Joshua Kraft stepping down from Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
Will join Kraft Family Philanthropies
Joshua Kraft partly has lousy Law School Admission Test scores to thank for his meteoric rise to president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
“I always thought I’d go to law school,” said Kraft, 53, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, “but when I bombed on my LSATs, I knew I needed to find another career path, something I really liked and was good at.”
He’d enjoyed teaching seventh and ninth graders during an internship after he earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Williams College. So he got a job as an outreach worker at the Boys & Girls Club in South Boston.
Now, after nearly 30 years with the organization, including 12 as CEO, he is stepping down at the end of the year to become president of Kraft Family Philanthropies.
“After decades with BGCB, I know that my work will always connect back to the clubs and my family’s efforts to support education, families, diversity and health,” said Kraft, whose successor has not yet been chosen. “What I will miss most are the people … I’ve learned from all of them. I’ve learned about the power of community.”
Under his leadership, the BGCB has increased the number of youngsters served from 8,000 in fiscal year 2001 to 12,500 today, and its operating budget from $11 million to $25.6 million. From 2012 to 2017, Kraft led the organization through a five-year campaign that raised nearly $132 million. The BGCB added two shared-space clubs — in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale — and its Mattapan Teen Center, as well as expanded the South Boston club.
“Josh’s lifelong devotion to families across Boston and Chelsea is made evident by his transformational leadership, particularly during challenging times,” said Bruce N. Jacobs, chairman of the board of directors. “BGCB’s ability to adapt to support the needs of the communities served is a testament to his consistent guidance and gift for connecting with members, staff and board members alike.”
When Kraft learned that Hamza Abdul, a BGCB alumnus, was struggling financially at UMass Boston, he encouraged him to apply for a scholarship named for Kraft’s mother, Myra, and Abdul was awarded one.
“He was able to open a door for me that I wouldn’t otherwise have approached,” Abdul said Thursday. After college, Abdul got an internship with the Patriots, and went on to become the Smith family teen program manager at the Chelsea Boys & Girls Club.
Abdul, 29, thanked Kraft for believing in him: “He’s had such a huge impact, not just on me but on so many other young people.”