ECRS Board of Directors (2024)
Allie Cliffe
While Allie’s education and work background is in astrophysics and biomedical science writing, her extracurricular passion lies in writing and performing outside her comfort zone – the comedic arts. A self-proclaimed creative trapped in a scientist’s body, Allie is in a local sketch comedy group up in Portland, Maine, and has graced the stages of the Portland Fringe Festival, the Portland Maine Comedy Festival, and recently tickled funny bones at a Halloween show at Three of Strong Distillery.
Allie has been coming to Winter Adventure for more than a decade, back when it was called Winter Workshop. She’s been on the board and has led Evening Sing and Evening Program (once with Howard Moody and once with Max Kaye). She is most proud of helping to safely pull off Winter Adventure in the time of Covid (2021).
Beverly Pincus
Dr. Beverly Pincus is a bilingual Licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in trauma treatment and Cross-Cultural Psychology, an award-winning author of personal essay and poetry, and a teacher of creative writing through her playshop “The Write Stuff.” Beverly is also a volunteer psychologist with Physicians for Human Rights, and with Vibrant Emotional Health’s Crisis Emotional Care Team, providing humanitarian and disaster relief mental health services.
A proud Colombian-American “Jewtina” Beverly loves to write, read, teach, dance, travel, do yoga, sing, attend live theater, take long walks in nature, enjoy good food (which she often cooks) with good friends, and cuddle with her furry, funny cat Cole.
Bonnie Ostrovsky
An ECRS member for 30 years, Bonnie has served on the Board and is currently the co-chairperson of the Program and Staffing committee. She enjoys the opportunity to play games, dance, sing, and play music together. She leads a monthly ukulele “jam” (play and singalong) in eastern PA and has been known to lead a ukulele band for New Year’s Eve at Winter Adventure.
Carmen Siftar
Carmen has been coming to ECRS her entire life! She’s from Philadelphia, PA, and is finishing her senior year at Bryn Mawr College. Carmen loves to craft, dance, sing, and play at ECRS. She’s excited to co-teach with her cousin and make Zines!
Celia Nicholson
Celia is from Stow, MA, and is currently in her last year studying at Haverford College. Things Celia loves include spending time with friends and family, making art of all kinds, farming, learning, dancing, singing, swimming, and laughing. ECRS has been part of Celia’s life since before she was even born, and it’s really shaped who she is today. Celia is looking forward to co-teaching a class to the people who taught her!
Frank Baskin
Within ECRS, Frank has been on the Board, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC), and on staff as the staff coordinator, teaching small scenes, informal dramatics, storytelling, smorgasbord, and more.
Gabriella Frisone
Gabby has been involved with ECRS since she started coming with her family as a teenager, and she’s been hooked ever since. Gabby recently became involved in the planning of events and served on the Board. Outside of ECRS, Gabby works as an administrator in the Statistics Department at a university.
Glenn Lebwohl-Steiner
Many wonderful things here.
Heather Klemanski
Heather Klemanski is a wellness expert specializing in mindfulness and self-compassion. Passionate about creating safe, joyful spaces, she helps others overcome challenges and embrace meaningful change to enhance their well-being. Heather enjoys making earrings and collaging—infusing creativity into everything she does.
Isaac Lebwohl-Steiner
Isaac does this, does that, does everything well and nothing half-asked.
Julie Lipson and Miles Crabtree
Julie and Miles are music therapists and musicians with more than 3 decades of experience facilitating musical community adventures. The two perform with Ants on a Log, a nationally acclaimed social-justice family music band. As facilitators, Miles and Julie create inclusive spaces for people to express themselves, make genuine connections, and have lots of fun!
Julie Siftar
Julie Siftar grew up attending ECRS programs. She has a degree in Art Education from Temple University and has been teaching Art in Massachusetts for 20+ years. “ECRS has been an essential influence in my teaching success.”
Karen Wisnia
Karen has been attending ECRS events since she first came as a sophomore in college (Spring 1979). She loved it so much she’s hardly missed an event since. Karen was Treasurer on the ECRS Board of Directors in the 1980s and Board Co-Chair in the 1990s. She was Chair of the Weekend Planning Committee starting in 1986 until it morphed into the Programming and Staffing Committee in 2020, and continued to Co-Chair until 2022. Karen’s staff roles at Winter Adventure include Staff Coordinator, Assistant Business Manager, and Class Co-Leader. At weekend events, Karen has held roles such as Co-Coordinator, Class Leader, Registrar, Assistant Registrar, and various scholarship positions. Karen has most recently been Co-Coordinator at several one-day ECRS events in Philadelphia.
