The National Young Leadership Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America is proud to announce that Dan Weiss, representing the Jewish Federation of Madison, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman Cabinet Service Award.

 

Founded in 2021, this distinguished award is named for Cabinet’s visionary founder and honors a member who exemplifies the values of leadership, humility, authenticity, and integrity, serving as a role model and inspiration to others.

 

For Dan, this recognition is deeply personal.

 

“I can’t help but reflect on how much this Cabinet collective has shaped me over the last six years,” he shared. “The relationships I’ve been privileged to build. The lessons I’ve learned — not only about Jewish life and the challenges our communities face, but about what it truly means to lead with simcha [joy] and with purpose.”

 

Dan’s understanding of the Federation mission runs deep. Growing up in a family that faced financial challenges, he experienced firsthand the power of a caring community and the difference it can make in people’s lives. Those early experiences not only shaped his empathy and gratitude - they also inspired his lifelong commitment to helping others.

 

That same drive became the foundation for his professional journey. After earning a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Dan co-founded LBW Wealth Management in 2015, creating a firm that reflects his belief in supporting families with both expertise and compassion, while also launching innovative ventures such as Hyphaway, a financial planning and resource platform, and LBWC, a consulting organization for entrepreneurs.

 

“Everything I do,” Dan explains, “comes back to one simple idea: helping people build stability and security so they can live with dignity and joy.”

 

Dan’s dedication to his community extends far beyond his professional work. He currently serves as First Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Madison, co-chairing the Madison Annual Campaign. He is slated to become Board Chair in 2026.

 

Dan’s civic and community involvement is extensive and includes serving on National Young Leadership Cabinet’s Executive Team, organizing a Civil Rights Mission for other young leaders in his community, and hosting retreats in Madison for his fellow Cabinet Chevre. He has also taken leadership roles with Madison Masonic Lodge 5, The Shrine, Kiwanis, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Young Jewish Professionals, The Road Home, and the local Humane Society.

 

Dan’s leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including the Miriam Shulman Singer Leadership Award (2016), In Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40” (2017), and in joining Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet in 2019.

 

As Ben Schindler, Associate Vice President of National Young Leadership Cabinet for Jewish Federations, added, “In this moment in Jewish history, our global Jewish community needs leaders who can serve at the highest levels, and can look forward with strength in support of Jewish peoplehood. Dan has led with his entire heart in Cabinet, and creating a culture of welcoming and of giving, and in Madison in leading the local Annual Campaign and more. We are thrilled that Dan will soon take on the role of leading the Madison Federation. Dan’s personal story of struggle and overcoming the poverty of his youth, to finding his own place of Jewish belonging and building up his own service, is a true inspiration to our community.  Through his example, Dan has taught all of us to lead with empathy, understanding, and a steadfast commitment to the Jewish future.”

 

National Young Leadership Cabinet Co-Chairs Alex Feinstein and Scott Goldin agree.

 

“Dan Weiss leads by example with thoughtfulness, dedication, and integrity,” Alex says. “His kindness, goodness, and infectious personality inspire everyone around him. He is truly the perfect representative for this award.”

 

Scott adds: “Dan is the embodiment of the word ‘Chevre’. From our class’s first Retreat, we all knew that he was someone special, and he has time and time again stepped up for our entire community any time someone was in need of support or could just be doing a little better. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this high honor.”

 

Now in its 63rd year, National Young Leadership Cabinet continues to serve as a pillar of Jewish Federations’ vision: to build flourishing Jewish communities that are healthy, caring, inclusive, and deeply connected to Israel and world Jewry. Last year alone, Cabinet members raised over $4 million as part of Jewish Federations’ Annual Campaign.

 

Created in the 1960s by Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman, Cabinet remains the premier leadership and philanthropic development program for North American Jews. Today, more than 4,800 members and Alumni carry forward his legacy of leadership and generosity—embodied so beautifully by this year’s honoree, Dan Weiss.

 

Dan Weiss’s story reminds us that Federations’ work is more than philanthropy - it’s people lifting one another up, generation after generation.