Matan A. Koch

Matan A. Koch

Senior Advisor, RespectAbility

Matan A. Koch is a Senior Advisor at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. A longtime national leader in disability advocacy and a wheelchair user himself, he is on the front lines in RespectAbility’s work on disability inclusion in philanthropy and nonprofits, Jewish outreach and impact, leadership, legal affairs and our Los Angeles work.

Koch is a longtime leader in disability advocacy, and was a Senate confirmed Obama appointee to the National Council on Disability, for a term that ended in 2014. An inclusion expert, he has developed training and materials for many Jewish organizations, including Hillel International, the Union for Reform Judaism and Combined Jewish Philanthropies. He has also spoken and taught at law firms, and at Johnson & Johnson. He currently serves on the Advisory Council of Jewish Vocational Services in Boston, as their disability subject matter expert.

A graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Law School, Koch began his legal career as counsel to the Procter & Gamble Company, where he rose to become the primary legal support for a $2 billion portfolio of brands. He then transitioned to an AmLaw 100 Law Firm in New York, where he worked on a broad range of high-value commercial litigation matters, and was privileged to do pro bono work in the areas of criminal appeals and guardianship. For his commercial work, Koch was recognized as a “Rising Star” by New York SuperLawyers in 2012 and 2013, a distinction allotted to the top 2.5% of New York metro area lawyers, based on peer recognition and professional achievement. For his pro bono work, Koch was awarded the Legal Aid Society Outstanding Pro Bono Services for 2013, based on a victory at the highest court of New York.

Including Stakeholders with Disabilities to Innovate and Solve Problems

Rochester

Problems are solved most effectively when we include the people who have experienced them first hand — those who know the solutions that will work best. Just like issues that impact people of different racial, ethnic, or other backgrounds, people with disabilities should be involved in solving the issues that impact them. After all, organizations are at their best when they welcome, respect, and include people of all backgrounds — including people with disabilities. This session will enable you to make your work accessible to, and inclusive of, the one in five people who live with a physical, cognitive, sensory, […]

Breakout session
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Aspiration Gap: Nonprofits, Diversity, and the Role of Philanthropy

Rochester

Nonprofit leaders know it’s crucial for their effectiveness to be diverse at the staff, leadership, and board levels. But, in many areas, CEP research reveals that their sense of how diverse they actually are is a long way from where they believe it needs to be. How can this be changed? What is the role of foundations in  supporting nonprofit efforts to become more diverse, as well as to foster inclusivity and equity? How are foundations themselves doing on these dimensions, and how might they get better?

Breakout session
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