Charles Wright

Director of Community Planning, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Charles Wright serves as the Director of Community Planning at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, where he leads the design, alignment, and evaluation of community strategies that strengthen Jewish life and advance collective impact. With more than 20 years of experience spanning direct service, impact investment, and nonprofit systems leadership, Charles brings a practitioner’s lens to strategic planning, needs assessment, and program evaluation. His professional background includes frontline social work and leadership roles within the United Way system, grounding his work in both lived community realities and large-scale impact frameworks.

In addition to his Federation role, Charles is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Social Work, where he teaches macro practice, policy, and program evaluation, preparing students to connect theory with real-world application. Known for his systems-thinking approach and collaborative leadership style, he excels at translating complex social challenges into actionable, mission-driven strategies. Grounded in values-based leadership—and informed by experience on both the front lines and the planning table—Charles brings clarity, curiosity, and a bit of humor to the serious work of building stronger communities. Charles enjoys an active lifestyle in Cincinnati which includes being an avid supporter of FC Cincinnati soccer.