Donna Cohen

Executive Director

Donna Cohen is Executive Director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, an independent not-for-profit group created in 1990. The group's purpose is to promote respect for human rights for all people through the teachings of the Holocaust.

Ms. Cohen, who became interested in the Holocaust as a child, was appointed to the Center in 1992 by County Executive Andrew P. O'Rourke. As a volunteer, she had worked actively on various projects.

The most visible project is the Garden of Remembrance, a sculpture garden in White Plains on the front lawn of the County Office building. The Garden honors the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, as well as the brave people who risked their lives to save others.

Ms. Cohen has also been active in the Center's educational programs. She formed an Educational Task Force to study how to teach the Holocaust in area schools, spearheaded a relationship with the German School in White Plains, and helped organize the Anne Frank Exhibition at Westchester Community College in 1994.

Since 1995, Ms. Cohen has been the Executive Director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center to serve as the host for signing the Hate Crimes Legislation Bill into law. Ms. Cohen personally represented the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center in this endeavor, which took over five years to complete. At the same time, Ms. Cohen implemented an educational program for youthful offenders who commit nonviolent bias crimes.