Executive Search
The Sam L. Cohen Foundation is excited to be launching a search for an Executive Director to lead the organization. The new leader will succeed John Shoos, who will be retiring at the end of the year.
The Executive Director will oversee day-to-day operations and collaborate closely with the Board to develop and implement a strategy that advances the mission, vision, values, and impact of the Foundation. They will serve as an ambassador in the communities we serve, maintain key partnerships, and sustain the Foundation’s critical grantmaking efforts. You can read more about the opportunity here.
We are partnering with the national search firm NPAG in this effort. Please reach out to NPAG directly using the contact information provided in the link for more information or to express interest in the role.
Latest News
Grantee Spotlight
Food For All Services (FFA) began as the African Mobile Market in 2019 to deliver culturally familiar foods to newly arrived asylum seekers across southern Maine. In 2022, FFA founder Khadija Ahmed and her husband Charlie Williams transformed the mobile market’s storage building into an African Market in Portland’s Back Cove neighborhood. The market was a traditional market with items for sale, but customers could also take items free of charge if needed, no questions asked. Seeing the growing need, Khadija and Charlie...
2025 Sam L. Cohen Pioneer Scholars
The Pioneer Scholar Program, a partnership between supporters and the Mitchell Institute, provides the opportunity to recognize specific Mitchell Scholars and Alumni who, through their contributions to school and community and their demonstration of certain qualities – as students and as citizens – stand out for acknowledgement.
Congratulations to:
Saytune Abdullahi - Portland High School * University of Southern Maine
Elliott Aranovitch - Biddeford High School * Bates College
Yaqeen Hasan- Thornton Academy * Wayne State University
Sam L. Cohen Foundation Executive Director Announces Retirement
After a 13-year tenure as Executive Director of the Sam L. Cohen Foundation, John Shoos announced that 2026 will be his last year at the Foundation.
In expressing his appreciation to the directors, John said, “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the board, staff and community partners. It has been a privilege to build upon Sam Cohen’s values of quiet generosity and support for his community. I am proud of the Foundation’s role in supporting the outstanding work of our nonprofit partners to respond to community needs and improve the quality of life for everyone in southern Maine.”
“For the past 13 years, John has guided the Foundation with a steady hand and a passion for always doing what’s right for the communities we serve,” said Jeff Nathanson, president of the Foundation. “His deep commitment to collaboration – both with funders and nonprofit partners - has been a hallmark of his work in the Greater Portland community. On behalf of the board, we thank John for his vision, leadership and dedication and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”