For Ben Vaughan, the Jewish community has always meant opportunities – opportunities to participate, to plan, to lead and to socialize with others who share his interests and passions.
Born in Louisville, Vaughan and his family moved to Nashville when he was young. There, he was a member of Congregation Micah, and helped the congregation’s youth group organize a NFTY regional convention in Nashville. He was also active in the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle.
When it came time for college, Vaughan returned to his hometown to attend the University of Louisville’s Speed School, from which he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. During his time at U of L, he was active in Hillel, served as Hillel’s representative on the Jewish Community of Louisville’s Community Relations Council, and was a campus volunteer for the JCL’s Annual Campaign.
Hillel offered him many opportunities to connect with the Jewish community, and Vaughan took advantage of several of them. He attended the Spitzer Institute, a convention for college students that is run in conjunction with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Plenum, providing them a forum to learn about pressing issues of concern to the Jewish community with other motivated, committed Jewish young adults from across the country. In addition, Vaughan did some Israel advocacy on campus and in the community.
Following graduation, Vaughan traveled for a while, but returned to the Commonwealth to put down roots. He’s active in the Young Adult Division (YAD) and volunteers to help with the Annual Campaign every year. In 2007, he helped coordinate the call center for Super Sunday.
Professionally, Vaughan describes himself as “a new generation locksmith,” who designs kaba mas electronic locks.