VOLS – Volunteers of Legal Service is pleased to announce the hiring of Jon Grabelle Herrmann as our new Director of Philanthropy & Development. Jon brings 18 years of experience as a nonprofit executive and repeat entrepreneur with a background in fundraising, communications, strategy, and management. He has been a leader in issue areas spanning education, politics, arts & culture, international affairs, tourism, and now adding legal services.

Before joining VOLS, Jon was executive director of USA250, the Philadelphia-based nonprofit working to ensure that the USA’s 250th anniversary in 2026 achieves its full potential as a civic milestone occasion. He previously served in roles as Southeast PA director for the nonpartisan issue campaign Pre-K for PA to promote state investment in early learning; as national field director for the pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby group J Street; and as founding executive director of the nonprofit Campus Philly, which connects area college students to the local community and economy.

Jon is an experienced nonprofit and community board member for causes including: PK-8 education, grassroots philanthropy, peace advocacy, and historic preservation. In 2017-18, he served as an elected member of the District 1 NYC Community Education Council, and today is a member of the NationSwell Council. Jon earned his BS from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Before moving to New York, he was recognized as 40 under 40 by Philadelphia Business Journal and City & State PA. Jon lives in NYC’s Lower East Side with his wife, Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, and their two children. He maintains a complicated system of dual loyalties to various New York and Philadelphia sports teams.