There’s no doubt that Daniel Herz feels a calling to serve his community—that’s how he became president of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (JFNNJ), a new role he entered in June of this year. When Herz is not busy running his company, WhiteHawk Energy, he is working tirelessly to improve Jewish life, whether through volunteer work, serving as vice president of Temple Emanu-El in Closter or leading JFNNJ during the next two years and beyond.
Daniel Herz’s story begins in 1932, in the town of Bonn, Germany, where his father grew up before escaping with his parents to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “As a refugee who escaped Nazi Germany, my father was always empathetic to the needs of those who were displaced and the most vulnerable of our community,” Herz explained. His mother was born and raised in Chicago, where her grandfather, Herz’s great-grandfather, was president of the Jewish Federation, leading to a “long history” of involvement with the Federation that also includes Herz’s grandfather, uncle and cousins.
“My mother was brilliant and an exceedingly capable woman,” Herz shared. Before she passed away, 21 years ago, she wrote her son a letter outlining her best advice for navigating through life. “Firstly, she explained how important philanthropy is in our family. And secondly, she told me that life isn’t about material gain, and it’s not even about finding what makes you happy. It’s about giving to others and lifting them up—because that’s where true happiness comes from.”
Between two empathetic and philanthropic parents, Herz was raised in a home where giving back was of utmost importance. Herz was among the first to graduate from Milwaukee Jewish Day School, where he now maintains a fund for Jewish education in memory of his mother, just one of many ways Herz carries on his parents’ legacy. “[My mother] also emphasized that to the extent you can say “yes” to something and give it 100%, you should always say “yes.” My father was also unrelenting, and gave everything he did his absolute all…so I’ve been trained to put 100% into everything that I am asked to do.”
That philosophy has brought Herz to the positions he holds today. He recounted a phone call he received from Leonard Cole, z”l, a community activist and former president of JFNNJ. “It was Super Sunday about 12 years ago; Lenny asked me to give to Federation, and I replied that I’d really like to do more than just give. He passed this information along to Zvi Marans, another past president of JFNNJ, who worked with Lenny to get me on the board.” And, as they say, the rest is history.
Herz also considers his move onto the board of JFNNJ as the starting point for his other communal work, namely at Temple Emanu-El, which he attends with his family. After joining Temple Emanu-El’s board several years ago, Herz is now serving as vice president.
In his professional life, Herz has always known he’s wanted to make big moves. He got his start in investment banking in 1999, working in the energy space at Bank of America Securities. In 2004, he was asked to help lead a group of budding energy companies, including Atlas Energy, which pioneered the largest natural gas field in the country, Marcellus Shale. It was sold to Chevron in 2011, a 931% return on investment from their IPO in 2004, making them one of the best -performing public companies over that time period in any sector. “I’m really the most proud of the work we did at Marcellus Shale because it has allowed the United States to transition our energy source from coal to natural gas and renewable energy and, because of this, we’ve reduced our carbon emissions greatly,” Herz shared.
And Herz didn’t stop there. His other company, Atlas Pipeline, became one of the largest pipeline companies in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Oklahoma and ultimately sold in 2014 for $7.7 billion. Herz then moved on to become CEO of another energy company, and in 2017, was responsible for taking a gas and oil royalty company public, which he led until 2021. Now he runs a similar royalty company, WhiteHawk Energy. “All of this is to say that I build organizations…and at the core of it all is excellence.”
When Herz first joined the board of JFNNJ, his focus was on bringing in the next generation of the Jewish community. He started the Federation’s annual poker night, which has raised nearly $5 million since its inception, and is aimed at pulling in a younger crowd. “It was clear to me that we needed to engage the next generation frankly, and I think that was clear to Len [Cole], Zvi [Marans] and Jason [Schames, current CEO of JFNNJ] when they brought me on,” said Herz. “I’ve really made it my mission to cultivate the next generation, and I’m extremely proud of how strong of a young community we’ve built now.”
Herz explained that as a “foundational organization” for the Jewish community, JFNNJ is critical for bringing people in, by virtue of its partnerships with a variety of agencies. “There are many different ways for people to connect with what resonates with them.” Herz’s main mission, as president of the organization, is to grow the community tenfold, from 5,000 to 50,000 people. “Of course, that increase is over time,” Herz added.
“As a community, we must have a unified voice. We are so much stronger together than we are individually, and as the Federation touches synagogues, day schools and community centers, and works to provide security and services to those who need it, we can have the impact we want. Working together is more critical than ever, especially in a post-October 7 world…and I believe it is in all of our best interests to work together as much as possible.”
Channa Fischer is digital editor and the resident 20-something in the office. She resides in Washington Heights.
