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Board of Directors Biographies

Barbara Alpern

Barbara Alpern joined our NYC Chapter in 2014 after a career as a technology project manager. In addition to implementing health administration systems for Fortune 500 companies, she built a healthcare 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.

After a year, she noticed little things that needed to be done and started volunteering. She revamped the NYC chapter's Peer Group Committee, joined the Steering Committee, and ultimately became Chapter Chair in 2016. Barbara also played a significant role in implementing the organization-wide association management system that we rolled out in January 2022.

Barbara’s first love is staying busy by volunteering. She enjoys theater, reading, and events in downtown Philadelphia, where she moved in 2023.

Fatima Class, Treasurer

Fatima Class joined the Philadelphia Chapter in 2013 and over the years has served as the chapter’s secretary, vice chair and chair.  She led the way for Women's Connection in applying technology to chapter operations by creating a member lifecycle dashboard. In 2021, she oversaw the implementation of our new association management system.

Born in Egypt, Fatima left at an early age to pursue a US education in computer technology.  In her decades-long career in the pharmaceutical industry, largely at GlaxoSmithKline, she set strategic direction for technology support organizations, including change management programs, and was responsible for oversight of all global projects.

After supporting the educational and sports activities of her four children, Fatima is now active in her community, including volunteering with the Lord’s Pantry, which provides food for people in need.  She spends time with her grandchildren, enjoys sailing and snorkeling, and has a passion for cooking and baking.

Jeanine Briefel

Jeanine Briefel heard about The Transition Network (now Women's Connection) from friends after the death of her husband. Attracted by the Long Island Chapter’s volunteer opportunities and its many workshops, special interest groups and events, she joined in 2019 and assumed responsibility as chair of the Long Island Community Volunteer Committee.

Jeanine has been involved with non-profit organizations and community relations teams for more than four decades, beginning with the Ford Foundation and ending with MSC, an industrial supply distributor. She is a classically trained pianist and has performed many concerts for disadvantaged audiences, as well as playing professionally as a soloist, chamber musician, and music director.

A life-long learner, Jeanine also enjoys nature hikes, sailing, bicycling, theater, reading, studying German, and exploring the piano repertoire with her mentor, Seymour Bernstein, of the film Seymour: An Introduction, produced and directed by Ethan Hawke.

Jill Goski

Jill was planning to leave full-time employment to transition to part-time consulting, and to serve on a national board she had been elected to, when she read the book Smart Women Don’t Retire, They Break Free. Upon learning that the book was about The Transition Network (now Women's Connection), Jill researched the organization and realized how much its vision, mission and values mirrored her own interests and values. She was an original MSP Chapter Steering Committee member, and served as Chapter Chair from 2016 to 2022.

Jill’s four-decade professional career included a variety of roles with common themes of learning, leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion, the last decade as Director of Education and Organization Development for the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Jill lives in suburban St. Paul. Her two sons and their families live nearby, providing her the opportunity to spend time with her grandchildren and volunteer at their schools and events. Jill also serves as a docent at Ramsey County art/historical sites and volunteers at major Twin Cities community/athletic events. She enjoys the arts and cultural events, pilates and fitness classes, outdoor activities, travel, and anything involving lifelong learning.

Joy Cooper

Joy Cooper joined the Long Island chapter in 2021 and served on our national fundraising committee. She is passionate about our mission of empowering women to thrive across life's transitions.

Joy is a fundraising professional, with decades of experience at nonprofit organizations in the arts and in cultural and educational organizations such as the Queens Museum, the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College and the Theater Development Fund. In her current position as Director of Development for the New York School of Interior Design, she manages all aspects of fundraising, including an annual gala, corporate partnerships, year-round appeals and board relations.

Joy lives in Long Beach, New York with her husband and two cats. She loves attending visual and performing arts events, reading, traveling, kayaking and fitness training.

Karen Buros, Vice President

Karen Buros joined the New York City Chapter in 2017 following her retirement from an independent survey research firm.  She is a member of NYC’s Marketing and Communications Committee and has been part of several national projects aimed at enhancing the Women's Connection member experience.

During her more than 35-year career, Karen worked with clients across the United States and Europe to explore new products, services, and marketing strategies for their businesses. Prior to joining her long-term employer, Radius GMR, she had her own analytics consulting business for more than eight years.

Karen raised three children who are now pursuing their own careers and families in the United States and Germany. Since her retirement she has taken 20+ trips to US National Parks, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central/ South America.  She also enjoys baking, wines, quilting and knitting when home in her Murray Hill neighborhood.

Karen Roggeman

Having lived and worked across the United States and in Europe, Karen Roggeman is no stranger to transitions. But when she took early retirement in 2018 and moved to Philadelphia, she didn't have a workplace to help build a new network. A friend introduced Karen to The Transition Network (now Women's Connection) and she immediately connected with the women she met. From that point on, Women's Connection became a portal through which she learned about and integrated into her new community.

Karen's career spanned more than 25 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, where she led complex commercial organizations in Human Health and Animal Health. Her strategic approach is built on customer insight, which she views as essential to the evolution of people-focused organizations.

Karen is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie. She enjoys volunteering in her community, mentoring, traveling, and the arts. Living her passion for both the American and European cultures, she splits her time between Philadelphia and Paris.

Lindsey Draves, President

Lindsey Draves joined the Long Island Chapter in 2010, five years before her retirement, seeking friendships close to her home. Her nearly four-decade career in New York City was in media and market research, beginning with magazine publishing firms and later transitioning to research companies. Lindsey held various leadership roles throughout her career, focusing on project management, operations, analytics, quality control and training. She was also a regular speaker at sales and industry conferences.

