JEWISHcolorado President and CEO Rabbi Jay Strear announced today that Rob Kaufmann has been named the incoming board chair of the organization, beginning July 1, 2021. He succeeds current Board Chair Ruth Malman.

Kaufmann takes the helm of JEWISHcolorado after completing chairmanship of the board at the Denver Zoological Foundation and after having served in numerous leadership roles in Denver’s nonprofit community.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with Rob,” said Rabbi Strear. “His family’s multi-generational commitment to our community, his involvement in our programs and our organization, and his broad engagement throughout our community make him uniquely qualified to honor JEWISHcolorado’s past—and to help us build for its future.”

Kaufmann began his service for JCO as Congregation Emanuel’s representative to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). He later chaired the JCRC, and served on the JCO board of directors. Kaufmann co-chaired the JCO Public Official Mission to Israel in 2013 and was the 2016 recipient of the JCRC Community Leadership Award.

For the past 20 years, Kaufmann has committed substantial time and resources serving as a chair or board member to several nonprofit and civic organizations in the local community including the Denver Zoo, Healthone Colorado hospitals, Colorado AIPAC and CORHIO, Congregation Emanuel, the Colorado Health Foundation, Hillel Colorado, and the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation.

Kaufmann and his wife Jen Gilbert-Kaufmann are the proud parents of four BBYO’ers and two current DJDS students. He has been a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for 26 years, is currently on its executive committee and is a former chair of Brownstein’s’ nationally recognized real estate department.

“My tenure follows a long line of chairs whose leadership over the years has engendered trust and respect from the community, and each of them left their stamp on the organization,” says Kaufmann. “I look forward to working with the entire board, as well as our professional staff, to enhance the programs that serve the Colorado Jewish community and to strengthen those that connect our community with Israel.”

Kaufmann’s family has been a part of the Colorado community for six generations and is an alumnus of JEWISHcolorado’s Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour (class of 1978), Cherry Creek High School and the University of Texas at Austin (AEPi/BBA/MBA/JD).