The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living in Somerset has selected Michael A. Kaufman to serve a two-year term as president of its Board of Trustees.
In discussing his goals for the 2015 year at the organization’s annual meeting, the East Brunswick resident said that he will strive to “continue the good work that the organization is already doing to be the leader in our region in providing health, housing, transportation and other community services in an environment which enhances and respects Jewish values, traditions and lifestyles and do all of that in a fiscally prudent and responsible manner to ensure our long term viability and growth.”
“Toward that end, I would like for us to embark on a number of initiatives that will enhance our leadership goals and cement the Wilf Campus as the gold standard in how we serve our residents, patients and clients,” he noted.
Kaufman said that he would collaborate with the organization’s lay leaders and key professionals to develop a statement of responsibilities that would serve as the organization’s code of ethics to guide its ongoing decision-making process.
“The code of ethics would be adopted by the board and serve as the core of our beliefs and be looked to when difficult decisions need to be made. I hope that the approved statement will be adopted this year and serve our needs for many years to come,” he shared.
Kaufman reported that the board would also take on the task of revising our by-laws, which will “explore, among other things, our position on conflicts of interest and help ensure that our trustees always place the interest of the campus above personal considerations.”
“I love the passion I see among our staff and volunteers and would like to promote that while instilling a culture of respect for all in our dealings with one another,” he said.
Among his long-term goals, Kaufman seeks to initiate a $10 million endowment campaign to be achieved in five years. It will launch this spring.
“My vision is that this would be accomplished with the leadership of the Wilf Foundation and our General Board and would be supplemented by individual bequests and donations as well as by major donations from friends of Wilf Campus,” he explained. “Such an endowment would help ensure a source of funds for future years from the annual investment earnings making sure that all the good works of the campus are sustained for the future.”
Professionally, Kaufman serves as Johnson & Johnson’s Assistant General Counsel and Vice President of Law on its New Brunswick campus where he has been responsible for the legal affairs of the corporation’s orthopedics business since 2007.
He possesses a law degree and an MBA, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in electric engineering.
Kaufman has held various key roles in community organizations, including the East Brunswick Jewish Center, where he served as president and chairman of the Rabbi Search Committee and where he continues to serve as Litigation Chair. At Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, he was president and chairman of the Head of School Search Committee.
He is also President of the East Brunswick Public Library Foundation, Vice Chairman of the American Hungarian Foundation, board member and past president of the University of Pennsylvania Engineering Alumni Society, a Hadassah Associate and as such chairs the Annual Golf Outing for the Hadassah Southern New Jersey Region, whose president is his wife, Sherryl Kaufman, and a past member of the Allocations Committee for the Greater Middlesex Federation (now The Federation in the Heart of New Jersey).
Kaufman said, “It is an honor to serve the Wilf Campus as a Trustee and a truly humbling experience to become its President.”
“The Wilf Campus is special in many ways,” he continued. “It serves the aging population in Central New Jersey with dignity, remembering always to place the needs of each individual we serve at the top of the pyramid.”
When asked about what sets the Wilf Campus apart, Kaufman stated, “We place a premium on quality Kosher food for our residents, a clean and safe environment, a culture of respect; basically, we strive to do everything based on Jewish values. Most of all, I love the fact that everyone associated with the Wilf Campus is ever striving to improve – improve the quality of the service we deliver, improve the choices we offer and being ahead of the curve in seeking to offer what the community may need from us.”
He said, “I believe that mindset is what resulted in innovations such as Wilf Transport.”
Wilf Transport, which began in late 2012, is a non-profit community transportation program that provides medical and social/quality of life transportation to seniors and adults with special needs living within our tri-county community (Middlesex, Somerset, and Eastern Union Counties in New Jersey).
“We have a valuable brand and I will do my utmost to try to improve upon what we stand for so that the esteem in which the Wilf Campus is perceived continues to grow,” he said.
The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living is comprised of Stein Assisted Living, Jaffa Gate Memory Care Neighborhood, Stein Hospice, Wilentz Senior Residence, Wilf Transport, and The Foundation at the Wilf Campus. For more information, contact us at (732) 568-1155, [email protected] or visit us at www.wilfcampus.org.