Upon retiring, Lindsey was invited to join the Long Island steering committee as Vice Chair. In 2020, she became Chair. Leading the organization's largest chapter was challenging, but it allowed her to leverage her business expertise while acquiring new skills. She has accomplished her goal of building meaningful friendships on Long Island.

Outside of Women's Connection, Lindsey enjoys walking, hiking, reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She volunteers weekly for Hair We Share, an organization that provides wigs for people experiencing medical hair loss. In addition, she has surprised herself by discovering a passion for Pickleball.

Margaret Tauzier

Margaret learned about The Transition Network (now Women's Connection) from a Foundations of Board Service Training Series offered by her employer, PwC. She is a member of the Coast to Coast Chapter.

Margaret has worked for PwC for over 30 years in its tax practice. She is based in the New Orleans office and works in Corporate, Partnership and Individual Taxation, providing tax consulting and compliance solutions for both publicly traded and closely held businesses. She has served clients in many different industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, not-for-profit, marine transportation, insurance, family businesses, and publishing. Margaret is also an instructor and content developer for many of PwC’s training programs. She has served on several non-profit boards and on the Financial Literacy and Career Awareness committees of her state CPA society.

She loves to cook and travel and resides with her husband in Mandeville, Louisiana; Parker, Colorado; and Panama City Beach, Florida.

Marsha Yankelev, Secretary

Marsha joined our Philadelphia Chapter in 2013 after retiring from a 37-year career at IBM, where she held sales, consulting, marketing and management positions in six different locations.

Working 80 hours a week and being a single mother of three didn’t offer time to think about retirement or to have local friends, so TTN (now Women's Connection) came into her life at just the right time. Having held multiple committee and leadership roles, Marsha serves on the Philadelphia Steering Committee as Programs Chair, and is a Welcome Ambassador and Peer Group liaison.

Marsha volunteers at Chester County Hospital, Chester County Volunteer English Program and other local non-profit organizations. Her interests span from book club to Mahjong to cultural events, traveling, yoga and athletics. She is devoted to her partner, Michael, their children, grandchildren and a large extended family. Her motto: Be Bold, Stay Sharp, Be Kind, Get Off the Sidelines.

Nancy Feldman Kirsh

Nancy Kirsh learned about our organization soon after moving to Center City Philadelphia from the city's suburbs in 2021 and quickly became an active member of the Philadelphia chapter.

During her career, Nancy had extensive experience in healthcare marketing and nonprofit management. She served as the Regional Vice President for a nine-hospital health system, as Executive Director of a women's health center, and as an independent consultant to nonprofit and health care organizations. In addition, she was on the faculties of two Philadelphia-area universities, served on several nonprofit boards and was the recipient of numerous professional awards.

Now retired, Nancy is involved with a number of community and cultural organizations and book clubs. She enjoys walking, theater, concerts, museums, traveling with her husband, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Sujatha Kailas

Sujatha Kailas felt an instant connection when she discovered The Transition Network (now Women's Connection) and joined the Chicago chapter in 2018.

A practicing gastroenterologist, Sujatha works part-time in Chicago, after having a thriving private practice in Wisconsin. She has held many leadership roles over the past 25 years, including working as Chief of Staff at multiple medical organizations and serving on the boards of medical, social, cultural and charitable organizations. She was on the Wisconsin Medical Regulatory Board for eight years -- two as Chair -- and served for six years on a board that is accountable for approving the content, setting passing scores and overseeing administration for the Step exams used by all US medical schools.

Outside of medical life, Sujatha mentors high school students as they navigate through their college admissions process. She loves to read, travel, spend time with family and friends and bike on the Lakeshore Trail in Chicago.

Tricia Long

Tricia Long, an attorney, joined our Washington DC chapter in 2023 after retiring from a 26-year career in government financial management. Most recently, she was Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the US Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service, where she was known for her expertise in crafting innovative solutions for federal and state agencies to maximize revenue and prevent losses due to error and fraud.

Earlier, Tricia provided legal counsel in several areas of federal government financial management. For example, she was an attorney at the Resolution Trust Corporation, a federal agency formed to resolve the savings and loan crisis. Before joining the federal goverment, she practiced law in the private sector, representing financial institutions in commercial real estate transactions.

Tricia expresses her creativity by using paint to transform furniture finds. She hikes and camps with her husband and puppy, Penny, and enjoys traveling to visit friends and her two adult children.

Vrinda Menon

Vrinda Menon joined The Transition Network (now Women's Connection) in 2021 as a Board member before becoming part of the New York City chapter. Vrinda is Chief Technology Officer for Operations and Client Services for the JPMorgan Private Bank. She is also the co-head of Diversity for the firm’s Asset & Wealth Management Technology division.

Prior to joining JPMorgan, Vrinda was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, responsible for multiple global technology functions. In addition, she served as co-head of the firm’s Asian Professional Network for multiple years. Vrinda was named “Woman of the Year” by WatersTechnology in its 2021 Women in Technology & Data awards. WatersTechnology is the financial services industry’s premier provider of information about technology and data.

Vrinda lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. In addition to her interest in all aspects of technology, she loves yoga, traveling, cooking and interior decoration.

Wendy Finn

Wendy Finn has been an active member of the DC Metro Chapter since 2018 and joined the Leadership Team in 2020. She leads the chapter’s events committee and peer groups program, driving significant growth in both areas, and collaborates with the team on other chapter initiatives.

Her professional background includes serving as executive director for two community-based organizations focused on helping older adults age successfully at home. Previously, she led a regional dog rescue. Earlier in her career, she held roles in membership, educational programming, and marketing at professional associations.

Wendy lives in Bethesda, MD, with her husband and their rescued dog. She is passionate about plant-based diets, animal welfare, native gardening, walking, and traveling.