As the son of immigrants whose grandfather was on one of the last boats out of Hitler’s Europe, Dani is deeply grateful for the opportunities this country and this city have given his family. He is committed to seeing those opportunities extended to everyone in Cincinnati, especially to fellow Cincinnatians to whom they have long been denied.
Dani graduated valedictorian from Walnut Hills High School, and is an alum of Georgetown University and Yale Law School. He is a former community organizer who runs Cohear, a successful small business focused on community engagement. Raised to believe that service to others was the key to a meaningful life, Dani has a strong background in grassroots organizing and public service. He worked on President Obama’s campaign in Ohio, for Democrats in Texas, and then interned at the Obama White House during law school. He was then the Deputy Director for the “Get Out The Vote” effort for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Virginia.
Dani during his senior year, as captain of the Walnut Hills basketball team.
Dani credits his time at Walnut Hills for solidifying his love of Cincinnati. Those years – especially his years as captain of the basketball team – shaped his belief that friendships, trust, and love across the barriers of geography, race, and class are critical to unlocking our full potential as a city. He remains firm in his conviction that our diversity should be a source of strength, not weaponized to create barriers and drive us apart.
His work has focused on the issues that matter most to our day-to-day lives: from childcare and low-wage employment to affordable housing and public transportation. Dani has developed trusting relationships with key leaders in the city across a range of institutions, including METRO, Children’s Hospital, and Cincinnati Public School, as well as with grassroots leaders in almost every community.
Dani serves the community as a board member of several national and local nonprofits, including Women of Cincy, Heartfelt Tidbits, Bonds of Union, Public Allies, and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, where he serves as the founding President of the Board. He is also a longtime mentor and “big brother” through the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.
Dani facilitated a discussion at Cohear about improving working conditions for healthcare and distribution workers.
We can only solve deep challenges and pursue meaningful change through collaboration, shared success, and a sense of direction. Dani has the relationships, the energy, and the vision to lead Cincinnati to a better future.
In response to the gap he saw between people in power and the communities they serve, Dani started Cohear. Cohear is based on the simple idea that to make good policy, we have to listen to the wisdom of lived experience. Through Cohear, Dani has spent the last few years organizing in neighborhoods all over Cincinnati, and listening to and elevating the ideas of thousands of people in the city.