Celia is a trustee of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and the Summit Free Public Library and serves on the board of directors of UNCF (United Negro College Fund). She is a past president of the Summit Board of Education. Celia spent more than 25 years at Merck & Co., retiring as senior vice president, corporate secretary and assistant general counsel.
Martha is a founder of Destination College, a nonprofit that supports first-generation, college bound students from ninth grade through college. She is a trustee of Summit’s PEP Program, where she was the interim executive director for a year. Previously, she served as grants chair and treasurer for Summit Educational Foundation, consultant to NJ Seeds, and a CAAP mentor at Summit High School. Prior to retiring, Martha spent 30 years at Sotheby's Inc., most recently as senior vice president of business development.
Before retiring in 2021, Dennis served as president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. During his 31-year career at MetLife, he also held positions in the investments department and managed the company’s impact and affordable housing investment activities. Dennis is an active volunteer with the Summit Affordable Housing Corporation, Beacon Unitarian Church and Friends of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Irene is a former president of the Summit Educational Foundation. She has also served as a treasurer for Summit Boosters Association, trustee for The Connection, trustee for Summit Women’s Lacrosse Association, and member of the Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School PTO. Irene is a former vice president in the Credit Risk Management division at JPMorgan and has recently joined Nest SOS as a home stager and organizer.
Prior to his retirement, Rob was a vice chairman at Barclays and a managing director at JP Morgan in their investment banks.
He served on the board of trustees of the Summit Area YMCA for over 10 years and served as chairman for 2 years.
Rob is currently on the board of trustees and treasurer of the Buck Hill Falls Conservation Foundation.
Mary is the owner of Marigolds, a restaurant in downtown Summit. She currently sits on the board of directors of the Other Fellow First Foundation and is a former member of the advisory board at Central Presbyterian Church Weekday Nursery School & Kindergarten. Mary is a former social worker and high school teacher.
Regina is vice president of the board at Saint Vincent Academy in Newark, where she has also served as treasurer, advisor, and student mentor. She serves as bookkeeper of Student/Partner Alliance. Her Summit volunteerism includes Summit Educational Foundation, Community Preschool at St. John’s, and Brayton Elementary PTO. Regina spent 17 years as a financial counselor for Affiliated Private Investors in Far Hills, New Jersey.
Amy was a director in the institutional equities division Salomon Smith Barney and since retirement has devoted her time to several local organizations. She currently serves as a trustee on the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation and the Summit Lacrosse Club boards. She is a former president of the Summit Educational Foundation, the Summit Boosters Association and the Summit Women’s Lacrosse Association. Amy also served as chair and vice-chair of The Colgate University President's Club.
Before he retired, Jim was managing director at Kennebec Capital Management. Jim formerly worked at TIAA-CREF and Salomon Brothers Asset Management. He has served on the library boards at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, and the Summit Free Public Library, as well as the Summit Area YMCA and Homeless Solutions Board.
Patricia is an adjunct assistant professor of cell biology research in the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University. She is a co-founder of Empowering Kids Organization in Summit, New Jersey.
Paul is a managing director at JLL, the commercial real estate services firm. Locally, he serves on Summit's Planning Board and its Economic Development Advisory Committee. He also serves as a mentor in the Project Destined program. He previously served on the boards of Summit Junior Baseball & Softball, the College of the Holy Cross Alumni Association, and the NYC chapter of NAIOP (as well as having served as its president).
Chuck was a practicing physician specializing in nephrology and primary care for 30 years. Gelber most recently practiced at Summit Medical Group. Since retiring in 2017, Gelber has served as a physician in underserved area clinics with the Summit Medical Group Foundation and has traveled on medical missions to the Dominican Republic with Waves of Health. Since 2010, he has volunteered with the Summit Juvenile Conference Committee, which adjudicates cases involving first-time juvenile offenders.
Chris is a shareholder in the New York office of the Anderson Kill law firm and is chair of its Wills, Trusts & Estates practice group. He has served as a coach of numerous Summit sports teams and has assisted with administrative responsibilities for Summit Soccer Club.
Christine is an attorney at Nukk-Freeman & Cerra specializing in employee benefits and compensation matters. Her past community involvement includes serving as a trustee of the Overlook Hospital Foundation, a trustee of SAGE Eldercare, co-president of the Summit Junior Fortnightly Club, and co-chair of the Reeves-Reed Arboretum Holiday House Tour.
Leah is managing partner of Watts Consulting and formerly worked at Mitchell Madison Group and Pfizer Inc. She is past president of the Summit Educational Foundation, serves on the board of Family Promise National and is a trustee of Central Presbyterian Church.
Donna is the founder and chief executive officer of DMJ Strategic Solutions, an organizational development consultancy, where she has worked for the past 25 years, and Winespan, a wine education company. She is a past president of the Summit Board of Education, the Summit Area YMCA Board of Trustees, and the Junior League of Summit. She has volunteered with Overlook Hospital, Shaping Summit Together, and the PTOs of Summit High School, LCJ Middle School and Brayton Elementary School.
Sara is a founder, owner, and manager of Murray Hill Tennis & Fitness where she has worked for the last ten years. She is also an owner of the Summit House and Barbacoa restaurants. Sara formerly practiced corporate law at Clifford Chance New York. Her previous Summit volunteerism includes serving as a board member at the Cornerstone School and volunteering at the Junior League of Summit Thrift Shop.
Dana is a former president of The Summit Foundation. She serves on the board of trustees of Family Promise Union County. She recently served on the Silver Summit Senior Citizens’ Advisory Committee and worked as a grants and membership specialist for Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. Dana was a managing director and portfolio manager at Deltec Asset Management, where she specialized in emerging markets investments.
Mark Yeager is founder and principal of MRY Associates, LLC, a private equity real estate organization based in Summit, New Jersey. He worked at Nabisco and CB Commercial before serving as president and chief investment officer at Gale Real Estate Services Company. He was also executive vice president of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. He served on the board of trustees for the Tri-County Scholarship Fund and Daytop and is a current board trustee at Lehigh University. In 2003, he was honored with the Huber Award for Outstanding Voluntary Leadership. Yeager supports two endowed scholarships at Lehigh University.
As president of The Summit Foundation from 1990 to 2018, John W. “Jack” Cooper forged countless relationships with people seeking to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Jack led with integrity and in true service of philanthropy for the public good. He embodied a generosity of spirit, boundless energy, keen intellect, and a curiosity about the world that inspired those around him. The trustees of The Summit Foundation thank Jack Cooper for his immeasurable contributions to the Summit community and all whose lives he touched.