CHOC Leadership Perspectives: Danny Labin, Jewish Federation of the Desert
At CHOC, we believe that strong communities are built by leaders who are willing to listen, adapt, and guide their organizations through moments of change. To highlight the work of our senior executives, we’re launching a new Leadership Perspectives series that showcases how our leaders impact the communities we build and cultivate.
To start this series, CHOC is featuring Danny Labin of the Jewish Federation of the Desert, an organization with a long and meaningful legacy of community impact in the Coachella Valley. As Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of the Desert, Labin stepped into the role in April 2025, at a time of both challenge and opportunity for the organization.
“The needs of the Jewish community have been extremely heightened over the last two and a half years since the October 7th, 2023 war began. Jewish communities across the world and right here in the desert have had a sense of urgency, a very real sense of urgency coming together in solidarity for a number of reasons,” Labin told CHOC.
A Southern California native, Labin brings a global perspective shaped by years of work in Jewish communal leadership. After graduating from UCLA, he volunteered in Russia before building a career that took him from Boston and New York to Israel, where he lived for more than a decade. When he returned to Southern California to lead the Federation, he stepped into an organization with deep roots in the Coachella Valley and a mission that resonates far beyond the region.
“One of the things that the Federation does is bring people together to serve as an umbrella organization for the entire Jewish community. I have come to appreciate just how much people here genuinely yearn for the building of community – because people have come here looking to connect, looking to get involved, and looking to become engaged.”
The Jewish Federation movement, with more than 140 federations across the United States, is collectively among the most significant charitable networks on the continent. Guided by the values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Tzedakah (charity and social justice), federations work to protect and enhance the well-being of Jewish communities while supporting humanitarian and social service efforts locally and internationally.
For the Jewish Federation of the Desert, that mission is deeply connected to the needs of the Coachella Valley. Each year, the organization allocates more than $1 million to nonprofit partners addressing food insecurity, social services, and community support throughout the region.
Among those long-standing partners is Angel View, an organization serving adults and children with disabilities. For decades, Angel View has provided residential care, rehabilitation, and support services that help individuals live with dignity and independence.
Leadership Team, The Jewish Federation of the Desert
Local organizations like Angel View are part of the broader ecosystem that sustains healthy communities right here in the Coachella Valley. As an affordable housing developer serving California, CHOC sees firsthand how housing stability, access to services, and strong nonprofit leadership intersect. Our apartment communities contribute to that same network of community support, creating stable homes for working families and residents who rely on local services.
For Labin, stepping into leadership has meant learning the unique character of the desert community while strengthening the Federation’s role as a unifying force. “We’re working with organizations (like CHOC) that are working day in and day out to make sure that hunger is alleviated, that people have housing,” says Labin.
CHOC is deeply grateful to Labin and his team at Jewish Federation of the Desert, including the invaluable assistance and guidance of Jeff Hocker, JFED's Marketing and Public Relations counsel.
Special thanks to Conduit Studios LLC's Jóhann Schram Reed and Ted Pickell. This video was produced by Conduit Studios in collaboration with CHOC.
Founded in 1984, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC) is a non-profit affordable housing developer, energy, services and property management provider headquartered in Fairfield, CA; we create and manage equitable communities for individuals, families, seniors, and those with special needs. CHOC believes that economically integrated affordable housing is key to self-sufficiency and achievable with enriching, supportive programs that instill pride in residents, stabilize families, and improve local economies. Visit CHOCHousing.org. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, The Circle.