Submitted by AJC Cincinnati
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch will be in Cincinnati on May 24 as the featured speaker for the 2023 Judge Learned Hand Award Dinner honoring Kathy Brinkman for her career as a legal trailblazer and lifelong commitment to advancing justice and democracy.
Deutch, a lifelong Jewish and pro-Israel activist, became CEO in October 2022, following more than twelve years of distinguished service in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In Congress, Deutch was a leading voice in the fight against antisemitism and efforts to advance the U.S.-Israel relationship. He was a founding member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, and he served as chair of the House Ethics Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he chaired the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee.
Deutch began his career in public service in the Florida State Senate, where he gained national recognition for passing the nation’s first law mandating that public pension funds not be used to advance Iran’s illicit activities. Prior to holding public office, he enjoyed a successful career as a commercial real estate attorney in Cleveland and Boca Raton. He also served as a lay leader with the Jewish Federations of Cleveland and South Palm Beach County and was a member of both UJA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet and AIPAC’s National New Leadership Network. Deutch and his wife, Jill, have lived in Boca Raton, Fla. since 1998 and have three adult children, Gabby, Serena, and Cole.
Brinkman is an outspoken advocate and fighter for equal rights. She spent her forty seven year career as a defense lawyer and an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She then became a federal white-collar criminal defense attorney at the Porter Wright law firm until she retired in 2022.
In the 1960s Brinkman worked as a volunteer elementary school teacher in a small segregated, southern town. She has been active in political campaigns, civic organizations, and volunteer initiatives that align with her values. Brinkman has been recognized by the Cincinnati Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, and UC Law for her contributions to the legal profession and the many people she has taught and mentored along the way.
Brinkman serves on the Board of the Ohio Innocence Project, an organization that frees innocent Ohio prisoners incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. In addition, she was a longtime member and Board Chair of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, Chair of the Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Board, and served on the statewide Board of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. Brinkman recently completed her service as Chair of the Hamilton County Public Defender Commission and continues to uphold democratic principles through her grassroots advocacy work in Ohio.
Tickets to attend this event can be found on the AJC Cincinnati website.
