In this episode, Jamie Kleinman sits down with Jay Myers, Vice President of Acquisitions for Myers Erickson Properties, to explore his inspiring journey from the luggage industry to a successful career in real estate. Jay shares how entrepreneurship, hard work, and the ability to recognize opportunities shaped his path, while also reflecting on his Jewish heritage and the values that guide his family foundation’s philanthropy. From business pivots to giving back, Jay’s story is one of resilience, vision, and purpose—both in his professional endeavors and his personal life.

Cindy Shapira has dedicated her career to advancing higher education and strengthening Jewish life through leadership and philanthropy. In this episode of The Schmooze, she reflects on her path—from chairing Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to serving in top roles across Jewish Federations and national boards. We dive into her lessons on mentorship, identity, and the power of showing up to drive lasting impact.

From startups to IPOs, Gary Alpert has spent two decades building and scaling mission-driven companies transforming healthcare. In this episode of The Schmooze, Gary shares his journey from co-founding WetFeet to leading at Brightline, Livongo, and Castlight Health. We dive into lessons on leadership, staying anchored to purpose, and creating impact at the intersection of innovation and care.

Dr. Jeffrey R. Solomon is Senior Advisor to Chasbro Investments, the family office of Charles Bronfman. For two decades, he was the President of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, a group of foundations operating in Canada, Israel and the United States. He currently sits on the Boards of the Leichtag Foundation in San Diego, the Jim Joseph Foundation in San Francisco and the KIND and Lubetzky Family Foundations in New York. He served as the Chair of Leading Edge, an organization aimed at talent acquisition and retention in the Jewish community and serves as Co-Chair of the Peaceworks Foundation. His books (co-authored with Charles Bronfman), The Art of Giving and The Art of Doing Good, have won awards and recognition throughout the philanthropic world. He is also the author of over 120 publications in both professional journals and outlets such as The Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. He served as an adjunct associate professor in the masters and doctorate programs of New York University School of Social Work.

Leading Through Innovation

Mike Newman’s path from law school to CEO in enterprise video is anything but typical. In this episode, the former MediaPlatform leader shares his journey—from co-founding Accordent Technologies to scaling cloud-native video solutions for global brands. We dive into his lessons on leadership, growth, and staying grounded in a rapidly evolving industry.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Michael Friedlander, Senior Director of Strategy and Transformation at PepsiCo. Michael is an outcomes-based IT Executive with a proven track record of working on mergers and acquisitions and successfully transforming business processes by implementing highly effective technology solutions within multinational companies.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Beth Feldman, Senior Vice President of Communications for The CW Network and Nexstar Media. Throughout her career she has launched hit talk shows, primetime series, and well-known brands by developing groundbreaking media campaigns that generate media exposure and drive consumer and viewer awareness.

David Glauber is an innovative international attorney with many years of Legal, Public Policy, Regulatory and Compliance experience.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Bill Shafton, a seasoned in-house lawyer who led Grindr’s legal team from its founding days to its public debut on the NYSE. Bill shares insights from his journey through high-growth tech, regulatory challenges, and litigation strategy. Beyond his legal expertise, Bill opens up about his passion for music and how it has shaped his personal and professional journey

Jason Lubin is a manager-producer and the principal at First Story Entertainment, which he founded in 2018. The lit management company represents a diverse roster of talented writers and directors with fresh voices in all genres for Film and TV. The company’s clients have been staffed on shows on multiple networks including Showtime, CW, Apple+, and Netflix, and have sold series to Disney and HBO Max.