Howard Levy

Even before Howard Levy, a strategic marketing and communication design expert, undertook his first project as a pro bono consultant for the Management Assistance Program (MAP) in 2004, he already had considerable experience with Jewish organizations. He had previously worked with such groups as the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County and the Jewish community center in Monmouth County, NJ.

When MAP asked him to develop branding for the Jewish Early Childhood Project, sponsored by the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York and SAJES, Howard immediately accepted. The project, called ENGAJE — Enrich, Nurture, and Grow Through Adult Jewish Education — aims to educate pre-school and kindergarten teachers in Jewish schools, some of whom are not Jewish, about traditional Jewish values.

"I designed a logo, stationery, invitations, and materials for their kickoff event," Howard says. "It was very well received."

Shortly afterward, his branding expertise was called upon by the Shorefront Jewish Community Council in Brooklyn, which provides a range of services to the Russian Jewish community. Then Howard worked for the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills as a paid professional for an extensive branding project.

"MAP has been a wonderful experience for me," he notes. "It's definitely gratifying working with groups that need help and value it."

Howard, who has been the head of the marketing design firm Red Rooster Group for the last six years, says, "I'm very motivated to use my business and design skills to make the world a better place. People who are living the right values just need the right communications tools to present their services to the marketplace. I want to assist organizations that are doing their part to improve the world."

Indeed, Howard has been an active participant in public service organizations, both Jewish and non-sectarian. He was a member of the programming board of the J2J Network, which fosters interaction among Jewish professionals; is on the steering committee of SPARK, a networking group for designers; and is the marketing chair for Governance Matters, which works to raise the standards of professionalism for directors of nonprofit organizations.

"I have a passion for social causes," Howard explains. "MAP is a perfect vehicle for satisfying that passion."

Dateline: May 2007