Hylton L. Jonas, a retired business executive from Dallas, is the new Chairman of the Board of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance (DHM/CET) for 2012 and 2013.
Jonas, who has served as a Museum board member since 2005, succeeds Thomas S. Halsey, who served as board chair in 2010 and 2011.
Jonas has a deep passion for Holocaust victims andtheir families. The family of his wife, Veronique—her grandparents and many aunts and uncles—were taken by the Nazis from their homes on the Island of Rhodes in Greece and deported in 1944 to Auschwitz, where they perished. Of the 1,560 Jews deported from Rhodes, only 153 survived. The Jonas’ erected a memorial on the island to honor those murdered, listing the names of each victim.
“I have tremendous shoes to fill,” said Jonas. “Thomas Halsey has delivered enormous value to the DHM/CET, to the board, and ultimately the community. Tom actively served in a variety of capacities for the nearly 18 years prior to becoming Chairman. His dedicated involvement and commitment to the DHM/CET’s success is highlighted by the addition of a special exhibit gallery to display traveling exhibits. This allowed the content of the museum to regularly be refreshed with new educational material.”
Originally from South Africa, Jonas is a graduate of the University of Cape Town South Africa. In early 1982, he and his family relocated to Dallas, where Jonas became CEO of a successful food service equipment company that he and his partners acquired in 1983. The company was sold to a larger public company in 2007. Jonas continued to serve as CEO until late 2008, when he left to pursue other interests, including philanthropic and non-profit work.
“Hylton is logically the next person to lead the DHM/CET” said Thomas Halsey. “He shares a passion for the Dallas Holocaust Museum /Center for Education and Tolerance’s mission, and brings the business and financial expertise necessary to advance our mission.” As chairman of the board, Jonas, a resident of North Dallas, assumes leadership of the executive and strategic planning committees.
In addition to his board service for the DHM/CET, Jonas serves as a trustee on the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. He is past president of Congregation Shearith Israel and currently serves on the congregation’s board. While serving as an officer of Shearith Israel, he was part of the leadership team that orchestrated the school’s repositioning. Under his leadership, the Congregation launched theirVision 2000 campaign. Jonas is alost past board member of Levine Academy, a Solomon Schechter School, and the Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.
In addition to Jonas’ election, the Museum announced the 2012 Executive Committee: Stephen Waldman (Waldman Bros), Vice-Chairman/Chair-Elect; Thomas Halsey (ExxonMobil, Retired), Immediate Past Chair; Don Glendenning (Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP), Vice President; Marsha Gaswirth, Vice President; Mary Pat Higgins (The Hockaday School), Treasurer; Karen Cortell Reisman (Speak for Yourself), Secretary; James Baron (Blue Mesa Grill),Assistant Secretary; Stanley Rabin, Assistant Secretary; James Hogue (Morgan Stanley Smith Barney); John Raphael (Intervest Companies); Frank Risch (ExxonMobil, retired); Larry Schoenbrun (Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP); and Charles Teichman (Ylang 23).
Jonas also announced the induction of seven new directors to the DHM/CET Board for 2012, including: Michelle Anderson; Jason Downie of HM Capital Partners, LLC; James Ho, of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP; Robert Hoodis of Edge Medical Ventures; The Honorable Florence Donald Shapiro, of the Texas Senate; and Alison Weinstein. Holocaust Survivor Jack Repp was named a lifetime director.
Continuing directors for 2012 are: Dr. Michelle Bassichis of the Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery Center; Julie Meetal Berman of Meetal, Inc.; Jules Brenner of Strasburger & Price LLP; W. Lee Carter; Jeffrey Chapman of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Clinton David of David, Goodman & Madole; Gary Eisenstat of Figari & Davenport LLP; Neal Feibel; William Hornberger of Jackson Walker, LLP; Mark Jacobs of Mark E Jacobs PC; Paul Kessler; Richard Krumholz; Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.; Stan Levenson of Levenson & Brinker; Michael Meyers of the Weitzman Group; Dick Nowak of GAFMaterials Corporation; Janet Pena; Gloria Price of Prime Lending, Inc.; Dr. Randall Rosenblatt of Baylor Medical Center; Jim Rosenthal of Rosenthal Energy; Gail Sachson; Carol Seay; Jeffrey Simon of Simon, Eddins & Greenstone; and Richard Trubitt of Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLP.
Lifetime directors include: Jack Altman; Max Glauben; Michael Jacobs; Zsuzsanna Ozsvath, Chair of Holocaust Studies at UT Dallas; Michael Schiff of Intervest; and Leon Zetley. The list of board members may be viewed here.
