Updates about The Butterfly Project
Welcoming Our New Board Chair, Marsha Berkson
For the last two years, our board and our organization have been guided by the exemplary leadership of Sharleen Wollach. As Sharleen steps down and Board Member Marsha Berkson steps into the Board Chair position, we express our gratitude to Sharleen Wollach for her work as our Board Chair.
Sharleen has supported The Butterfly Project in our transition from a founder-supported organization to an independent, sustainable nonprofit. She has steered our board as we developed an improved internal infrastructure, a solid operational footing, an expanding educational program, and strong financial stewardship within our organization. Her impact on our work cannot be overstated, and we are so thankful for her continued support, advocacy, and enthusiastic belief in our mission.
Sharleen will continue to serve on our board as Immediate Past Chair in support of our new Chair, Marsha Berkson.
Marsha joined our organization as a fulfillment partner in August of 2024 and became a board member shortly thereafter. She has been a pillar of The Butterfly Project community over these last several years, and we are so excited to welcome her into this new role.
As we navigate this transition, we would be remiss not to also thank each of our Board Members for their support of and belief in our work: Jan Landau for her enduring guidance and passion; Jonathan Shulman for his dedication and leadership in the field; Michelle Keeyes for her thoughtful participation and guiding presence; Elana Rabinowitz for her close mentorship and systems expertise; and Aaron Landau for his humility and meticulous financial stewardship.
We are so grateful to each and every one of our board members, and look forward to our continued collaboration.
A Letter from Our New Board Chair, Marsha Berkson
Dear The Butterfly Project Community,
Thank you all for your confidence and your continued support of our mission. It is a joy and an honor to accept this new role as Board Chair of The Butterfly Project.
I have served as a Board Member of The Butterfly Project for the last two years, and am so grateful for Sharleen’s enduring and steady leadership. Her time as Board Chair has solidified The Butterfly Project into an organization with clear operations and a strong educational program. I am glad that she will remain on our board as Immediate Past Chair, and I look forward to continuing our work together.
I come to this chair from an unusual direction: for several years my work here has been fulfillment—building systems so every kit ships promptly and professionally. Close to 100,000 butterflies have left our hands in that time. You learn something about an organization from the shipping table: every box is a school, a congregation, a museum, a group of children somewhere in the world about to hear a name they will not forget.
One and a half million is a number no one can hold. A butterfly with a biography card—a child’s name, a child’s life—is a story a twelve-year-old carries for the rest of hers. We are in the storytelling business, and the art is how the story gets in.
I look forward to hearing stories from across The Butterfly Project’s community. I look forward to working closely with each member of The Butterfly Project team—Sharleen, Jan, Jonathan, Michelle, Elana, Aaron, Debra, Christine, and Riley—and with the remarkable group of volunteers who make this work possible.
May the year ahead be sweet. May our work help make it so.
Warmly,
Marsha Berkson
Board Chair
The Butterfly Project