The American Technion Society, the national organization that supports the world-changing impact of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, has appointed Michael Waxman-Lenz as its Chief Executive Officer. His appointment was formally approved by the organization’s national Board of Directors on October 2, 2019.

Mr. Waxman-Lenz has been the CFO of ATS since January 2017, and its Acting CEO since April 2019. As CEO, he will work to continue the momentum of the $1.8 billion Technion Global Campaign to ensure that the Technion continues to have an outsized impact on Israel and the world.

“Michael brings more than 25 years of executive experience at multi-national public companies as well as high-tech start-ups,” said ATS President Steve Berger. “He understands what it takes to cultivate innovation, which is at the essence of the Technion’s incredible accomplishments and discoveries.”

Since April, Mr. Waxman has enacted initiatives that place a clear emphasis on fundraising, donor stewardship, and recruiting and retaining the strongest professional staff. He has met with Technion President Uri Sivan and many other key members of the University’s new academic administration, and prioritized meeting with ATS staff, supporters, and lay leaders in key areas.

Mr. Waxman-Lenz’s work in complex global finance and general management, in both privately owned and publicly traded organizations, includes the Israeli company Perion and American Greetings Corporation, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and General Manager. His experience and knowledge extend to the areas of strategic and financial planning, investments, board oversight, sales management, and business processes. Mr. Waxman-Lenz also co-founded a higher education marketing company, working with universities on global recruitment and branding. In the late 1990s, he lived for five years in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, where he managed a venture capital fund. Mr. Waxman-Lenz’s experience truly makes him a perfect fit as CEO, and provides him with a keen understanding of the world-shaping effect of the Technion’s incredible accomplishments and discoveries.

Mr. Waxman-Lenz is a CFA charterholder. He earned his master’s degree in international economics & U.S. foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., after studying business and public administration at the University of Konstanz and Kingston Polytechnic. He has been a member of corporate and non-profit boards including Montefiore Jewish Nursing Home.

“It’s rare for a tech and business executive to wind up at a nonprofit, but there’s no place I’d rather be,” says Mr. Waxman-Lenz. “The Technion is extraordinary. I’ve long admired it from afar for many years, as it has grown into a global powerhouse pioneering the 21st-century model for higher education. Joining the organization as CFO and now staying on board as CEO brings together all areas of my expertise.”

“The Technion has an outsized impact on Israel and the world, helping solve great challenges,” said Mr. Waxman-Lenz. “It’s clear to me that the same qualities driving investors to the Start-up Nation make Israel a land of incredible philanthropic opportunity as well. No other institution in the world, as far as I know, gets as much out of every dollar of support as the Technion. I look forward to talking to existing and potential supporters about the incredible opportunities that are available.”

For more than a century, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has pioneered in science and technology education and delivered world-changing impact. Proudly a global university, the Technion has long leveraged boundary-crossing collaborations to advance breakthrough research and technologies. Now with a presence in three countries, the Technion will prepare the next generation of global innovators. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world, innovating in fields from cancer research and sustainable energy to quantum computing and computer science to do good around the world.

The American Technion Society supports visionary education and world-changing impact through the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Based in New York City, we represent thousands of US donors, alumni and stakeholders who invest in the Technion’s growth and innovation to advance critical research and technologies that serve the State of Israel and the global good. Over more than 75 years, our nationwide supporter network has funded new Technion scholarships, research, labs, and facilities that have helped deliver world-changing contributions and extend Technion education to campuses in three countries.