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The ASF Board of Trustees welcome two new members

On December 28, 2020, the ASF Board of Trustees welcomed two new board members, Karen Elder and Laurie Kleiman.  Both Karen and Laurie have been involved with the ASF for over 15 years in a variety of role ranging from parents of participants, volunteers and donors.  We are excited and honored to have Karen and Laurie join our leadership team.

Karen M. Elder

Karen and her husband Richard have been homeowners in Windham since 1987 and have been active participants at the Adaptive Sports Foundation for nearly 20 years, both as parents of Zachary Elder (ASF’s first snowboarder) and as volunteers. Also a winter sports enthusiast, their son Douglas is a PSIA Level 1 ski instructor, working at Windham Mountain’s CLC for over eight years. Karen is a co-founder of the Ride2Live Project at the ASF. Karen brings expertise to the ASF Board from both the nonprofit and corporate arenas.

Karen is Director, Development and Special Projects for The Summit School, a special education school located in Jamaica Estates, NY. She is responsible for strategic development for long-term school advancement, annual giving programs, internal and external school communications, and is a member of the school’s Leadership Team. Prior to joining Summit, Karen enjoyed a 30+ year career at MeadWestvaco, a Fortune 200 company and global manufacturer, where her most recent positions were as director of branding and director of public relations and financial communications.

Karen has been a longtime advocate for children with special needs. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for The Reece School, the oldest private special education school in New York City, serving for over 13 years including six years as treasurer. During her corporate tenure, she was inducted into the YWCA-NYC’s Academy of Women Leaders, being recognized for her achievements in communications/marketing and contributions to the success of other women in her company and industry. She received her B.S. degree at CUNY’s Hunter College.

Laurin Blumenthal Kleiman

Laurie and Norman Kleiman and their three adult children have been supporters and participants at ASF for more than 15 years.  Laurie’s son Charlie is a proud member of the ASF Snowboard Race Team, and her  husband Norman, daughter Daryl and son Gabe are volunteer ski and snowboard instructors. Laurie has volunteered at ASF in a variety of capacities and for the past five years has enjoyed deploying her culinary skills overseeing the ASF lunch program.  

Laurie is partner at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP and is global co-leader of Sidley’s Investment Funds practice team. She is also former firmwide co-chair of SidleyWomen and is an active proponent of the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession. Laurie received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.