Lisa and Neil Wallack to Recieve Rashi's Kehillah Award

For the second time in their fourteen years as parents at The Rashi School, Weston residents Lisa and Neil Wallack will be honored with the Kehillah Award. The award, recognizing Lisa and Neil for their outstanding leadership and commitment in support of the school, will be presented at Rashi’s Annual Dinner on May 28, 2015.

“There is virtually no area of Rashi that has not benefitted from Lisa and Neil’s support,” explains Board President Kathy Cohen. “Together, they have been supporters, ambassadors, and cheerleaders for the school. Their devotion to Rashi is unrivaled; we are so lucky that they are part of our community and they are most deserving two-time award recipients.”

The Rashi School’s Annual Dinner, titled “Celebrating the Mosaic that is Rashi,” will be held on Thursday, May 28 at the Seaport Hotel Boston and will highlight Rashi’s leaders of today and tomorrow. Proceeds from the event will support The Rashi School’s 2015 Annual Campaign, which provides vital funds that help bridge the gap between tuition income and the cost to educate students.

“It is fitting that we will recognize the facet of leadership in our Mosaic this year,” notes Board President Kathy Cohen. Indeed, the school will recognize and honor leaders from all facets of their community. Along with recognizing the Wallacks and their leadership role, Rashi will also celebrate the leadership of their Head of School, Matt King, as he retires from his position. Under Matt King’s leadership, The Rashi School has grown from a respected local Jewish day school into a national educational leader. Finally, the school will recognize an outstanding alumnus or alumna with the Tikkun Alum Award. Past recipients of the award have been alumni who, in their years after Rashi, have continued to practice the lessons of tikkun olam (repairing the world) that they learned as students at the school.

Lisa Wallack, a former attorney at Choate, Hall & Stewart, is now a full-time volunteer, serving on the Board of The Rashi School, Gann Academy, Temple Beth Elohim, the New England chapter of JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), and AIPAC’s National Council. She was co-chair of The Campaign for Rashi, a thirteen-year campaign whose aim was to raise $30M in order to build the permanent home for the Boston Area Reform Jewish K-8 Independent School. Lisa is also active at Combined Jewish Philanthropies where she is a former Board member, a past Annual Campaign co-chair, and was co-chair of CJP’s Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Leadership Program. She currently co-chairs CJP’s Israel Advocacy Committee and has chaired and serves on numerous other CJP committees. Additionally, she is a graduate of Acharai and the Jewish Federations of North America’s Young Leadership Cabinet.

Neil Wallack is Managing Director of 1901 Partners, a private equity firm focused on the energy sector. The company is the successor to ZBI Ventures, the private equity investment vehicle of the Ziff family, where Neil served as President from 2007 through 2014. Previously, he was co-founder of Vision Media Investors and was a partner of Boston Ventures Management. Neil is the First Vice Chair and Treasurer of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, where he chairs the Budget & Administration Committee and serves on the Organizational Development Committee. He was previously a member of the Board of Jewish Vocational Service of Boston, has served on a variety of CJP committees, and is also a graduate of CJP’s Acharai Program as well as the Jewish Federations of North America’s Young Leadership Cabinet.

Matt King has been the head of the Rashi School since 2007. Previously, he led three Massachusetts school districts for 28 years: superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools (1996-2007), superintendent/principal of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (1989-1996), and superintendent/principal of the Carlisle Public Schools (1979-1989). He has published numerous articles and consulted with school administrators throughout the country on school leadership and strengthening school culture. Matt has taught graduate courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Wheelock College and currently teaches in the Leadership Licensure Program, a statewide program for teachers seeking to become principals run by Teachers 21, a non-profit organization committed to systemic education reform. He has served on the boards of numerous organizations including Outward Bound and the Regional Anti-Defamation League. A graduate of Colgate University, Matt received an M.A.T. from Smith College and an Ed.D. from Harvard University.

Co-chaired by Rashi grandparents Linda & Michael Frieze and current parents Donna & David Frieze and Faryl & Jonathan Sandler, the evening begins with cocktails at 6:00 PM followed by a seated dinner and program. To learn more about the event or to purchase sponsorships, tables or tickets please visit www.rashi.org/dinner2015.