For decades, Michael has been deeply committed to family, Jewish philanthropy and helping to support Jewish continuity. He is the co-founder and serves as co-chair of the Jewish Federation Centennial Endowment Campaign, which to date has raised $100,000,000. Michael served as the Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation in 2005 and 2006. In 2004, he was selected by the Jewish Federation to be the annual Real Estate and Construction Division Honoree. Michael has also served as the chair of the Brentwood Country Club Jewish Federation Campaign as well as the chair of the Federation Real Estate and Construction Campaign. He recently served a five -year term on the Board of Regents of Brandeis University and is currently a Fellow. In 1991 he served as president of the Jewish National Fund LA Ambassador Campaign and received the prestigious Tree of Life Award. He is a past Chairman of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Western Region and served as the General Chair of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles Campaign in 2000 - 2001. He also served on the National Board of Birthright Israel. Michael currently serves on the boards of American Friends of the Hebrew University, Judaism by Choice, the Los Angeles Birthright Council, The Guardians and the Endowment Committee of Los Angeles Jewish Health. Recently he was the honoree at the Guardians Annual Comedy Night. In 2016 Michael and his wife Corie received the Annual Torch of Learning Award from the American Friends of the Hebrew University.
Michael established Koss Real Estate Investments in 1971 specializing in the acquisition and long-term investment in commercial real estate. His portfolio currently consists of shopping centers and retail property investments in 10 states and includes the Malibu Country Mart, a nationally recognized upscale retail village and the Laguna Lumberyard, the largest shopping center in downtown Laguna Beach.
Michael is also a past president of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, the second largest apartment association in the Western United States and a past director of the California State Restaurant Association and the Los Angeles Commercial Property Owners Association.
Michael and his wife Corie share a profound connection to serving our Jewish community. Corie is a Board member of Stephen Wise Temple and is in her 10th year of Jewish studies with the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, a program of the Hebrew University. His daughter, Autumn, is a real estate attorney and lives with her husband Jesse and their two children in Boston. His son, Zane, is the owner of a restaurant group that includes Taverna Tony’s in Malibu. He and his wife Elisa have three children. Zane is also active in the management of Koss Real Estate. Michael’s younger daughter, Niki, is a successful film and television director, producer and actress.
Richard is one of Southern California’s most innovative and leading business and community leaders providing leadership and significant resources for many educational and health-care institutions, charitable organizations, and other initiatives.
Richard is Co-Founder and Chairman of Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (NYSE Symbol: REXR), one of the nation’s leading owners and operators of industrial real estate with over $12 billion in assets. He was also Founding Chairman and CEO of New York Stock Exchange listed Arden Realty, Inc., which was the largest owner of commercial office real estate in Southern California, until its merger with General Electric in a $5 billion transaction, the largest real estate transaction in the history of Southern California. Richard also served as the Founding Chairman of AVP Advisors, LLC, (now Belay Investments) the exclusive advisor to American Value Partners a $500 million institutionally sponsored real estate fund of funds.
Richard is CEO and Co-Trustee of The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation (see www.thegilbertfoundation.org), one of the largest Los Angeles based charitable foundations, providing transformative grants of over $12 million annually addressing education, healthcare and the socio-economic, cultural and geo-political areas of Greater Los Angeles and Israel. He is also Co-Trustee of the Gilbert Public Arts Foundation and a Trustee of the Gilbert Trust for the Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A) in London, the exhibiting location of the world renowned ‘Gilbert Collections’ of decorative arts.
Richard received his BA and JD degrees from the University of Southern California and the law firm of Loeb & Loeb where he specialized in all aspects of real estate. His extensive background in real estate led to the formation of Pacific Financial Group of which he was the Founder and Managing General Partner, then, a leading owner and operator of commercial real estate.
Over the years, Richard has held many volunteer leadership positions in the cultural, educational, and social service life of Southern California, and he has served as an active leader and member of numerous Boards, Commissions and other public organizations and associations.
Richard served for six years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the City of Hope National Medical Center and its Beckman Research Institute (COH), a world renowned, multi-faceted clinical hospital and basic research center for cancer, diabetes, immunology, and other catastrophic diseases. As Chairman Emeritus of COH, Richard continues as a lifetime member of the Board of Directors and chaired its Construction Committee over 20 years. He is also the Founder, Inaugural Chairman and a member of the Los Angeles Real Estate and Construction Industries Alliance for COH, which has raised over $25 million for COH programs. Richard has established and endowed the Ziman Family Outpatient Oncology Center at COH and the Ziman Family Research Laboratories at its Beckman Center for Immunology. Richard is the recipient of an HONORARY DOCTORATE (Doctor of Biological Sciences, Honoris Causa) from COH.
Richard is a member of the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, its Dean’s Society, was a member of its Executive Committee and was Co-Chair of Anderson’s initial $100 million Capital Campaign. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the UCLA Healthcare System, was the co-leader of the UCLA Pauley Pavilion Capital Campaign of Champions and is a Charter Member of UCLA Athletics 1919 Society. Richard established and endowed the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, is a member of its Founding Board and is a member of the Advisory Board of the UCLA Nazarian Israel Studies Center, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and was a member of the UCLA Chancellor’s Competitiveness Council and the UCLA Council of Entrepreneurs. Richard is the recipient of the UCLA GOLD MEDAL, the University’s highest honor.
Richard is a member of the International Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ), was a member of its Executive Committee, is a member of the Board of Overseers of HUJ’s Rothberg International School, is a Benefactor of HUJ and a recipient of an HONORARY DOCTORATE (Doctor of Philosophiae, Honoris Causa) from HUJ. He is Chairman of the Board and was President of the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU), Western States Region and he is also a Vice-Chairman, a Trustee and a member of the National Board of AFHU.
