About Us | Council Leadership and Staff

Leadership | Staff

Staff : ROBERT COHEN

Executive Director
Robert Cohen joined the Jewish Community Relations Council after serving as Assistant Executive Director and Director, Community Relations of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa. Prior to that, he worked for three decades in television news, public relations and advertising.

After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees and completing advanced studies in international relations from American University, he worked as anchor, reporter and news manager for TV stations in Savannah, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Wichita, New Haven, Cleveland and Tulsa.  During his broadcast journalism career, he won numerous professional honors including the National Headliners Award, the National Association of Broadcasters Service to Children Award, and the Gabriel Award of Unda-USA (National Catholic Association for Communicators).  He also worked as an international public relations consultant for the New York public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, and was executive vice president of Schmelzer and Associates public relations and advertising in Cleveland.

Cohen has been Secretary and member of the Board of Trustees of Temple Israel in Tulsa, and chaired the Social Action Committee and Black-Jewish Dialogue Committee of Temple Emanu-El in Cleveland.  He is also active in the mental health movement, serving as Vice Chair of the National Mental Health Association and on the board of directors of the Mental Health Association in Tulsa. He presently is a member of the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Michigan.

Staff : ALLAN GALE

Gale is the Israel advocacy professional on Council’s staff.  He directs Israel-related programming, media response, government relations, Jewish community education and mobilization, and outreach to high school and college youth.  As the Associate Director, he has some responsibilities in personnel, supervision, and planning.

Gale holds degrees from the University of Minnesota and the Midrasha-College of Jewish Studies, and completed Hebrew language studies in Israel. He has taught in Jewish religious schools, and is a frequent guest lecturer in public and private high schools and colleges.

Because of the combination of his respected reputation as a community relations consultant and his vast fund of knowledge about Israel, he is frequently called upon to serve as a speaker or panelist at many local and national conferences and other venues. 

Gale is a member of the board of the Detroit Council for World Affairs and the Jewish National Fund, and is a past board member of the South Oakland County chapter of the NAACP, Temple Emanu-El and Jewish Heartland magazine.  

Staff : BEVERLY K. PHILLIPS

Assistant Director, Public Relations
Beverly K. Phillips has been the coordinator of Council's public relations activities since 1996. She is responsible for managing media relations, promoting Council’s initiatives and events, and producing Council’s printed publications and materials. Phillips also facilitates Council’s Communications and Activist Award committees.  She began working at Council in 1990 as a Community Relations Associate. 

Before joining the staff, Phillips worked in marketing and communications. She was an independent consultant for Michigan Bell, where she produced promotional and educational marketing videos, and was an Industry Consultant for AT&T, managing national accounts. She began her career as a promotions coordinator for WKOW-TV, the ABC affiliate in Madison, Wisconsin.  

Phillips received her B.A. degree in English and Journalism from Michigan State University. She obtained a teaching certificate from Wayne State University, where she completed a masters program in Elementary Education.

Leadership | Staff