Dear Friends,
We are saddened to share that on Sunday, October 26, Ann Kern passed, and Tanenbaum lost a member of our Leadership Council and former Board Member – and a forever friend.
Small in stature, Ann was large in life. She was committed to building a better world and established a career that helped nonprofits locate talented staff. In the early years of women becoming corporate leaders, Ann Kern became the first female U.S. Managing Partner at Korn Ferry and a go-to person for nonprofit professionals.
As a founding Tanenbaum Board and Leadership Council Member, Ann pursued her passion for interreligious understanding and the importance of respecting different religious beliefs. She was dedicated to Tanenbaum’s mission and helped Tanenbaum build a committed Board of Directors, which still includes some of our longest-serving members. Her aptitude for building talented leadership teams extended beyond Tanenbaum, encompassing high profile searches for organizations including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; American Ballet Theatre; the Aspen Music Festival and School; the Guggenheim Museum; the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Ronald McDonald House Charities; Museum of New Zealand; Museum of Australia; Hadassah and UJA-Federation of New York, and many more. Ann was also known for her mentorship of young professionals, particularly women returning to the workforce.
Those who worked most closely with Ann over the years also remember her wit, her intelligence, her forthright manner, and how she always found a way to connect with people.
Joyce Dubensky, Senior Advisor and CEO Emerita of Tanenbaum, shares,
“For nonprofit professionals, Ann Kern was ‘the’ person to know when looking for a job. I was also lucky to know Ann personally, through her Board service at NCCJ and then, at Tanenbaum. There, I witnessed her commitment to fighting bigotry including religious bias. Always hardworking, Ann was smart, spunky, warm, and forever devoted to Tanenbaum, her family, and to her beloved friends. I am grateful to have known her.”
We send our condolences to Ann’s family, who were her greatest joy. We will miss Ann, remember her, and remain grateful for all she did to help Tanenbaum emerge as a force for respecting people of all religious beliefs and none.
May her memory be for a blessing,
Rev. Mark Fowler, CEO, Tanenbaum
