He graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts with a Bachelor's Degree and is on the University's Board of Trustees. He earned his Master's Degree in American Studies from the University of Sussex in Brighton, England.
Son of the late Dr. Jetty Alter formerly of Forest Hills, Queens, New York; Son-in-law of the late Dorothy Berkow and late Milton Berkow of Boca Raton, Florida.