In April of 2018, Arthur Stark was unanimously elected as Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP), the convening body over 53 member agencies including AIPAC, Jewish Federation, Jewish National Fund and 50 others. Formed in the 1950s at the behest of the Eisenhower Administration for the purpose of presenting a single unified voice for the American Jewish community, the CoP has been the leading voice with every US Administration since. Among some of Arthur’s distinguished predecessors as Chairman have been Mort Zuckerman, Jim Tisch, Ronald Lauder to name just a few. In his role as Chairman, Arthur meets with Presidents and Prime Ministers and members of the Administration and other top leaders from all over the world, both here in the US and abroad, dealing with matters of strategic concern.
Shortly after being elected to Chair the CoP, Arthur retired as President of Bed Bath & Beyond. A beloved and iconic brand, Bed Bath & Beyond has grown to be a multi-channel retail conglomerate of numerous retail concepts with over 1,500 locations in upwards of 30 million square feet and 60,000 employees, spanning all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico. Annual revenue exceeded at the time $12 Billion and Bed Bath & Beyond was a member of the S&P 500 and ranked #233 on the Fortune 500. Arthur had joined Bed Bath & Beyond in 1977 when it was 2 stores and under $1 Million in annual revenue.
Prior to CoP, Arthur was elected to four terms as Chairman of Friends of the IDF, which provides for the educational, health and social needs of Israel’s soldiers. During Arthur’s time, FIDF grew from approximately $20 Million raised per year to over $130 Million in his final year, crossing a total of $1 Billion raised cumulatively. FIDF achieved the highest rating of four stars from Charity Navigator throughout that time, a feat matched by less than 3% of the thousands of charities rated.
Arthur also currently serves on the Board of AIPAC among others.
Arthur and Sylvia, his wife of 35 years, reside in New Jersey and Manhattan, and have 4 adult children, two son-in-laws and two grandchildren.