The Anti-Defamation League announced the appointment of Tali Cohen as the new regional director of ADL Washington, D.C., according to a July 16 press release.
Cohen’s role is to “lead the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate” in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
The D.C. resident brings to the ADL longtime experience in the public sector. Cohen has held leadership roles for more than two decades in the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
She most recently served as senior counselor to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, where she led efforts to reform and align more than $1.5 billion in annual grant programs including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, according to the press release.
Through her past leadership roles, Cohen gained “deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, program oversight and operational efficiency,” the press release stated.
Cohen holds master’s degrees from Brown University and Johns Hopkins University. She returns to the ADL after a quarter century, having previously served as an intern in the ADL Connecticut office during college, according to the press release.
“It is truly an honor to join ADL as the Washington, D.C., regional director,” Cohen said in the press release. “Since 1913, generations of my family have benefited from the important work of ADL to ‘stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.’ I am grateful to now give back to ADL and help deliver on that promise for the generations to come.”
This appointment comes after Meredith Weisel, the ADL’s former D.C. regional director since early 2022, stepped into a new role as the ADL’s vice president of state and local advocacy in February.
“As antisemitism and extremism have sadly reached historic levels in the D.C. region, I am thrilled to see Tali bring her expertise and knowledge working in the emergency management sector to ADL,” Weisel said in the press release. “Her skills and engagement work, along with her passion to fight hatred and bigotry, bring a winning combination to take on the challenges in the region and provide a light of hope.”
“I look forward to advocating for Jewish communities in our region and ensuring that Jewish Americans are seen as full and whole members of our society,” Cohen said.
