Julie Platt (née Beren; born 1957) is an American banker and philanthropist. Since 2022, she has served as the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, the second woman to serve as the chair for the organization. The agency oversees 146 Jewish federations across the United States and Canada that distribute over $3 billion each year.
Julie Platt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julie Beren 1957 (age 66–67) |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Marc Platt |
| Children | 5, including Ben Platt |
Amid antisemitism controversies at the University of Pennsylvania, she was appointed interim chair of the school's board of trustees in December 2023.
Personal life
editPlatt was born to Joan Schiff Beren, a noted philanthropist to Jewish causes[1] and grew up in Wichita, Kansas, the only Jew in her public school class of about 700 students. She matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania, where in her first week on campus she met her future husband Marc Platt. After earning her bachelor's degree in 1979, she worked as a commercial banker at the now-defunct Bankers Trust in New York City.[2][3]
She and her husband moved to Los Angeles. Platt and her husband have five children, including actor Ben Platt.[4] All of the couple's children graduated from the University of Pennsylvania except for Ben, who enrolled in Columbia University before dropping out to pursue his acting career.[3][5] Julie was one of the first signees of the Jewish Future Pledge, a charitable campaign modeled after The Giving Pledge to encourage American Jews to designate at least 50% of their charitable giving for Jewish or Israel-related causes.[6]
Community leadership
editJulie Platt was elected chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America in 2022. She is the second woman to be the chair for the organization, which oversees 146 Jewish federations across the United States and Canada that distribute over $3 billion each year.[4][7] She previously served as the chair of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and was on the advisory board of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University.[8]
Platt has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania since 2006 and has served as vice chair.[9] After the resignation of board chair Scott Bok and university president Liz Magill amid antisemitism controversies, Platt became interim chair on December 10, 2023.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths (Beren, Joan Schiff)". New York Times. January 27, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Julie Platt Elected Penn Alumni President". The Penn Gazette. University of Pennsylvania. July 9, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Vice chair Julie Platt appointed interim chair of Penn's Board of Trustees". Daily Pennsylvanian. December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Wagenheim, Mike (June 28, 2022). "Julie Platt begins tenure at helm of one of US Jewry's signature organizations". JNS. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ Myatt, Grant (March 11, 2013). "Digging into "The Book of Mormon": an interview with Ben Platt and Nic Rouleau". The Depaulia. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Oster, Marcy (May 14, 2020). "New Jewish giving pledge takes a page from Gates and Buffett initiative". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ Kampeas, Ron (February 16, 2022). "Jewish fundraising powerhouse JFNA names 2nd woman (and actor Ben Platt's mom) as chair". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ "Julie Beren Platt, C'79". Penn Alumni Trustees. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ "Trustees May Meeting Coverage". Upenn Alamanac. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 26, 2023.