Hartford Foundation Names Josh Kornberg Vice President for Development and Donor Engagement

Josh Kornberg has been appointed Vice President for Development at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving , the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Kornberg succeeds Deborah Rothstein who had served in this position for the past nine years. 

In his role at the Hartford Foundation, Kornberg will be responsible for providing leadership and strategic vision to all aspects of the Hartford Foundation’s fund development activities. This includes launching new development campaigns supporting the Foundation’s strategic priority areas. 

“After a deliberative and thorough national search, which brought the Foundation a number of promising candidates to consider, Josh’s leadership and fundraising campaign experience, intellect, and good-natured approach catapulted him to the top of our list,” said Hartford Foundation President and CEO Jay Williams. “As the Foundation prepares to celebrate its 100thanniversary in 2025, we are excited to have Josh as a part of our executive leadership team as we seek to engage existing and prospective donors in our work to ensure that all residents of Greater Hartford have the opportunity to thrive. “

Kornberg most recently served as the executive director of the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County  in New Albany, Indiana. He was responsible for strategic, operational, and team leadership to the organization with nearly $45 million in assets. This work included managing scholarships, small business loans, and grants totaling more than $3 million annually. In this role, Kornberg collaborated with community partners to offer low-interest loans to individuals interested in launching new business ventures. The initiative focused on economic development while addressing the need to create an environment in which Black and Brown entrepreneurs could experience a stronger sense of belonging and could access the resources needed to help them thrive.

Prior to his time at the Caesars Foundation, Kornberg served as executive director of development for the Indiana’s Ivy Tech Foundation , the fundraising arm of Ivy Tech Community College, the nation's largest singly accredited community college system. He served as a member of the first-ever unified, comprehensive campaign cabinet charged with leading 19 individual campuses in raising more than $285 million, an unprecedented amount in community college fundraising. Kornberg was responsible for building the partnership with development leaders from each of the 19 campuses to assist in creating funding priorities that would support the success of the campaign. 

An active and engaged member of his community, Kornberg has served in board positions for educational institutions, philanthropic associations, and key nonprofit organizations including  Metro United Way of Louisville , where he also briefly served as Interim Chief Development Officer. 

Kornberg earned a Doctor of Education – Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Business Communication from Spalding University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications Science from Indiana University Southeast. 

"I am thrilled to serve as Vice President for Development at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The foundation's century-long history of community engagement and its commitment to confronting systemic racism make this an organization I am proud to join. I anticipate partnering with the residents of Hartford and our 28 surrounding towns, while collaborating closely with our donors to bolster the foundation's work and foster a more equitable future for our community.”