Ross Cohen has been chosen as one of Business First’s 2015 Forty Under 40 honorees. He was chosen for this elite group of up and coming young business leaders from among more than 500 nominations.
Cohen said he was a bit surprised. “It’s a great honor. … It validates the work I’ve been doing. The people who have been selected before me are significant contributors to the community and I want to follow in their footsteps.
In May, Cohen also received the Jewish Community of Louisville’s Lewis W Cole Memorial Young Leadership Award.
A Louisville native, Cohen is an attorney with Bingham Greenebaum Doll. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Kentucky, his law degree from the University of Louisville, and a masters in tax law from New York University. “I’m a partner in the firm now,” he explained, “and I recently became the co-chair of the federal tax team within the firm.”
Cohen has also served as chair of the Louisville Bar Association’s Tax Section and chair and an officer of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Tax Section.
As a teen, Cohen and his family belonged to The Temple. He was involved in BBYO and attended the High School of Jewish Studies.
When he returned to Louisville, he began volunteering with the Jewish Federation. “I helped with the merger of the Federation and the Jewish Community Center,” he said, “and was involved in all the legal aspects of it and preparing the documents.”
He also worked on the JCL’s bylaws, and continues to review the language whenever the Board amends the document. “It was a big job,” he said, “but it was rewarding … helping a great organization.” Cohen also serves on the JCL’s Finance and Foundation Committees.
Helping the JCL is really just an extension of what Cohen does in his job, where he works with many nonprofit organizations “trying to apply for tax-exempt status with the IRS and I advise them on general best practices,” he said. “It’s a rewarding part of my job.”
“I’ve done pro bono work for many nonprofits,” he continued. “I helped form and get tax exempt status for a legal-medical partnership” that brings doctors and lawyers together to help the underserved.
Cohen and his wife, Shannon, have a one-year-old daughter, Elin. His parents are Joe and Trish Cohen.