Experience

RespectAbility

• United States
• Public Policy Offices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Policy Advisor

  • Oct 2022 - Present

  Having joined RespectAbility when it was a nine-person team, Koch oversaw massive expansions in RespectAbility’s workforce engagement and education portfolio, Faith inclusion and Leadership as the organization doubled in size, with a more than 250% budget increase. Having onboarded three strong leaders to take over these departments, Koch now leverages his decades of disability policy leadership to shepherd critical special projects in Entrepreneurship and Benefits Reform, while continuing the onboard and mentor new and existing staff.

• Senior Vice President for Strategic Change

  • May 2022 - Oct 2022

  As the Senior Vice President for strategic change, I served as an advisor to our new CEO while guiding and supporting the Directors of the Faith Inclusion, Policy, And Leadership departments as they assume the running of these departments from me.

• Vice President for Workforce, Leadership, and Faith Programs

  • Jun 2021 - May 2022

  Vice President for Workforce, Leadership, and Faith Programs at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Duties include● Serving as Senior Vice President working with the CEO and the COO on organizational structure, policies and procedures and personnel matters, and advising on complex matters, such as establishing the structure for RespectAbility’s fee-for-service business, including contract structure, insurance, cybersecurity and more. ● Leading The Policy Department, comprised of three other managers, one Associate and 4-6 apprentice trainees. Duties include: ► Working with the board on the policy goals of the strategic plan and leading the development of overall strategies to implement those policy priorities, ► Building relationships with external Stakeholders. ►Guiding team to successes including testimony in all 50 states, collaboration with state and federal leaders, and piloting workforce initiatives● Lead the Faith inclusion team of two junior associates. Results include: ►Creating a goal setting process which I led with the Faith Inclusion team of the Board. ►Representing RespectAbility in the Jewish community to maintain RespectAbility’s trusted status in Jewish inclusion. This included gathering an unprecedented 45 Jewish organizations, from accross the Jewish ideological spectrum, to cosponsor a series on Jewish Inclusion,● Guide the Speakers Bureau associate in turning a leadership training program for potential speakers with disabilities into a self-sustaining training practice, generating over $50,000 in its first full year.● Cultivate and develop donors while maintaining donor relations. Closed $175,000 worth of funding while supporting the grants process in over $1.5 million of other grants received in 2021.

• Director, Respectability California and Jewish Leadership

  • Dec 2019 - Jun 2021

  As the director RespectAbility's California office I• Collaborate with our partners in state and local government, as well as the corporate and nonprofit sectors to bring them the lived experience of people with disabilities in advocating for full employment of people with disabilities. This includes making sure that both the response to and the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis fully include the talents and needs of those with disabilities• Lead a dynamic team working on matters ranging from inclusion in Hollywood to civic engagement of people with disabilities in the issues most central to their lives.As the director of Jewish leadership, I:• lead respectability's national jewishinclusion programs, including national convenings of Jews with disabilities around critical issues, the creation of the world class tools and trainings for Jewish organizations, and real-time consultation with national Jewish leadership• Direct Project Moses, an innovative Los Angeles-based program that trains new Jewish leaders with disabilities, and the organizations that want to work with them,

• Director of Project Moses and General Counsel

  • Aug 2019 - Dec 2019

  My primary responsibility is the direction of Project Moses an innovative Los Angeles-based program that trains new Jewish leaders with disabilities, and the organizations that want to work with them, while collecting, creating and amplifying the best practices in Jewish inclusion. This includes content creation, mentorship, event planning, and even development.In addition to this exciting role, I collaborate with colleagues to assist on exciting efforts in workforce development to maximize the talents of people with disabilities, civic engagement of disability advocates, and learning, and educating on best practices in public policy. I am also privileged to teach and speak as part of RespectAbility's exciting work to help our philanthropic sector not only better serve, but also learn to benefit from the talents of people with disabilities.Finally, I provide legal support as needed to our growing organization.

• Senior Advisor

  • Jan 2019 - Aug 2019

  RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. I am on the front lines in RespectAbility’s work on disability inclusion in philanthropy and nonprofits, Jewish outreach and impact, leadership, legal affairs and RespectAbility's Los Angeles expansion.



