September 22, 2025
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About the Program
At Citadel, we encourage our team members to serve their communities as civic leaders. The Community Leaders program enables this support by providing our colleagues with concierge nonprofit board matching, governance training and cash grants.
Jonas, a risk manager at Citadel, joined the board of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) in December 2024 through Citadel’s Community Leaders program. BKCM, a nonprofit community music school founded in 1897, enriches lives and builds community through music. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, it serves around 10,000 New Yorkers annually with programs ranging from free or low-cost music education to clinical music therapy for those experiencing trauma. BKCM also supports local artists by hosting music festivals and providing affordable rehearsal spaces.
BKCM’s Board of Trustees ensures the organization’s financial stability and promotes its mission to broader communities. Board members like Jonas, who serves on the Finance and Audit committees, participate in events and advocacy, and play a key role in fundraising efforts, which are essential for the nonprofit’s sustainability.
Jonas grew up in a family where music was ever-present—”My mom always had a track playing,” he recalls. He spent eight years studying piano, sang in choirs, and eagerly took part in a variety of musical activities. “I’ve experienced firsthand the impact of early childhood engagement with music.” This lifelong connection fuels his passion for BKCM’s mission to nurture emotional and educational development through music. It also informs his board service and professional life, where the discipline, listening skills, and expressive clarity honed through music continue to shape how he collaborates and communicates.
At Citadel, Jonas sees clear parallels between music and his work: both rely on scientific structure and demand precise, intentional execution. Just as a musician must interpret a complex score and convey meaning with precision and nuance, a risk manager navigates intricate market dynamics and distills portfolio exposures into clear, actionable insights. This disciplined, expressive approach—shaped by years of musical training—enhances how Jonas analyzes risk and communicates with conviction.
“The Community Leaders program is transformative,” Jonas says. “It started locally and quickly expanded globally, creating opportunities for colleagues to engage with causes they care about. I believe in its potential to broaden our community impact and hope more people will join to amplify this support.”
Visit our Civic Leadership page to learn more about our Community Leaders program.
