Cleveland federation exec. — among country’s most influential — is retiring
Stephen HoffmanInfluential Cleveland Federation exec to retire in December

Cleveland federation exec. — among country’s most influential — is retiring

Stephen Hoffman, who is retiring in December, is also among the highest paid federation executives in the country.

Stephen Hoffman has led Cleveland’s Jewish federation for almost 35 years. (Photo by  Kim Ponsky, courtesy of Jewish Federation of Cleveland)
Stephen Hoffman has led Cleveland’s Jewish federation for almost 35 years. (Photo by Kim Ponsky, courtesy of Jewish Federation of Cleveland)

Stephen Hoffman, who has led Cleveland’s Jewish federation for almost 35 years and regularly lands on lists of the most influential and highest paid federation executives, is retiring.

Gary L. Gross, board chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, said in a statement Friday that Hoffman will retire on Dec. 31. A search for a successor is underway.

His retirement was first reported by the Cleveland Jewish News.

Last year the umbrella philanthropy raised more than $32.7 million in its annual campaign; combined with donor-advised and other special-purpose funds, the federation disbursed over $148 million to local, national and overseas causes.

Hoffman earned $546,515 in 2016, putting him fifth among local federation executives on the Forward’s annual list of nonprofit salaries.

Hoffman, 67, raised in Philadelphia, has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland, as well as a master’s in Jewish studies from the Baltimore Hebrew University. He became president of the Cleveland federation in 1983.

From 2001 to 2004, he served as CEO of what is now the Jewish Federations of North America, the federation movement’s national organizing body, before returning to Cleveland as planned. PJC

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