Name:
Michael Kassen
AIPAC Role:
Member of AIPAC's Board of Directors
Professional Profile/Associations:
AIPAC national board member since 2004. Former President of AIPAC (2012–2014) and Board of Directors Chair (2014–2015). A private investor and trustee of the Hudson Institute, the neoconservative think tank. Former Chief Investment Officer at Neuberger Berman (1999–2002). Grew up in Cleveland; graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Business School. Served on the board of the Jewish Communal Fund and on the investment committee of the UJA-Federation of New York; also sits on the finance and investment committee for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy paid tribute to Michael and his wife Shelly Kassen in 2023 for their "decades of farsighted communal leadership." His wife Shelly Kassen is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, having served as president from 2016–2020. The Kassens, based in Westport, Connecticut, co-founded the AIPAC Fairfield County Council in 2003.
Accountability:
As a member of AIPAC's Board of Directors, Michael Kassen bears individual legal responsibility for the organization's conduct. Under U.S. nonprofit law, board members hold fiduciary duties to ensure organizational compliance with applicable legal standards, implement oversight systems for core activities, and respond to credible information about organizational wrongdoing. In Stern v. Lucy Webb Hayes (1974), the federal district court held that nonprofit directors who fail to supervise organizational decisions breach their fiduciary obligations. In In re Lemington Home for the Aged (3d Cir. 2015), the Third Circuit upheld $2.25 million in damages against nonprofit directors who ignored red flags and failed to exercise reasonable oversight. The information in these profiles is drawn primarily from AIPAC's most recent IRS Form 990, supplemented by publicly available sources including news reports, official announcements, and public records. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, AIPAC is legally required to file Form 990 annually with the Internal Revenue Service, and these filings are public documents.
However, IRS regulations allow organizations up to eleven months after their fiscal year ends to submit these forms, meaning publicly available data typically lags by approximately one year. This inherent delay underscores why AIPAC—like most major organizations of its size and influence—should maintain a current, public-facing leadership page identifying its board members and senior executives. The absence of such transparency from AIPAC necessitates this project. We are committed to accuracy and will update these profiles as new information becomes available. If you have corrections, updates, or additional sourced information, please contact us at advocacy@dawnmena.org.
