American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Appoints Steven D. Franklin Great Lakes Regional Director
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Appoints Steven D. Franklin Great Lakes Regional Director
February 1, 2012
NEW YORK, February 1, 2012 – American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University) has appointed Steven D. Franklin regional director of its Great Lakes Region.
Franklin, who has been a member of Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Great Lakes regional board, will be responsible for donor development and cultivation of major gifts in the 10-state Great Lakes region.
In announcing his appointment, Doron Krakow, executive vice president of Americans for Ben-Gurion University, said, “We are excited that Steven is joining the professional team. He is an experienced financial and business executive who will no doubt expand the level of community involvement and support for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. We look forward to his leadership in the Great Lakes.”
“I’m honored and very excited to represent Americans for Ben-Gurion University,” Franklin said. “In the Great Lakes region, our abundance of natural resources gives us a special appreciation for BGU’s mission to develop the Negev. BGU truly is bringing imagination, creativity and research to the desert, benefiting Israel and the world.”
Franklin is currently vice president of the America Israel Chamber of Commerce of Chicago and a regional advisory board member of the Jewish Student Union. He was formerly co-chair of the Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council’s Israel Commission. He is also a past president of Temple Beth Israel in Skokie, Illinois.
Franklin, who is a chartered financial analyst (CFA), has more than 30 years of experience as a financial service professional with an extensive banking and capital markets background.
Most recently, he worked for GCG Financial Inc. and Securian Financial Services handling insurance products, retirement income solutions and other investment services. He previously worked for Citi Private Bank and JPMorgan Chase in investment banking positions, as well as The First National Bank of Chicago for 14 years. He began his career at Continental Illinois National Bank, where he handled resident business development and relationship management assignments in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan.
Franklin earned his MBA in 1974 and BA in 1972 from The University of Michigan. He is married to Cindy, a pharmacist, and they reside in Evanston. The Franklins have three children and two grandchildren. To learn more, contact [email protected] or 847-325-5009.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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