David Cohn is a Milwaukeean through and through. Born and raised in Glendale, he was shaped by the city’s deep love of sports, and now gives back to the community that raised him. From early days watching how teams bring people together to internships with the Milwaukee Bucks and UW Athletics, David built a career at the intersection of sports and community.
Today, he serves as CEO of First Tee — Southeast Wisconsin, a youth development nonprofit that’s helping more than 41,000 kids each year build confidence, character, and life skills through the game of golf.
But for Cohn, the mission goes far beyond the fairway. Through partnerships with schools, Milwaukee County Parks, and local organizations, First Tee is opening doors for young people who might never have picked up a club—teaching resilience, leadership, and how to show up for their communities.
It’s the kind of impact that fits Milwaukee perfectly: neighbors helping neighbors, and a hometown kid making sure the next generation has a shot.
What is your background?
Born and raised in Glendale.
Any stories from your youth that define your path?
Growing up here, I was always drawn to what sports meant to a community. Not just the games themselves, but how they bring people together and give people something to rally around. That curiosity really shaped everything that came after. Milwaukee is a sports town at heart in a lot of ways, and I think that environment planted a seed early on.
Where did you study?
I spent a year at Indiana University before transferring and graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Marketing. I then went on to earn a Master of Sports Administration from Ohio University.
What do you do for work now?
I’m the CEO of First Tee — Southeast Wisconsin, a youth development nonprofit that provides educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. We offer programs at eight golf facilities throughout Southeast Wisconsin and serve over 41,000 kids each year through on-course programs, community partnerships and programs for elementary and middle school physical educators. The work is about a lot more than golf. It’s about building confident, capable young people.
Can you talk a little bit about your career journey?
I started as a ticket sales intern with the Milwaukee Bucks, then interned with the University of Wisconsin athletic department and the Wisconsin PGA Junior Foundation while finishing school.
After graduating, I spent nine years with the Wisconsin State Golf Association, where I got deep into the golf community here in the state. Along the way, I got involved in nonprofits as a volunteer and board member, and eventually an opportunity came up to connect my personal and professional interests in a way that felt really meaningful. Leading First Tee — Southeast Wisconsin and getting to share the positive impact golf can have on young people every day is something I don’t take for granted.
Can you talk more about your community involvement or volunteer experience?
Outside of my work at First Tee, I’m involved with the Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance, an organization that connects sports-based youth development organizations across the city to share best practices and strengthen the collective work we’re all doing. I’ve also served as a volunteer and board member for other nonprofits over the years. It’s important to me to show up in the community not just through my job, but as a neighbor and a citizen who cares about this place.
What are some ways you have impacted the community in your line of work?
The most direct impact is the kids. We’re reaching young people across Southeast Wisconsin, many of whom would never have had access to golf or to the kind of structured, values-based programming we offer. But beyond the sport itself, we’re teaching kids how to handle adversity, how to carry themselves, how to be good people. That’s the real work. I also think about the broader ecosystem. Our partnerships with Milwaukee County Parks, our school programs, our presence in neighborhoods all add up to something bigger than any one program.
What do you like about living in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee has always felt like home. It’s got a real small-community feel even though it’s a city with big-city things to do and experience. I run into people I know everywhere. People look out for each other. And, we have incredible food, arts, sports, and culture.
What do you want to see for Milwaukee’s future?
I want to see Milwaukee find more ways for people of all backgrounds to live, work, and play in a genuinely positive environment together. We have so much here, and I think the city’s best days are ahead if we can be intentional about making sure opportunity and community are accessible to everyone.
Anything else we should know about you, your job, community involvement, or life in general?
Just that I genuinely love what I do. Getting to work at the intersection of golf, youth development, and community in the region I grew up in doesn’t feel like a job most days. I’m grateful for the team, the partners, the families who trust us with their kids, and for a community that supports this work.