Shalom Klein

Early career

One of Klein's first jobs was project manager at Chabad.org and CEO at TheJMom.com. In 2009 he became a vice-president at the accounting firm Moshe Klein & Associates Ltd, co-founded by his father. He graduated from the Certificate in Jewish Leadership program from Northwestern University as a part of the program's inaugural class, and received a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Professional Studies with a concentration in non-profit management at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Community leadership

Klein is the chairman of the Jewish B2B Networking, which connects the unemployed and underemployed to businesses in need of specific skills. The organization does not charge potential candidates for its service. Founded in 2010, by 2013 about 15,000 individuals had participated. The group holds three events per week, dedicated to different themes. Meetings are held in Illinois, and have also occurred in Washington D.C. The largest of the events is The Business Event, an Illinois small business conference held annually, with attendance of 2,500 at the first event and about five thousand people in 2013. Extension events have occurred in both Milwaukee and Detroit.

Part of the organization's focus is on improving equality for women in the workplace, through initiatives such as marking down the demographics of the organization's events in order to eliminate systemic bias that there are jobs better suited to men than women. In 2011 Klein was invited to participate at the White House Community Leaders Briefing Series, meeting with other community leaders from across the US to discuss the direction of community leadership in America. Klein is also the chair of the Skokie Economic Development Commission and former chair of the city's Dempster Street Merchants Association. In 2012 he was named one of Oy Chicago's 36 under 36, and later he was the recipient of the Jewish Federations of North America Jewish Heroes Award.

Radio

On April 20, 2014 Klein began hosting the radio show "Get Down to Business with Shalom Klein" on the Chicago radio station AM 560 WIND. The show also produces podcasts for interview listeners.

Personal life

Klein is a known bone marrow and stem cell donor, having advocated others to donate their plasma and marrow to those in need regardless of whether they know them or not. He is married to Elisheva Klein, who works in special education.