News
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation will give Cleveland Clinic a gift of $30 million that will have significant impact on leadership and innovation for years to come, as well as honor the legacy of Morton L. Mandel at the highest level of Cleveland Clinic leadership.
In honor and memory of Morton L. Mandel, who died in 2019 at the age of 98, the Mandel Foundation has announced it will endow the position of the Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Executive Officer and establish an endowed fund for innovation. The Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair will be added to the title of the Cleveland Clinic CEO position, and the innovation fund will be named the Morton L. Mandel Innovation Fund.
The inaugural holder of the endowed position is the current CEO and President of the Cleveland Clinic, Tom Mihaljevic, M.D. Funds drawn annually from the Mandel Innovation Fund endowment will be available to the CEO to help develop innovative ideas that impact the communities served by the Cleveland Clinic. Funds will help support the CEO’s vision and advance priorities important to that vision.
“Providing outstanding medical care, developing innovative ideas, and training the leaders of the future are three elements at Cleveland Clinic that were extremely important to Mort and remain extremely important to the Foundation,” said Jehuda Reinharz, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. “We feel this gift will continue to support those efforts at Cleveland Clinic.”
The Foundation’s generous gift recognizes Mort’s interest in innovation and his commitment to supporting leaders in fostering new ideas, as well as his conviction that strong leaders who are lifelong learners drive organizational growth and societal change.
“This gift gives a tool to the CEO of Cleveland Clinic to be able to spark innovation. We think that’s a big part of leadership,” said Stephen H. Hoffman, Chairman of the Board of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. “We’re giving the CEO the resources to put muscle behind his or her leadership in innovation, now and in the future.”
As part of his legacy, Mort’s name will now be associated with the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. The gift also recognizes the friendships Mort had with Dr. Mihaljevic and his predecessor, Toby Cosgrove, M.D.
“We are deeply appreciative of this latest gift from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation,” said Dr. Mihaljevic. “Mort was an innovative leader, generous philanthropist and dear friend who left an incredible legacy at Cleveland Clinic and beyond. I am humbled and honored to be the inaugural holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair.”
About the Organization
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio, integrating clinical care with research and education. Founded in 1921, it is recognized among the nation’s top hospitals, known for pioneering medical breakthroughs such as coronary artery bypass surgery and the first U.S. face transplant. The health system includes 19 hospitals and over 220 outpatient facilities across the U.S. and internationally. Learn more at clevelandclinic.org.
