Honorees
Head of School, 2005-2020
It is with high esteem, a note of sadness, and the best of wishes that MILTON will bid a June farewell to Naomi after her 15-year tenure as Head of School. Under Naomi's leadership, the school received its first independent school accreditation; grew from fewer than 200 students to more than 430; opened a second campus to house Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1, and launched a middle school to serve students through Grade 8. Benefitting from Naomi's stewardship and vision, the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation's Capital (MILTON) has earned a solid reputation, locally and nationally, as a forward-looking institution, excellent across all curricular areas and offering an experiential and integrated approach to general and Judaic studies. MILTON's growing reputation has attracted major philanthropic contributions, totaling more than 40 million dollars in the last eleven years.
Before coming to MILTON, Naomi was Head of School at Sinai Academy of the Berkshires, a day school in Pittsfield, MA, for seven years. Previously, she worked at the Gordon Day School in Miami, following experiences in several educational settings in Argentina, Israel, and the United States. Naomi earned a teaching degree from the Agnon Institute in Buenos Aires, a BA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and an MAJE from Hebrew College in Newton, MA.
Naomi has served as a mentor at the Day School Leadership Training Institute, a program sponsored by AVICHAI and the Jewish Theological Seminary, to train new and aspiring heads of school. She also served as a Board Member of AIMS (the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools), where she previously chaired two accreditation teams for Jewish Day Schools in Maryland. Naomi is a member of the Executives Council for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and previously served as its co-chair for three years.
Naomi is a native of Buenos Aires, and has lived, studied, and worked in the field of Jewish education on three continents.
Susan Schatten and Jonathan Epstein began their MILTON journey in 2007, and both have volunteered their time and contributed generously to the school ever since. Susan is a dedicated ambassador for admissions and the new middle school, as well as for the MILTON endowment. Their oldest child is a 2016 graduate, and their youngest, part of the school’s first middle school cohort, will graduate from 8th grade this spring.
Susan is an education and reading specialist with WETA’s Ready to Learn program. Herself a graduate of Westchester Day School and The Ramaz School in New York, Susan is a long-time advocate of Jewish day school. Jonathan is a partner at Holland & Knight, where he focuses on international trade and aviation law. He is a former officer in the United States Navy.
Steve Wernick has been at MILTON (then JPDS) since 2001, first as a parent and Board member, and later as part of the professional leadership team. He served as Board Treasurer for eight years. In 2013 Steve re-engaged with MILTON to help with the school’s Strategic Plan, focusing on financial analysis and modeling. He joined the staff in 2014, and is currently Chief Business Officer.
Steve holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, and his career has evolved from designing oil refineries and nuclear power plants to developing accounting software for the legal, medical and transportation industries, and now strengthening and sustaining the growth of the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School. Brett is a Human Resources professional and global learning manager at the Xerox Corporation. Together, Steve and Brett have been dedicated and generous supporters of the school.