Our Team
Lenore Pearlstein
Lenore Pearlstein is the president and co-owner of Potomac Publishing, Inc., and co-publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and most well-respected national diversity and inclusion publication and website in higher education.
Lenore is also the founder and president of Viewfinder® Campus Climate Surveys, LLC. She created a comprehensive campus climate survey instrument named Viewfinder to enable colleges and universities to measure their diversity and inclusion strengths and weaknesses among students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The goal is to improve the recruitment and retention of students and employees, as well as create a campus environment where everyone feels safe, welcome, and respected.
Lenore’s creative vision and never-ending dedication to excellence in diversity and inclusion in higher education led her to create the Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award in 2012. She developed the only national application-based award that measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment to broadening diversity and inclusion on its campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and diverse hiring practices for faculty and staff. In 2015, she also developed the Health professions HEED Award application which is open to all medical, dental, veterinary, nursing, pharmacy, and osteopathic schools, as well as comprehensive health centers.
Since the inception of the HEED Award, Lenore has expanded Insight Into Diversity’s recognitions to include the Giving Back Diversity Leadership Award, the Diversity Visionary Award, the Diversity Champion recognition, the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award and Inspiring Programs in Business Award, and the Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award.
The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Lenore listened to her father speak to young people since she was 16 years old. He not only told his story of the suffering he experienced during his time in the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, but also encouraged mostly underrepresented minority and inner-city students to stay in school and get an education, something he was unable to accomplish himself. His tremendous impact on thousands of students and adults for over 50 years motivated Lenore to carry on his mission to never forget the past but to also move forward and learn from his and other’s horrific experiences.
Lenore graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. She resides in Bethesda, MD, with her husband Michael. She has two adult children and four grandchildren.
Debra Boyd
Debra Boyd is the Director of Research and Senior Project Manager for Potomac Publishing Inc., and Campus Climate Surveys, LLC. In 2017, following a lucrative career in residential real estate, she joined the team of the two related companies to assist in their long-term mission and continue their nationwide achievements in advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education and beyond.
Since then, she has taken on the role of project manager for every Viewfinder® Campus Climate Survey client, from start to finish. For Potomac Publishing, Inc., she led the national launch of their newest publication, DiversityIS, the only national diversity and inclusion magazine for K-12 Independent Schools. She continues to incorporate her previous marketing, financial, and strategic advising expertise to both companies, which to date has led to tremendous and impactful growth.
Debra graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she received a Bachelor of Science in Economics. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.
Gabriel Reif, PhD
Gabriel Reif, PhD, is Vice President for Research and Evaluation at Viewfinder® Campus Climate Surveys, LLC. After spending the first decade of his career as a student affairs administrator, he transitioned to research and evaluation at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he led a mixed-methods study of living-learning communities for disadvantaged students. His deep commitment to equity and inclusion led him to work at Rankin Climate in 2017, where he managed and contributed to campus climate assessments at dozens of colleges and universities across the country.
Dr. Reif joined Viewfinder® Campus Climate Surveys in 2024. He takes great pleasure in using his analytic abilities and expertise to help colleges make data-driven decisions that promote equity and belonging. He possesses a broad range of expertise, including quantitative and qualitative analysis, data science, and data visualization. He has also worked in institutional research and co-chaired the Massachusetts Higher Education Tableau Users Group.
Dr. Reif holds a PhD from University of Massachusetts Amherst in Higher Education Policy, Research, and Administration, a MEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont, and a BS in Biology from Brandeis University. He resides with his family in Amherst, MA, where he facilitates a support group for dads and readily engages in any activity involving frisbees. He also serves on the board of Camp Words Unspoken, a nonprofit that runs overnight camps for children and teens who stutter.