Class Correspondent

President Barack Obama nominated Ellen Semonoff, assistant city manager for human services in Cambridge, Mass., to serve as a member of his Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. Eleen is also vice chair of the Cambridge Health Alliance, a public hospital and teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Previously, she served Cambridge in various key management roles, including as deputy director of the Department of Human Services and assistant to the city manager.

Ken Browne, produced and directed "Small School, Big City," a film chronicling the startling success of Pace High School in New York City. Launched in 2003 in Chinatown, Pace High grew out of a meeting between a Pace University professor of education and a middle-school assistant principle interested in creating a small public high school. Applications to Pace High have grown from 500 in 2004 to more that 5,800 in 2011, placing it among the 10 most sought-after public high schools in New York. "Small School, Big City" is narrated by Roscoe Orman, actor, author and star of "Sesame Street." It was written by Emmy Award-winning writer and author Ouissie Shapiro. The music was composed by Godfrey Nelson. Ken's previous film, "Look, I'm in College!" (2008), was screened at several film festivals and received the 2010 Paul Robeson Award for Best Short Documentary at the Newark Black Film Festival. It was also featured on the "NBC Nightly News."

At its annual spring gala, the Jewish Vocational Service of Greater Boston presented the Community Innovator Award to Nancy Kaufman in recognition of her 20 years of service as executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. Kaufman stepped down at the end of last year to become CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women.

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