Capitalizability LLC

• CEO and Chief Consultant

  • Jan 2014 - Feb 2019

  I run a full-service consultancy, helping corporate, educational and nonprofit clients to achieve their diversity and inclusion goals, engaging them at every level from initial inspiration, planning, executing and training, to specific projects and troubleshooting. I specialize in “universal inclusion”, a series of practices born out of my disability inclusion work, designed to help organizations maximize participation of any and all people who face barriers.► Created trainings on universal inclusion for multiple industries, including law, corporate, not-for-profit and youth professionals; delivered lectures and workshops for over 15,000 people in the last two years as part of the Igniting Inclusion Initiative, building tremendous excitement for inclusion and changing the perspective for youth and adults across the country.► Developed “Getting Started Guide” for use by Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston to help constituent congregations to develop and implement inclusion plans. The Guide has been downloaded and shared throughout the country for synagogues and other nonprofits looking to get started.



National Council on Disability

• United States
• Government Administration
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Member-Chair of Governance Committee

  • Sep 2011 - May 2014

  I was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to a senior executive level position supervising the federal agency that oversees National Disability Policy. Once confirmed, I was asked by the Chairman of the agency to Chair the Governance and Planning Committee. During my time I:► Conducted a complete overhaul of the Council bylaws and internal operating procedures, allowing for a clear definition of roles of political appointees and staff. Streamlined procedures to maximize Council Member input and preserve each voice while allowing for efficient handling of both the urgent and routine government business.► Collaborated with fellow Executive Committee Members to draft and approve urgent messages to the President and Cabinet on time sensitive issues, setting out Council positions while ensuring that non-executive Members were adequately represented.► Facilitated intra-Council discussions and negotiations resulting in consensus on recommendations of key issues of national importance, including a landmark recommendation for the end of sheltered workshops and subminimum wage



Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

• United States
• Law Practice
• 500 - 600 Employee

• Associate

  • Jul 2007 - Dec 2013

  As an associate in the commercial litigation practice, I leveraged skills in research, writing, courtroom argument and team management to contribute to the firm’s success in a broad range of matters, ranging from my specialties in advertising and contract law to matters of diverse as real estate and bankruptcy.► Successfully argued as lead pro bono counsel for a criminal defendant before the Court of Appeals of New York to reverse a criminal conviction and firm up a principal of New York constitutional law in PEOPLE v. GARCIA, 20 N.Y.3d 317 (2012).► Devised electronic and human review procedures and managed a team of associates as a senior associate in charge of discovery in a large bankruptcy matter, allowing quick and efficient review of millions of documents on a tight schedule, identifying key documents to develop the foundation of a successful settlement.► Crafted a successful analysis combining the interpretations of complex contracts with the laws of three states and maritime jurisdiction to aid in an investment decision. Ultimately my legal analysis was favored over that a local expert subject matter counsel, who ultimately came to agree.



Procter & Gamble

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Counsel

  • Jun 2005 - Jun 2007

  I was the primary legal point of contact for a multibillion dollar portfolio of Procter & Gamble business, advising clients at all levels, from Executive down to junior marketer on product launches and advertising executions, as well as contracts, licensing and other business transactions. Though I advised more than a dozen brands comprising thousands of personnel, I was described by my business clients as a business partner and a tremendous asset, making each one feel as if they were my most important client. In this role I also successfully managed defense efforts in a large litigation and served on the company Network for People with Disabilities.► Collaborated with legal, technical and marketing partners to beta test and implement a new electronic process for the review of copy and other marketing executions, resulting in the successful review of thousands of individual executions within the time needed by the thriving business.► Worked round-the-clock with the marketing and technical teams for several weeks to completely overhaul and relaunch a brand, including every execution from product names and labels to advertising in all media, remaining accurate in the representation of the performance of our products while highlighting the ability to delight the consumer. ► Crafted the legal strategy underpinning the launch of “Secret Clinical Strength”, a tremendously successful new launch for the company. When ultimately tested during a routine review, the self-regulatory agency for advertising fully endorsed and upheld my legal strategy, recommending no changes to the branding labeling and claims around the product.