NextGen MKE
Benjamin and John Nickoll Young Leadership Award
Honoring young men who demonstrate exemplary leadership within the Jewish community.
Overview
The Benjamin and John Nickoll Young Leadership Award, previously known as the Benjamin E. Nickoll Young Leadership Award, has been presented by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation since 1962. It is given to a young man who demonstrates exemplary leadership within the Jewish community. The award was established to honor Ben Nickoll, a leader of the MJF and Jewish community in the 1940s and 1950s.
Criteria
Eligibility
The nominee must be a man age 45 or under who demonstrates a sustained commitment to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and Jewish communal life.
Federation Leadership and Philanthropy
The nominee has demonstrated active volunteer service to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and its partner agencies and shows strong support of and participation in the Milwaukee Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.
Community and NextGen Engagement
The nominee is involved in NextGen Milwaukee and other Jewish and/or Milwaukee-area community activities, reflecting emerging leadership, service, and a commitment to strengthening the broader community.
Since being told about this award, many past recipients of this award have reached out to me, which has really been heartwarming. Not only is this a great club to join, given its distinguished list of past recipients, but I can see that this is a tight-knit group of individuals. I look forward to being on the other side of this award in future years with all of you to congratulate new awardees on their recognition.
– Joseph Peltz, 2024
Award Recipients
These awards honor young leaders who exemplify what it means to be active, engaged, and deeply committed members of the Milwaukee Jewish community. Through their leadership and involvement, Jason and Peter are strengthening Jewish life in Milwaukee.
2026 Award Recipient
Peter Klein
Peter Klein recently launched a solo practice as a fractional operates leader. Outside of work, Peter has served on several boards of Jewish organizations and currently serves on the board of Hillel Milwaukee. Having lived in Israel and being married to an Israeli, Peter feels a deep connection to Israel, which has been expressed through his involvement in many Israel efforts, including being a past co-chair of the Yom HaZikharon committee as well as other programming. Peter was a participant in the Weinstein 7 fellowship and a co-chair of the Weinstein 8 fellowship. Peter and his wife Vered have two daughters, Dalia and Dafna.
2026 Award Recipient
Jason Levin
Jason Levin is Executive Director/Advisor in the Milwaukee office of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he advises high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients on topics relating to investment strategy, wealth transfer and other financial planning techniques. Outside of work, Jason is on the board of directors for the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Services. He currently serves on the Finance Committee for both agencies, JFS Executive Committee, and recently joined the MJF investment committee. Previously, Jason was a George Weinstein Fellow in Cohort 5 and served as Alumni Chapter Advisor to Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at UW-Madison.
Previous Award Recipients
* Of Blessed Memory
1960 – 1969
- 1960 – Kenneth E. Berke*
- 1962 – Eliot M. Bernstein*
- 1963 – Tom Kaufman*
- 1964 – Asher J. Rabin*
- 1966 – Hebert H. Kohl*
- 1966 – Sidney Kohl
- 1967 – Henry Kerns*
- 1968 – Stephen H. Marcus
- 1969 – Allen D. Kohl
1970 – 1979
- 1970 – Gerald J. Levy*
- 1970 – Dr. Gerald B. Salinsky
- 1971 – R. Todd Lappin*
- 1972 – Joseph M. Bernstein*
- 1972 – Gerald Friedman
- 1972 – Richard Kite*
- 1972 – Alan Marcuvitz
- 1973 – Mark E. Brickman*
- 1974 – Michael L. Green
- 1975 – Steven Appel
- 1976 – William K. Appel*
- 1977 – Martin F. Stein*
- 1978 – Lawrence R. Appel
- 1978 – Lloyd P. Levin
- 1979 – Alvin Kriger
1980 – 1989
- 1980 – Stephen L. Chernof
- 1980 – Dr. Stanley Sehler
- 1981 – Avin Domnitz*
- 1982 – Bruce Glaser
- 1983 – Howard A. Schoenfeld
- 1984 – Ned Nashban
- 1985 – Bruce M. Peckerman
- 1986 – Max Rasansky
- 1987 – Perry Friesler
- 1987 – Thomas P. Schneider
- 1988 – Larry Gellman
- 1989 – Bruce A. Arbit
1990 – 1999
- 1990 – Jerry Benjamin*
- 1991 – Mark J. Gleischman
- 1992 – Dr. Dennis J. Maiman
- 1992 – Michael Schaalman
- 1993 – Robert E. Leib*
- 1994 – William J. Heilbronner
- 1994 – David J. Lubar
- 1995 – Michael I. Sattell
- 1996 – Dr. Marc W. Jacobson
- 1997 – Bradden C. Backer
- 1998 – Scott A. Sampson
- 1999 – Larry D. Lieberman*
2000 – 2009
- 2000 – Michael H. Lappin
- 2000 – Mitchell Moser
- 2001 – Moshe Katz
- 2002 – Richard Ruvin
- 2003 – Nathan Bernstein
- 2004 – Daniel Sinykin
- 2005 – Todd Richheimer
- 2006 – Daniel Kohl
- 2006 – Yonatan Zvi
- 2007 – Brad Dallet
- 2007 – Mitchell A. Nelles
- 2009 – David Marcus
2010 – 2019
- 2010 – David Arnstein
- 2011 – Josh Richman
- 2012 – Phillip Katz
- 2015 – Brent Arnold
- 2016 – Joe Devorkin
- 2017 – David Cohn
- 2018 – Jordan Herbert
- 2019 – Aaron Karan
2020 – 2025
- 2020 – Danny Kerns
- 2021 – Noah Domnitz
- 2024 – Joseph Peltz
- 2024 – Adam Witkov
Connect
Kelly has spent her career in the Jewish nonprofit world, working with many of the programs and organizations that helped shape her own Jewish identity and commitment to community. She is honored to serve as the Director of NextGen MKE at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, where she focuses on engaging, developing, and connecting Jewish young adults through leadership development, community building, and philanthropy.
Kelly moved to Milwaukee in 2015 to serve as the Assistant Director of the JCC Maccabi Games, where she supported large-scale programming and logistics for this game-changing event. She then joined the BBYO team, first in the Wisconsin Region and then overseeing BBYO’s summer leadership programs, working closely with teens, families, and numerous staff to cultivate the next generation of Jewish leaders.
Kelly is passionate about building meaningful Jewish experiences, strengthening leadership pipelines, and ensuring a vibrant, connected Jewish future in Milwaukee and beyond.
