Dan Perla is a Program Officer in day school finance at The AVI CHAI Foundation. In this role, Dan oversees ongoing grant programs geared toward improving the financial viability of day schools. Through research, networking and collaborating with grantees, Dan also works on developing creative new initiatives to strengthen day school finances and increase day school affordability.
Dan spent nearly 18 years in the financial world. He worked as a security analyst and portfolio manager at investment firms and hedge funds including Iridian Asset Management, Centurion Investment Group and Soros Fund Management. He has an MBA in management from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Dan has been active in Jewish communal life for many years and was privileged to serve as a Wexner Heritage Fellow. He served for seven years as the President of The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and remains a member of its executive committee. Dan currently serves on the boards of Mechon Hadar, The SAR Academy of Riverdale and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, an open Orthodox rabbinical school which he attended as a student from 2008 through mid-2011.