has enjoyed heading up several Special Interest Groups (SIGs), serving as a Welcome Ambassador, and she is a committee member for the annual children’s book drive.  Mary has planned numerous Women's Connection events and tours around the Philadelphia region, and stays involved in non-profits that support food insecurity, children’s needs and homelessness.

Mary is married with two children and lives in Philadelphia with her husband. She worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years in various financial, sales, marketing and operations roles. As a grateful retiree, she spends her free time volunteering, playing tennis, learning Pickle ball, participating in multiple book clubs, playing Mah Jong, gardening, cheering for the Philadelphia sports teams and cooking. 

Lorraine Gordon - Treasurer

Lorraine is a former pharmaceutical sales representative with over 25 years experience, most recently with GlaxoSmithKline. Lorraine is Treasurer of the Philadelphia Chapter and Co-chairperson of The Foodie Group.

 

Lorraine is the Outreach Liaison at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center's Communication & Education Department for the numerous Patient Cancer Conferences they sponsor. In addition, in 2007 she established the Roger A. Gordon Melanoma Fund at HUP in memory of her late husband in order to enhance awareness of skin cancer among the general public.

 

Lorraine also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, walking, reading, concerts, volunteering, traveling, fine wines and dining out.

Carol Greco - Public Relations

Carol moved to Philadelphia in August 2013. A co-founder of Northern Virginia's Wisley Greco & Associates, named by the Wall Street Journal/Real Trends as one of the top 250 real estate teams in the United States, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is married to Philip, a psychiatrist. They have two children and five grandchildren. Their son, Eric, is an options trader as well as a world-famous duplicate bridge player. Their daughter, Bonnie, is in commercial real estate. Carol leads the Awesome Art Appreciation SIG, the Off the Beaten Track Lunch SIG and is in charge of social media for the Philadelphia Chapter of Women's Connection.

Barbara Kessler - Transition Peer Groups

Barbara is a former New Yorker who recently relocated to Philadelphia to embrace all that the city of her college years has to offer (including kids, grandkids and extended family). Barbara’s career was a study in transition, moving from running groups and coordinating community involvement programs to practicing law for 25+ years. Her last position was Vice President Employment Law and Business Ethics at Cablevision. After retiring from law, Barbara’s Second Act was to start her own business as a life and career management coach and to serve in leadership positions on not-for-profit boards. She is so grateful to Women's Connection for providing her with opportunities to get to know Philadelphia, to learn “play”, to become part of a community of interesting, dynamic women, to use her skills and, most importantly, to develop new friends who are like family and make Philadelphia home.

Valerie Kirk - Secretary

Val recently moved to the Philadelphia area from Austin, Texas. Her professional career was primarily the practice of administrative law, focused on utilities.  She served as Managing Partner of a boutique telecommunications law firm before retiring in 2017.  

During her years in Austin, Val served on several non-profit boards, frequently as Treasurer.  She is particularly passionate about the power of collective giving, having served on the board of Philanos (a national network of women’s collective giving circles), and is currently a member of Impact Austin, Impact100 Philadelphia, and Women's Connection’s Giving Circle.

In her free time, Val loves spending time with her two sons, daughter-in-law, and three grandsons.  She also enjoys reading, volunteering, and travel.  Val is so glad to have discovered Women's Connection, and looks forward to making new friends and contributing her time and skills to her new community.

Kriste Lindenmeyer - Giving Circle

Kriste Lindenmeyer came to Philadelphia in 2011 when she accepted a position at Rutgers University—Camden. She grew up in Cincinnati, but as an adult also lived and worked in Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, West Virginia; Cookeville, Tennessee; Halle, Germany; and Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating high school, Kris worked as a waitress, bartender, and bar manager, as well as a department store buyer. She had also started a family and dropped out of college. In her late twenties, Kris returned to the University of Cincinnati and completed a B.A. and a Ph.D. in American History. Graduating in 1991, she focused her academic career on the history of American public policy and expanding college access to a wider range of young people. After retiring in 2020, Kris enthusiastically joined the Giving Circle because, “It is a perfect fit with my personal commitment to continue to find ways to help improve the lives of women and children.”

Madeline Sherry - Community Volunteering

Following graduation from Temple University School of law, Madeline Sherry joined the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.  Prior to her retirement, Madeline practiced law at Hecker Brown Shery and Johnson and then with Gibbons P.C.

Throughout her career, Madeline was active in pro bono organizations, including the Homeless Advocacy Project.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Big Picture Philadelphia (BPP), an educational non-profit focused on transformational learning experiences at two Philadelphia high schools.

Madeline enjoys Women's Connection activities, including her peer group and photography and arts SIGs.  She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Chapter’s Community Volunteer Committee.

Madeline and her husband, Frank Devine live in the Rittenhouse Square area near their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. She enjoys travel, including to the west coast to visit her other son. 

Kathleen Sullivan - Special Interest Groups

Kathleen has been a Women's Connection member since moving back to Philadelphia four years ago from California. She is a retired RN, mother of two, grandmother of three. 

Marsha Yankelev - Programs

After a nearly 4-decade career at IBM Corporation in 6 locations spanning Information Technology, sales, consulting and services, multiple management positions and Industry/Executive marketing, Marsha happily retired in 2013 to pursue her Second Act. Marsha currently volunteers at Chester County Hospital, Chester County Volunteer English Program and other local non-profit organizations. She serves as Vice Chair for Women's Connection Marketing and Communications, learning new digital publishing skills and trying her hand as a journalist. In late 2017, Marsha also became Chair of the Programs Committee and is actively working to deliver educational and personal growth programs for Women's Connection members. 

 

In her free time, Marsha enjoys book club, Mah Jongg, cultural events, yoga, biking, traveling and tackling new athletic challenges. She is devoted to her partner, Michael, their children and a large extended family. Her motto: Be Bold, Stay Sharp, Be Kind, Get Off the Sidelines.