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Irv Cohen Named Lightning Community Hero for Transformative Impact Across Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vinik Family Foundation have named Irv Cohen a Lightning Community Hero, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the region through community development, nonprofit leadership, and economic equity initiatives.
After a distinguished career on Wall Street, where he held senior executive roles at JP Morgan and led their relocation of a major division to Tampa Bay with an objective to bring opportunity and innovation to the Sunshine State, Cohen has continued to play a pivotal role in strengthening the Tampa Bay community by driving innovation, empowering local entrepreneurs, and championing underserved populations.
A passionate advocate for positive change, his influence spans economic development, social equity, and nonprofit capacity-building.
Through his leadership, Cohen has launched and supported initiatives that promote the growth of early-stage companies, create jobs, and strengthen inclusive economic infrastructure. His efforts have helped diversify the regional economy and build resilience across local business ecosystems.
Cohen is the founder or co-founder of several transformative organizations, including the CodeBoxx Foundation, the St. Petersburg Foundation, the St. Petersburg Group, and SVP Tampa Bay. These efforts have addressed some of the region’s most pressing challenges—from increasing access to tech education to scaling nonprofit impact to building public-private partnerships that tackle homelessness, education gaps, and food insecurity.
At the heart of his mission is the belief in removing barriers to opportunity. Through CodeBoxx Foundation, Cohen has helped hundreds of individuals from marginalized communities enter the tech industry by providing free, intensive coding education and career placement support. The result: sustainable, high-paying careers that change lives and break cycles of poverty.
Cohen’s approach to community leadership is grounded in a simple but powerful philosophy:
“If you live in a community and have the means or time, it is your job to invest your time and money to build a better tomorrow for those around you.”
That mindset has shaped every initiative he’s led—centering long-term solutions, collaborative partnerships, and real opportunity for those who need it most.
The Lightning Community Hero program, launched in 2011 by the Vinik Family, honors individuals who make a significant difference in the lives of others. To date, it has awarded more than $31 million to over 700 nonprofits throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Cohen now joins a distinguished group of honorees whose leadership continues to inspire a stronger, more inclusive future for the region.
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CodeBoxx Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing workforce development in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). Through strategic partnerships, the foundation connects individuals with high-quality training programs that equip them with technical, personal, and business skills.
