Highmarks Inc. cares deeply about improving the current system of education around the world. We intend to frame education but not form it, allowing teachers and schools the flexibility for uniqueness in their classrooms and educational philosophies.
Here are some of the unique individuals involved in our effort.
Our Team
Yaakov Snyder
Yaakov Snyder has spent a decade thinking through the issue of effective education reform as a researcher and high school mathematics teacher. After graduating from Yale College with a BA in Philosophy and History, he completed a Masters in Cognitive Science from the University of California at San Diego. He is currently completing a Ph.D. on Highmarks technology at the Technion, Israel. Yaakov was also a lead recruiter for the Teach for America organization and was interviewed for the Newsweek article ‘Drafting the Best and the Brighest’ in 1990.
Richard Novak
Richard has extensive experience as the Director of Software Engineering of a major health media web company. His responsibilities included being in charge of all software development within the organization and overseeing the work of ten other developers, including all development and maintenance for three major websites with over 8.5 million members and 25 million page views per month.
Leah Snyder
Leah C. Snyder, M.D. is a recent graduate of the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel-Aviv, Israel and is planning on pursuing a career in child psychiatry. A dynamic and talented individual, she has worked as Executive Assistant and Layout Designer for Louis Glick & Co., a DeBeers Sightholder and diamond/jewelry manufacturer.
Baruch Labinksy
Baruch has held senior financial and management positions in the high tech and non-profit industries for more than ten years. From 2004 to 2006, Baruch successfully managed one of Israel's most dynamic and innovative charitable organizations, Lema'an Achai, taking the organization from its infancy to a major player in the Israeli non-profit scene. Lema’an Achai, besides offering many other services, includes extensive after school tutoring for children.
Board of Directors
In addition to Yaakov Snyder, the following individuals serve on Highmarks Board of Directors:
Larry Rosenstock (California)
Larry is the CEO of High Tech High and HTH Learning in San Diego, an organization of 8 charter schools which includes a certification program for teachers. He is the former principal of the Rindge School of Technical Arts and the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Boston, and directed the federal New Urban High School Project. Larry is also the former president of the Price Charitable Fund.
Lewis Krulwich (New Jersey/NY)
Lewis is the former head of PricewaterhouseCoopers North and South American management consulting business from 1995 to 2000, where he managed 15,000 management consultants. He served on the Grace Commission as an economist during President Reagan’s term in office.
Aaron Blumenfeld (Toronto)
Aaron is a senior attorney with a special interest in innovation in education. He served as the co-president of the Ontario Association of Jewish Day Schools, and has worked extensively with the Canadian government on several legislative initiatives, including a tax credit which encourages choice in education.
Rabbi Yitzchak Shurin (Israel)
Rabbi Shurin is the Dean of Midreshet Rachel College for Women in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a trained educational and life counselor with over 30 years experience, and an expert on ethical issues involving students, interpersonal relationships, and business.
Supporters
Professor Yale T. Herer
Professor Herer has a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Cornell
University. He is the Area Head of Industrial Engineering at the
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Yale has
won awards in his field and is on the Editorial Board of three leading
journals in the field of operations research and industrial engineering, and as an independent expert is highly supportive of the Highmarks approach to schools.