Cynthia Berenson

Cynthia Berenson's strong commitment to social justice, human rights, and gender equality issues have guided her involvement in the educational and service mission of Brandeis University for almost two decades. In 1995, she established the Director’s Office in the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center and Scholars Program, where she co-chairs the national board. With her husband, Theodore Berenson, she endowed a Faculty Chair within the University’s Department of Fine Arts. Berenson and her family, including sister-in-law Helaine Allen, also endowed the Allen-Berenson Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Women’s Studies within the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, where Berenson has served on the board for the past 11 years. In 2008, Berenson and her husband donated the Cynthia and Theodore Berenson Center for Advanced Endoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She chaired the Lion of Judah event for the Jewish Federation of Palm Springs in 1998, where she also served for four years as Education Chair on the Women’s Division Board. Berenson previously served on the boards of the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Guide Dogs of the Desert.