Einstein Emerging Leaders Gather to Support Einstein

The Einstein Emerging Leaders is a savvy group of professionals in their 20s and 30s who have taken a philanthropic interest in Einstein. Newly established by Lawrence S. Elbaum, Dr. Adam Friedman, Joanna Steinberg and some of their closest friends, they held their first Einstein event on January 19 at the Soho House in the meatpacking district of Manhattan, with a capacity crowd of 150 guests in attendance.

(From left): Joanna Steinberg, Dr. Ruth Gottesman, Dr. Adam Friedman, Lawrence ElbaumAccording to Dr. Ruth L. Gottesman, chair of Einstein''s Board of Overseers, who spoke at the event, "It was an amazing evening. Everyone was so energetic, and so genuinely interested in Einstein."

Mr. Elbaum, an associate at Proskauer, and Dr. Friedman, an Einstein alumnus in the class of 2006 and current Einstein faculty member, were already lifelong friends interested in finding new ways to support Einstein when they met Ms. Steinberg, a vice president at Blackrock, last year. They quickly began brainstorming about involving others, and a committee of about 15 members took shape, with each member enthusiastically offering to engage others in turn.

EEL Committee (from left): Matt Makovsky, Dr. Adam Friedman, Joshua Green, Adam Bendik, Dr. Karthik Krishnamurthy, Dr. Robert Ostfeld, Lawrence Elbaum, Cori Wilf, Jason Wilf, Jenna Weinberg, Andrew Weinberg, Casey Klein; standing in front: Danielle Segal, Joanna Steinberg, Troy Berman"It is all very organic and social, which is typical for our generation," said Ms. Steinberg. "We all share an interest in making the world a better place – and it is logical for us to associate ourselves with Einstein, where we can have a real impact on the health of people in the Bronx and around the world."

The fledgling group has determined that the first Einstein program to benefit from its generosity will be CERC – Einstein's Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center – and center staff members Drs. Robert Marion, John Foxe and Sophie Molholm were all present at the Soho House gathering.

"I''m so pleased to see a new group of excited young people supporting Einstein, and honestly thrilled that they want to help CERC," said Dr. Marion, CERC's director, as well as member of Einstein's class of 1979. "We serve over 8,000 children and their families each year, and whatever support EEL can provide will be put to good use."

Based on the overwhelming response to its inaugural event, the group has begun making plans for a spring dinner, sponsoring a team for the New York City Marathon and thinking ambitiously about the future.

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For information on the Einstein Emerging Leaders, e-mail: eel@einstein.yu.edu