LAWRENCE GREEN, PRESIDENT
Development and Program Committees

A resident of Ogunquit, and a long-time Partner with the Boston law firm Burns & Levinson LLP, Larry has extensive experience with non-profits, both in leadership roles and as legal counsel.  He believes strongly in the mission of MJFF, and hopes to expand program offerings geographically and reaching increasingly diverse audiences.  Throughout his work with non-profits, Larry has been a strong proponent of inter-generational dialogue.  He is the author of “Alphabet of the Invisible”, a short book intended to promote inter-generational discussion of values.

MELINDA MOLIN, VICE PRESIDENT
Screening committee

Melinda has been a screening committee member for 10 years and is chair for 6. She is currently Board Vice President. A retired surgeon, Melinda was the founder and medical director of Breast Care Specialists of Maine. Volunteer experience includes faculty Bet Ha’am religious school, volunteer physician at Seeds of Peace International Camp, Portland High School Mentoring Alliance and Portland Adult Education. She lives in Portland.

KIM VOLK, TREASURER
Finance committee (Chair)

Kimberly L. Volk, CTFA, MBA is President of Maine Advisory Associates, a Registered Investment Advisory firm, and has more than 25 years’ experience in executive and financial capacities at wealth management/investment firms, including VP and CCO for a boutique investment advisory firm, as CFO for a local Trust company and as President of a high net worth family office. Her MBA and undergraduate work focused on business communications and economics. In addition to the Maine Jewish Film Festival, she has served as Chair & President of the Board of Trustees for Portland Downtown, and Treasurer of the Breakwater School. Kim lives with her daughter and two naughty but nice labs on Casco Bay.

SHEERA LABELLE, SECRETARY
Governance committee

Sheera worked at University of Southern Maine’s Health and Counseling Services for 26 years as a R.N. before retiring.  She has been involved on and off with the MJFF since its inception.  Sheera loves to read, watch movies, hike, and cook. She and her husband, Greg Adams, live in Portland, have two daughters and three grandchildren.

GREG BAKER
Development committee

After living in LA and working in film production pre-covid, Greg relocated back east and found a home in nonprofit work during the 2020 general election as an Organizer in Georgia. Blending this with his artistic background, he is thrilled to now work in Development at Ogunquit Playhouse. He is also an active member of Portland’s vibrant comedy scene running sketch comedy group Hey Party People!, and coaches the Cape Elizabeth HS Speech & Debate team.

ELCHA BUCKMAN
Screening committee

A native of Boston who spent childhood summers in Maine, Elcha has finally made her home in the state that has always held her heart. With a BSN, MSN and EdD from Boston University, Elcha worked full time as an advanced practice nurse psychotherapist for nearly six decades before “semi-retiring” in order to spend more time volunteering, working with her synagogue,  serving as an active board member of MJFF and pursuing friendships and hobbies such as  needlework and reading spy and detective novels. Bringing compassion, humor, and commitment to all she does, Elcha lives with her sons and their family of mini-schnauzers in Lewiston.

PEGGY GREENHUT GOLDEN
Events and Marketing committees

Peggy, a native New Yorker is the past owner of Greenhut Galleries, Portland’s oldest contemporary art gallery.  She has fundraised for the Portland Concert Association (now Portland Ovations), served on the board of BIG SOUNDS FROM ALL OVER, was appointed by the City Council and served on the Portland Public Art Committee for 20 plus years, is the past Vice Chair of Maine Friends of Seeds of Peace, a past member of the Maine Small Business Alliance, a member of the Director’s Circle at the Portland Museum of Art and a former Commissioner of the Maine Arts Commission appointed by  Governor Angus King.  At the gallery she has presented shows in support of the Maine Women’s Lobby, National Breast Cancer Awareness and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.  She believes fiercely in giving back to the Portland community and enriching the Portland experience.

RANDI GREENWALD
Governance (Chair) and Screening committees

Randi was a lawyer with the Peace Corps and the US State Department and on the development staff of an after-school arts organization that served at-risk youth in Washington, DC. Since moving to Portland from Maryland with her husband in 2010, she has served on the Obama for ME and Hillary for ME Finance Committees, the Board and Advisory Committee of the Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition, as well as the MJFF Board.

PHYLLIS GRABER JENSEN
Screening committee (Co-Chair)

Phyllis is the director of photography and video for the Bates College Communications Office in Lewiston, Maine. A photojournalist committed to multimedia storytelling, she has completed a wide variety of community-based photography, video, and writing projects. Most recently, she presented “Shalom, Sisters,” an exhibition at the Maine Jewish Museum that featured text and still photographs of Jewish women and girls affiliated with Auburn’s Temple Shalom Synagogue-Center.

JEFF KLINE
Screening committee

Jeff Kline has been responsible for nearly 1000 episodes of scripted live-action and animated television as well as documentaries, graphic novels (via his decade-old Darby Pop Publishing), and a wide range of online and print content. He received multiple Daytime Emmy® Awards for the CG series, TRANSFORMERS: PRIME (The Hub), and most recently served as an Executive Consultant to Hulu’s Kids/Teens/Family division. He and his family have lived in Maine for 15+ years.

LISA MAYER

Lisa Mayer is a Clio Award-winning writer and a professional violinist and singer. Originally from Queens, New York, Lisa and her husband, Rabbi Sruli Dresdner, moved to Maine ten years ago to become Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Temple Shalom in Auburn. Together they have continued to perform their joyous Klezmer and Hassidic Music from Cracow, Poland, to Poland, Maine. Check out her funny PooPooPoo Podcast. She opened for David Sedaris last summer– and her podcast is heard in 22 countries! She is delighted to be on the Board of the Maine Jewish Film Festival!

EVE L. NELSON
Development committee

Eve Nelson is a retired lawyer who, while running a solo law practice in New York City served on the Board of Directors of Anthology Film Archives for ten years. After returning in Maine and several years of work with her family business, Nelson and Small, she resumed legal work for the State of Maine as a small claims and family mediator for Kids First, and Maine rostered Guardian ad litem with expertise in cases of abuse. Eve swims two + miles a day five days a week, and— weather permitting— bikes 13+ miles on Sundays with her nearly ninety-year-old dad. An early member on the Board of the Maine Jewish Museum, she has now served on the Board of Directors of MJFF for ten years.

LAURIE OSHER
Development committee

Laurie Osher, PhD is an environmental scientist, community organizer, building energy efficiency expert, and climate resilience specialist. She is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives, representing the town of Orono. She serves on the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, the State’s HIV Advisory Committee, and the Secretary of State’s State Calendar working group. She is the leader of the Maine Legislature’s Progressive Women’s Caucus, LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, and the Jewish Legislator’s Caucus. She also serves on the Board of A Wider Bridge: an organization that connects LGBT communities in the U.S. and Israel and advocates for LGBT rights in Israel. 

STEPHANIE M. PRIDGEON
Screening committee (Co-Chair)

Stephanie is an Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at Bates College where her specialty is 20th– and 21st-century Latin American film and literature.  Her research focuses on the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and politics as depicted in recent cultural productions. Her book, Revolutionary Visions: Jewish Life and Politics in Latin American Film, is forthcoming with University of Toronto Press.

DAVID SCHOLDER
Marketing and Finance committees

David is a passionate believer in the essential role the arts play in building community. David is currently the Marketing Director at Harriman Associates, one of northern New England’s largest architecture and engineering firms. His diverse professional background includes experience in marketing, communications, publishing and arts administration. David also serves on the Board of the Jill Fox Memorial Fund and is a graduate of Bard College. He lives with his wife and 2 cats in Denmark, Maine.