J Street Board Member

Ben Samuels is the Director of the Samuels Family Foundation which supports education, children, civil rights, and the Jewish Community. Ben is the former CEO of Victory Packaging, the company he led for most of his career. He joined Victory Packaging in 1995 as regional operating manager of Texas. From 2007 through 2018, Ben was CEO and in partnership with Robert Egan, led an executive team that managed more than 1,750 employees. Ben is also the Chair of Leedo Cabinetry, a family-owned manufacturer with 600 employees serving the multi-family construction market. Ben is on the Boards of Directors of Saxco, a packaging distribution company serving the wine and spirits industry, and Packaging Exchange, a national packaging distributor. Previously, he was on the Board of Directors of Workhorse, a technology company developing electric delivery trucks.

Ben is an active member in the community, where he primarily focuses on education, the fight to end hunger, and the Jewish Community. He is the current Co-chair of the Board of Teach for America in Houston and is the immediate Past Chair of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. Ben has served as the Chairman of the Houston Food Bank and the Board Leadership Council of Feeding Texas. He is the Chair of the Leo Baeck Education Center Foundation and was the President of the Houston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee before joining their National Board of Governors. He also is currently on the boards of Emerge, Move For Hunger, Brighter Bites, and served on the boards of Children at Risk, Holocaust Museum Houston, Congregation Shma Koleinu and Jewish Family Service.

Samuels received a bachelor’s degree in American studies and economics from Amherst College as well as an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He and his wife, Marci Rosenberg, reside in Houston and have a son, Ethan, and a daughter, Mimi.

Ben’s connection to J Street began with a meeting with Jeremy at the 2008 Democratic Convention. In the ensuing years, he championed J Street efforts in Houston, including organizing events and lobbying elected officials. In May 2023, Ben and his wife Marci had the pleasure of joining a Leadership Mission to Israel.