For over 35 years, Richard served as a member of the Board of The Jewish Federation of Greater Losan Angeles (the Federation) and was Centennial Chair of the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Federation and was Chair of its Hineni Society. He was the International Co-Chair of the General Assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America held in Los Angeles and was Co-Chair of the Construction Committee to rebuild the Federation’s 6505 Wilshire Headquarters after the Northridge earthquake. Richard is a Founder of American Jewish University (AJU, formerly the University of Judaism), a former member of its Board and was a member of its Executive Committee. Richard is the recipient of an HONORARY DOCTORATE (Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa) from AJU and co-founder and past Chairman of its Moriah Society.
Richard is the Founder, former Chairman and a member of the Board of the reconstituted Los Angeles Business Council and the Founder, Vice Chair of the Board of the LABC Institute. He is also a Founder of the Los Angeles Music Center and was for over 20 years, Co-Chairman of the Greater Los Angeles Israel Bonds Organization. Richard is a member of the Board of and a Trustee of the Washington Institute, was Chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for the U.S. Southern Pacific Region and a member of AIPAC’s National Executive Committee. He served as President of Guardians, Jewish Home for the Aging (JHA), is a member of its Board, was Chairman of its Board of Governors and Co-Chairman of the inaugural Capital Campaign of JHA. Richard currently serves as Chairman of JHA’s Foundation, JHA’s umbrella organization.
Richard is a member of the Board of The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts of Beverly Hills, a member of the Board of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and its Executive Committee and a member of the Advisory Board of the UC Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies. Richard served as Chairman of the Los Angeles Arts Council and served as a member of the Board of Leadership L.A., the CEO Advisory Panel of Habitat - Los Angeles, the Board of Overseers of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Children’s Home Society. He was a member of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Advisory Boards of the Zimmer (now Cayton) Children’s Museum, Genesis L.A., and L.A. Men’s ORT.
Richard is a member of The Real Estate Roundtable (RER) (Washington, D.C), the leading national organization addressing the policy concerns of the real estate industry. Richard also served as a member of the Board of Governors and of the Executive Committees of both RER and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) and he also served as a Commissioner of the California Commission for the 21st Century. He was a member of the Advisory Boards of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the NYU Real Estate Council and the UC Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics.
Richard has, for the last several decades, been actively involved in California Statewide and Los Angeles political candidacies and significant policy issues focused on homelessness, affordable and work force housing and renewable energy and other energy initiatives Richard also was, for many years and election cycles, a Trustee of the Democratic National Committee, a member of its Jefferson Trust, a Finance Chair of the DNC Convention held in Los Angeles and served as National Finance Co-Chair of the Presidential candidacies of William Clinton, Albert Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
Throughout the years, in addition to his three HONORARY DOCTORATES and UCLA’s highest honor, the UCLA Gold Medal, Richard has received numerous honors and awards including, the Spirit of Life, Gallery of Achievement and Abraham S. Bolsky Awards from City of Hope, the Scopus Award of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (awarded only to Eagle Scouts) and the Distinguished Citizen Award of the Boy Scouts of America, the Real Estate Visionary Award of the CoreNet global corporate real estate network, the “Citizenship Award” of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Spirit of Los Angeles “Eddy Award” from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, the Interfaith Award from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the “City of Los Angeles” award from the Getty House Foundation and the Mayor of Los Angeles, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sustainable Business Leadership Award, both from the Los Angeles Business Council, the Humanitarian Award from the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council and the “Philanthropic Work of Art” Award by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
Richard has also received the “Spirit of Los Angeles” award from the Los Angeles Headquarters Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Humanitarian Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Real Estate Industry Outstanding Achievement Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the “Champion of the Real Estate Industry” from the California Business Properties Association, the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Property Council, the National U.S. Real Estate Honoree Award from the State of Israel Bonds organization, the Lifetime Achievement Award of American Friends of Hebrew University, the Legends Award from the Real Estate Forum, the Environment Leadership Award from The California League of Conservation Voters, the John F. Kennedy “Profiles in Courage” award from the California Democratic Party, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the USC School of Law, the “Barbara Harris” Lifetime Achievement award of BOMA (Builders, Owners and Management Association), the Award of Merit from the American Jewish University, the Humanitarian Award from the Statesman Club of Jewish Home for the Aging, the Recognition Award from The Guardians of Los Angeles Jewish Health, the Philanthropic and Civic Dedication Award of American ORT, the Humanitarian Award from Vista Del Mar and the Business Environmentalist of the Year by the Coalition of the Environment of Southern California. Richard has also been recognized as "Man of the Year" by the Los Angeles Property Council, the “Real Estate Investor of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, “Businessperson of the Year” and “Who Owns L.A.” by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, a “Real Estate Icon” by the Real Estate Forum and as the greater Los Angeles E&Y “Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Richard has established and endowed the UCLA Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate; the Ziman Family Outpatient Oncology Center at City of Hope; the Ziman Family Research Laboratories at the Beckman Center for Immunology at City of Hope; the Ziman Family wing at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University; the Goldenberg-Ziman Alzheimer 96-bed facility and the Ziman Family Synagogue - both at the Jewish Homes for the Aging; in memory of his father, the Charles Ziman examination facilities at the UCLA Arthur Ash Student Health Center and in honor of his mother and father – the Helen and Charles Ziman Fellowships at UCLA Anderson and library facilities at American Jewish University. Richard has also endowed other facilities, fellowships, programs and scholarships at various other institutions and those referred to herein.
Richard has donated The Richard S. Ziman 285-piece historical, monumental Tzedakah Box Collection to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles which is on public display at its headquarters.
Richard resides in Beverly Hills with his wife May and has four children and two grandchildren.