Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of National Asset Services, Honored with American Friends of Kidum Leadership Award

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Nov 21, 2017, 07:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Karen E. Kennedy, a nationally recognized leader in the commercial real estate industry, is the recent recipient of the American Friends of Kidum (AFK) Leadership Award for her efforts to build a strong Israel by supporting high quality secondary school education for all Israeli students.

Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of National Asset Services, Honored with American Friends of Kidum Leadership Award for her efforts to build a strong Israel by supporting high quality secondary school education for all Israeli students.

AFK is an independent advocacy organization dedicated to creating awareness in the United States of the Society for Advancement of Education (SAE) of Jerusalem. SAE is a non-profit organization that uses education to empower youth from disadvantaged communities throughout Israel to attain distinction in their social, scholastic and leadership endeavors.

AFK builds a community of supporters through recruitment of like-minded lay leaders, alumni, Jewish philanthropists, foundations and organizations, in order to raise significant funds to support SAE's work.

Fifty-three years ago, Karen E. Kennedy's grandparents, Louis and Mae Boyar, established the Mae Boyar High School and Residential Campus in Jerusalem. The school has served as the prototype for many others that have followed and has enabled thousands of students from disadvantaged circumstances to reach their full potential and contribute to the betterment of Israeli society.

Ms. Kennedy continues her family's legacy of work and support based on the belief that education is the key to Israel's future. It is no coincidence that Boyar alumni can be found within the leadership ranks of Israel's public sector and civil service (Ambassadors to the Vatican, CEO's of hospitals, State Attorney's, public broadcast executives, etc.).

"My grandfather believed that an investment made early on in talented young people's lives would ultimately generate social change and societal goodness. It is such an incredible honor to receive such an award of this caliber from an organization that means so much to helping create a better future for disadvantaged Jewish youths," commented Ms. Kennedy, an AFK Board Member. "It has been such a privilege to continue the work my grandparents began as founders of the Mae Boyar High School in Jerusalem. This school is the lasting memory and ultimate legacy that we, the grandchildren and subsequent generations, must support and continue to see flourish. We must continue realizing our ancestors' vision for building pathways to a better world for future generations."

Ms. Kennedy received the AFK leadership award at a dinner ceremony in Los Angeles.

About Karen E. Kennedy

Karen E. Kennedy is President and Founder of National Asset Services (NAS), a commercial real estate management company in Los Angeles, that works with over 90 investment groups in properties of a nationwide portfolio valued at over $2 billion. In 2015, Real Estate Forum Magazine recognized Ms. Kennedy as one of California's Women of Influence.

Ms. Kennedy plays a lead role in several community and international outreach organizations benefitting the development, well-being and self-sufficiency of women, children and the Jewish community. In addition to serving on the Board of AFK, her past and present outreach endeavors include being a:

Major annual contributor to UTU, an African organization dedicated to empowering children through AIDS education. In 2014, Mrs. Kennedy underwrote the building, staff and books for students of a two-room school in Malawi, naming it for her mother, Pearlie Goodman.
Member of The Jewish Federation, Los Angeles
Member of the Self-Help And Recovery Exchange (SHARE!) an organization that helps people in Los Angeles pursue personal growth and change
Benefactor of Boyar High School in Jerusalem, founded by Mrs. Kennedy's maternal grandfather
Board member of Daybreak: The only Interim housing and day program that offers services to homeless women living with a mental illness in West Los Angeles
Recipient of the 2014 Outstanding Women's Leadership Award from the Global Women's Summit
Past Board Member at The University of the Pacific