Lane Neubauer
Lane has been attending ECRS since she was 11 (over 55 years!). She has been on staff many times teaching a variety of classes including Informal Dramatics, Games, Square Dancing, Group Dynamics and Leadership. She has been Staff Coordinator as well Evening Program Coordinator multiple times. Lane served on the ECRS Board and was Chair for two years of her three year term. Professionally, Lane was Associate Dean of Students for 17 years at La Salle University. She initiated and facilitated a Peer Education program and grew this to be over 60 students. Prior to La Salle, she was Director of ‘Wellness Services’ at Arcadia University for 10 years and was an Adjunct Faculty member teaching Group Dynamics to Masters level teachers; in this course, she incorporated ECRS philosophy in teaching teachers how to build a positive, inclusive climate with their students. Throughout her professional career as well as after she retired, Lane has been called upon by a variety of different populations to facilitate workshops focusing on team building, conflict resolution and leadership.
Mark Schwartz
Mark Schwartz has been an ECRS member and leader for over forty years. He started his professional career as a recreation therapist, often using ECRS activities in his day-to-day work. He later moved into healthcare administration and is currently the Executive Director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cardiac Center. Mark is also a professional musician playing piano, guitar, banjo, and other instruments. He has led classes at ECRS over the years including various singing courses, playing music for dancing, and games.
Max Kaye
Max is a 26-year-old, long-time Winter Adventure participant who loves music, games, and the ECRS family! He is originally from Massachusetts and currently lives in Montreal Canada. He is excited to be co-leading the children’s program this year.
Patricia Williams
Patricia Williams loves to bring people together through singing, dancing, informal dramatics and cooperative games. Her expertise in human interaction and group dynamics has been honed over many years as a group facilitator and coach. Even reluctant first-timers find her instructions to be simple and clear, her enthusiasm infectious.
Phyllis Lerner
Two highlights of Phyllis Lerner’s primary school days were “PE and recess” when she was often selected first for kickball games. She started as a Physical Educator and has always carried movement into teaching and learning. Just retired from the Johns Hopkins University Graduate School of Education’s National Teach For America program, Phyllis has spent eight recent winters at Rwanda’s Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, a post-genocide high school for orphaned and vulnerable students.
Reed Dewey
Reed is a transition coach with What’s Next Coaching. He supports clients who want to explore and plan for the life they want — and dream of having — especially in later life. Reed holds numerous coaching certifications and received his coach training from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (accredited through the International Coach Federation). Prior to his encore career, Reed was a senior leader at numerous local and national nonprofits. He ran the Montgomery County Volunteer Center where he supported thousands of volunteers and hundreds of nonprofit agencies. Visit Reed Dewey’s website at www.whats-next.org.
Sharon Underberg
Sharon Underberg believes in the power of play and its importance for adults as well as children; her membership in ECRS since the age of 16 is a large foundation of this belief. As a pediatric radiologist, she combines state-of-the-art high-tech imaging with being able to sing all the verses of “The Wheels on the Bus,” motions included. Her passions include live-action role-play, singing, and acting. As well as being a Programming and Staffing committee member, Sharon teaches folk dance workshops (ask her about teaching dance in Sweden and Finland) and works as a coordinator at ECRS events.
Sonia Nicholson
Sonia is a current college student (Haverford Class ’26) and has been going to ECRS her whole life. In her free time, Sonia captains the Sneetch ultimate frisbee team and runs the folk dance club at Haverford. Sonia also loves working with kids which is why she will be one of the Children’s Program coordinators at this Winter Adventure.
Tom Helde
This is the third Winter Adventure for which Tom will provide sound and other A/V support. Outside ECRS, Tom volunteers for his church as a video producer on live-streamed services and is their lighting designer/operator for special events. Before raising his kids, Tom volunteered as a sound operator for dances, concerts, and festivals in the DC area folk music community, and worked on lighting in college and community theater.
Za McDonnell
Za has over 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist working with individuals, couples and groups. She is trained in Jungian depth psychology, humanistic and relational psychology, cognitive behavioral techniques, and Eastern mindfulness psychology. When not working she loves spending time hiking, dancing, and cross-country skiing.
Zsuzsi Nagy
Zsuzsi has been coming to ECRS since childhood after her mother, Eva, discovered the organization. Following a hiatus while attending college in Hungary, she returned to ECRS now with her son Daniel – wanting him to also experience the shared joy, freedom, love and community. She is a member of the Board and has filled various staff roles at different ECRS events. Zsuzsi works as a mental health clinician at a university and in an emergency room – occasionally incorporating games learned at ECRS into her work with students. Biking, hiking, discovering and experiencing are her joys.