Kaplan, Executive Chairman of Northeast Ohio’s largest law firm, brings nearly 30 years of United Way volunteer leadership and a track record chairing some of Cleveland’s most respected nonprofit boards to the role, succeeding outgoing Board Chair Vanessa Whiting.
Media contact:
Katie Connell, United Way of Greater Cleveland 404.895.5513 and kconnell@unitedwaycleveland.org
CLEVELAND, Ohio (September 24, 2026) – United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Board of Directors elected Ira C. Kaplan, Executive Chairman of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Northeast Ohio’s largest law firm according to Crain’s Cleveland Business, as its next Board Chair. Kaplan’s two-year term begins today and runs through September 2028. He succeeds Vanessa L. Whiting, President and CEO of A.E.S. Management Corporation. A strategic, forward-looking leader widely respected across Northeast Ohio’s business and civic communities, Kaplan extends that same vision to United Way in his new capacity as Board Chair.
Kaplan’s history with United Way spans 27 years, beginning in 1999 as a member of the organization’s Collaborative Action Fund. He co-chaired United Way’s Annual Campaign in 2013 and currently serves on six board committees, including Executive and Resource Development. Kaplan and his wife, Amy, are long-standing supporters of United Way’s Philanthropist Society and Legacy Circle, and personal donors to the Mandel Match campaign that grew United Way’s Cleveland Community Fund Endowment to more than $20 million.
Kaplan serves as Executive Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee at Benesch, where the practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, public and private debt and equity financings, and healthcare services transactions, including for dental service organizations and other healthcare companies. He previously served as the firm’s Managing Partner (2008–2014) and Associate Managing Partner (2007–2008). Kaplan has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Venture Capital Law every year from 2006 to 2026, was named a Crain’s Cleveland Business Notable Nonprofit Board Leader in 2023 and holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.
“Ira is a proven leader — strategic, devoted, and all in for Greater Cleveland,” said Sharon Sobol Jordan, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland. “For nearly three decades, he’s shown up for our community through his United Way leadership, including co-chairing our annual campaign and serving across board committees. That kind of sustained commitment is extraordinary, and it makes him exactly the right Chair to build on Vanessa’s excellent board leadership. I’m deeply grateful to Vanessa for leaving our United Way stronger, more strategic, and ready to serve families who continue working hard but struggle to make ends meet.”
Beyond United Way, Kaplan serves on the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; is a board and Executive Committee member and past board chair of Bellefaire JCB; and is a past board chair of the Cleveland Leadership Center, Engage! Cleveland, Mount Sinai Health Foundation, and Wingspan Care Group.
“I’m honored to lead United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Board at a moment when our work is laser-focused on helping families bridge the gap from crisis to stability to possibility,” said Kaplan. “Greater Cleveland’s strength depends on the strength of its working families. Sharon, Vanessa, and our board have built something visionary, and my job is to keep that momentum going by expanding Bridges@Work, keeping United Way 211 strong, and investing in data-driven solutions that help people reach lasting financial stability.”
Bridges@Work places a confidential, on-site resource coordinator in the workplace to help employees resolve the everyday disruptions that put jobs at risk — from transportation to financial stress — while building toward lasting financial stability. Participants in the program have stayed employed, and many have also learned to manage and save money, build credit, earn promotions, and purchase homes. United Way is further expanding the proven program in both Cuyahoga and Geauga counties.
During her three years as Board Chair, Whiting sharpened United Way’s strategic focus on upward mobility for working families, grounded in United Way’s ALICE Report — research showing 41% of Cuyahoga County households earn above poverty but still can’t cover the basics. She continues to serve as one of United Way’s 2026-2027 Campaign Co-Chairs, along with Michele Connell, Paul Dolan, and Neal Restivo, as well as Co-Chair of United Way’s new Middle Market Task Force, deepening ties with mid-sized companies’ CEOs and philanthropic leaders. Read more about Whiting’s leadership on United Way’s blog.
“Serving as Board Chair and partnering with Sharon to lead United Way of Greater Cleveland has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” said Whiting. “Our board, staff, and donors have helped hardworking families across Greater Cleveland access the resources and support they need to reach stability and possibility. I’m proud of what we continue to build together, and I know United Way is in excellent hands with Ira’s board leadership.”
Additional photos of Kaplan and Whiting are available upon request.
About United Way of Greater Cleveland
United Way of Greater Cleveland serves as the bridge from crisis to stability to possibility for individuals and families across our community. Through United Way 211, Greater Cleveland’s front door to support and opportunity, we connect people to the right help at the right time and use what we learn to advance solutions that help people stay housed, remain employed, build financial security, and pursue greater opportunity.
As the business community’s partner in economic mobility, we work alongside employers, nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and community leaders to strengthen workforce supports, expand opportunity, and create pathways to financial stability and upward mobility. For more than 100 years, United Way of Greater Cleveland has helped people navigate life’s challenges while building stronger families, a stronger workforce, and a stronger future for our region.
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