
Pacific Palisades resident Chris Kanoff will receive the Spirit of Chrysalis Award (SOCA) at the nonprofit organization’s annual banquet on Thursday, October 24, at Vibiana, the original Archdiocese cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. Kanoff, executive vice president and director of investment banking at Jefferies & Co., will be recognized for his “ongoing dedication to helping the Los Angeles community.” He and his wife, Mary Ellen, are actively involved in the Palisades community and in philanthropy. Kanoff serves on the board of trustees of St. Matthew’s School and as a volunteer AYSO coach, and his wife is an attorney with Latham and Watkins. The sixth annual SOCA gala brings corporate community leaders together to celebrate individuals and corporations whose philanthropic efforts have positively impacted the Los Angeles community. Featuring a VIP reception, silent auction, dinner and award ceremony, the event raises over $500,000 annually to help Chrysalis change lives through jobs. Chrysalis is dedicated to helping the poor and homeless become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. Located on Skid Row in downtown L.A., Santa Monica and Pacoima, the organization’s employment programs help over 2,200 men and women each year transition from poverty, regain their dignity and radically change their lives through jobs. Adlai Wertman, another Palisades resident, has been CEO and president of Chrysalis since 2000. Local board members include Karen Murphy O’Brien and Mary Ellen Kanoff, who was board chair from 1988 to 1993 and has worked with Chrysalis since 1985. Launched in 1984, Chrysalis has grown into a nationally recognized organization that has a 93 percent success rate in helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient by becoming job-ready and ultimately finding and retaining employment. Chrysalis offers its clients everything from resume-preparation classes to work-appropriate clothing. The organization has also started a public works company, Chrysalis Enterprises, which offers quality services to businesses and government agencies throughout Los Angeles County. This enables its clients to reenter the job market through apprenticeship and temporary work assignments. Pacific Palisades is one community served by Chrysalis Enterprises’ street-cleaning service. Current local contracts include the Chamber of Commerce (over three years), Kehillat Israel synagogue, BOCA clothing stores and the Palisades Branch Library. In addition, St. Matthew’s Parish has been a generous supporter of Chrysalis for many years. Chris Kanoff has been an investment banker since 1984 and has been with Jefferies since 1991. Prior to joining Jefferies, he was a vice president in corporate finance at Merrill Lynch and before that a first vice president in the corporate finance department of Drexel Burnham Lambert. After earning his B.A. in business administration from UC Berkeley, he received an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Management at UCLA. Kanoff and his wife have four children: KC (Katherine Claire), 18; Christine, 15; Chad, 13; and James, 9.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.