Robert P. Kogod is a business executive and philanthropist. Along with his brother-in-law, Robert H. Smith, Kogod led the Charles E. Smith Companies, the real estate company that developed much of the Crystal City neighborhood, just south of Washington, D.C.

Career

In 1956, Kogod, who was already a real estate developer, married Arlene Smith, the daughter of real estate tycoon Charles E. Smith. In 1959, Kogod joined the Charles E. Smith Companies. Kogod and his brother-in-law, Robert H. Smith, took charge of the company in 1967. Robert Smith oversaw construction and development, and Kogod led leasing and management. In 1995, Forbes estimated the Smith family fortune to be worth $560 million. In 2001, the residential division of the company was merged into Archstone, which was sold to Equity Residential and Avalon Bay in 2013. The commercial division of the company was merged into Vornado Realty Trust, which merged the division into JBG Smith in 2017.

Trustee positions

Kogod is a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution; and the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia College Access Program, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Hillel International and the Island Foundation on Mount Desert Island, Maine.

Philanthropy

Kogod has given to education, the arts, and Jewish causes. His philanthropic contributions have helped fund the following:

Political involvement

Kogod has contributed to the campaigns of many politicians, almost all members of the Democratic Party, including Chris Van Hollen and Charles Schumer.