Robert Elman is the immediate past president of American Jewish Committee (AJC) and currently serves as honorary President. He is also the current Chair of the Transatlantic Institute, and is on the boards of both the Contemporary Jewish Life and International Relations Commissions. Previously, he served as a member of the Executive Council, chairman of the Regional Offices Commission, member of the Steering Committee for AJC’s Strategic Plan, and officer and then President of AJC’s Nashville Unit. In addition, Bob has also served on the boards of numerous corporate, Jewish, and other nonprofit organizations. At age 29, he was appointed president of KLH, which manufactured stereo systems, and was the subject of feature articles in Business Week and Newsweek. He co-founded DESA Industries, and after AMCA International acquired it, Bob joined AMCA as group vice president. In conjunction with the management team, he organized and directed the management buyout of the Consumer Products Division. Under his leadership, DESA grew from $57 million in sales in 1985 to $325 million in 1999. Bob received his Bachelor’s with honors in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He and his wife, Sylvia, have three children and five grandchildren.