Charles S. Cohen

Charles S. Cohen

 

Mr. Charles S. Cohen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, owners of over 12 million square feet of real estate in New York, Texas, Florida and Southern California. Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation portfolio includes the Decoration & Design Building, the former Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield office building, and 623 Fifth Avenue in New York. It also includes the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, the Decorative Center Houston in Texas, and the Design Center of the Americas in Florida.

At the start of his career, Mr. Cohen was an attorney admitted to practice law before the New York State Bar and the Southern and Eastern Districts of the U.S. Federal District Court. He served as an officer in Chemical Bank's Real Estate Division from 1977 to 1979 and acted as Vice President and General Counsel for CBRC until 1983 when he became President.

Mr. Cohen served as lead Executive Producer on the film, "Frozen River," which was awarded the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. He is the author of TriviaMania (Zebra Books), a Q&A Quiz Book of movie-related information. He also created, directed, and produced a short film, which received a Kodak Movie Award.

Mr. Cohen is a board member and former Chairman of the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and a former Chairman of the Metro New York Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization. Mr. Cohen is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Young Men's and Women's Real Estate Association, the American Bar Association, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is a licensed real estate broker in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2001, Mr. Cohen received the USO's Gold Medal and was honored by B'Nai B'rith International. In 2002, he received the Israel Peace Medal.

Mr. Cohen is a 1974 graduate of Tufts University and a 1977 graduate of Brooklyn Law School. He and his wife, Clodagh, live in New York City.

Member of The Cooper Union Board since 2008


last updated: December 2010

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

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  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.