Birmingham Jewish Federation Names New CEO

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Birmingham Jewish Federation has named a new Chief Professional Executive Officer. Danny Cohn will take the helm of the organization March 8.

"I am humbled and honored at the board's decision to bring me on as the next CEO of the Birmingham Jewish Federation. Birmingham is a very special place and felt like home immediately during our first visit – we instantly knew we wanted to be part of the community," Cohn said. "I look forward to diving in and meeting each and every one of you as we work side by side to build a dynamic future for generations to come."

Cohn comes to the Birmingham community most recently from Omaha, Nebraska, where he was director of marketing and communications for the Arbor Day Foundation. While there, he developed two national annual programs that netted revenue of over $1 million. Prior to his move into the non-profit arena, Cohn led integrated marketing teams at Zeno Group in Chicago and Strata-G in Cincinnati.

The Search Committee of the Birmingham Jewish Federation engaged in a CEO search over a nine-month period under the leadership of co-chairs Steve Greene and Jesse Unkenholz.

"The Search Committee chose Danny Cohn because we felt he was the most inspirational candidate with the most progressive ideas to move our Federation and community forward," Greene said.

"Danny brings to our Federation a new vision of community-wide engagement along with creative strategies to involve donors of all ages in the important work of the BJF," said BJF President Lisa Engel. "Together, Danny and our Board look forward to collaborating with all of the agencies and synagogues in our Jewish community to enrich the vibrancy of Jewish life at home and abroad."

Cohn received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas and his Master of Public Administration from Ohio University.