Josh Cooper is President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest Foundation. His 26 years of senior and executive management experience are coupled with a diverse entrepreneurial background in private business, not-for-profit, the charitable sector, public policy and electoral politics.

Formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish National Fund of Canada (JNF), he successfully modernized and rebranded the century-old institution and achieved record-level fundraising. Prior to that role he was the Founding Executive Director of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC). He is a longtime volunteer with community organizations. Cooper is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and other community leadership awards.

Cooper has successfully developed start-ups in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. For example, he founded Par Golf Camps in 1993, the first junior golf summer camp in Canada and at one time, the largest provider of golf instruction of its kind. He successfully expanded the organization into adult golf camps and residential facility/resort management in Muskoka, Ontario. Under his leadership, Par Golf Camps was recognized as one of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies.