A former corporate finance professional and technology venture capitalist, 9/11 transformed the trajectory of Jeff’s life and purpose and awakened his personal sense of service to others.

In 2003, Jeff founded The New York Says Thank You Foundation, a disaster relief organization which grew into one of the largest volunteer non-profits to emerge from the tragedy of 9/11 by focusing on the compassion, kindness, and volunteer spirit that united the Nation – and the world – on 9/12.

This “pay it forward” effort gave birth to numerous other non-profit and charitable initiatives nationwide including the historic 50-state restoration of The National 9/11 Flag, and the creation of Stars of HOPE, a community-based healing arts program that has positively impacted the mental health and emotional wellbeing of millions of people in over 300 communities in 31 countries recovering from natural disasters and human-caused tragedy.

Since 2018, Jeff has worked closely with the founders of many of the leading Israeli and Palestinian co-existence organizations to help bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict and foster a true sense of dignity, justice, and reconciliation between Arabs and Jews.

Jeff has received numerous awards for his service and was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2011.