October 12, 2023 – I am excited to share that the Zionist Organization of America has hired Samuel Franco as National Director of Marketing & Communications. Samuel has over 20 years of experience at some of the world’s most recognizable companies where he has played an integral part in directing marketing campaigns, creating brand identities, overseeing content development, developing strategic partnerships, and raising capital in the non-profit space.
Most recently, Samuel was Assistant Campaign Director for UJA-Federation of New York’s prestigious Wall Street & Financial Services Division. There, he was a part of a senior management team that was responsible for soliciting gifts totaling over $45 million on an annual basis, while he also stewarded long-standing donors, developed relationships with new ones, and managed corporate philanthropic support from some of the world’s largest financial services firms.
In getting to know Samuel I have come away seeing firsthand how his passion for being a Jew and his deep belief in the State of Israel genuinely motivate him. Even more so, he is an unapologetic Zionist, and wears his heart on his sleeve. What you see is what you get. Sam has a unique and well-rounded background for this role and I am looking forward to working closely with him as ZOA enters its 126th year.
Samuel also comes from a long family history in the Jewish non-profit world. His grandfather, Stephen Shalom, was former President of UJA-Federation of Greater New York, President of Israel Bonds, and sat on the Board of Directors for the JDC, The Jewish Agency, HIAS, AJC, and the World Sefardi Federation. His great-grandfather, Isaac Shalom, was the founder of the Ozar HaTorah Yeshivot in North Africa and France, and was a founding leader of the Syrian Jewish Community in New York, going on to establish Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn, NY, and the Sephardic Heritage Institute.
Prior to UJA, Samuel worked as Head of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at F4 Entertainment | DreamMagic Studios, and was VP of Business Operations & Strategic Partnerships at CBS Television where he oversaw the day-to-day management of the #1 rated show on broadcast television, The Price Is Right. Before that Samuel was EVP of Business Development, Operations, & Partnerships, for cyber-security firm Global Security Technologies, where he oversaw the company’s partnership with DARPA (DoD) and the GSA. He has further worked in Strategic Planning at Paramount Pictures, overseen National Branding, Marketing, and Promotions at CBS Radio, and created the first-ever advertising campaign for Howard Stern, while serving as Director of Strategic Sales and writing the company’s ad-sales scripts. At the start of his career, Samuel worked as a Research Writer for The Charlie Rose Show, and as a Story Assistant to investigative journalist Mike Wallace at CBS News’ 60 Minutes.
Samuel graduated with honors from New York University, and spent time studying in Prague, CR, at Binghamton University, and at Jerusalem Bible College in Israel. He has served on the boards of various charitable, philanthropic, and non-profit organizations, and lives in Englewood, NJ with his wife and two children.
Join me in welcoming him to the ZOA family. We are excited to have him!