The Adelson Family Foundation has appointed Shoham Nicolet as its next president, the organization announced on Tuesday. Nicolet will succeed Michael Bohnen, who has retired after 20 years in the role.

Born in Israel, Nicolet has long maintained close ties with the Adelson family. In 2006, Nicolet became the founding CEO of the Israeli-American Council — an organization that began modestly but expanded nationally with considerable support from Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.

Nicolet served as CEO of IAC on and off until June 2023, when he announced he was stepping down. 

“I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to work once again with Dr. Miriam Adelson, whose extraordinary vision, leadership, and generosity, together with her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, of blessed memory, have had a transformational impact on Israel and the Jewish People,” Nicolet said in a statement.

The Adelson Family Foundation launched in 2007, with Bohnen — a former commercial lawyer — serving as its president. Since its founding, the Adelsons have made nearly $2 billion in charitable donations through the foundation, a separate medical research foundation and personal gifts, according to the foundation.

“I am delighted to welcome Shoham to the foundation. We have worked together to expand and deepen the connection to Israel and Jewish identity in communities across the United States,” Dr. Miriam Adelson, a trustee of the foundation, said in a statement. “His leadership and vast experience will be invaluable as he leads the Foundation and advances its mission in the years ahead.”