Joe Deitch has spent his life trying to, as he says, 'create the ideal environment… and then make it better.'

Early Years
Joe was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, growing up in Dorchester and Mattapan. He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1968 and attended University of Pennsylvania, where he received a BA in International Relations in 1972.

After college Joe traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands to build upon his education, albeit from a different approach. He spent “two wonderful years” exploring and understanding what is meant by the ideal environment. Joe later attended Harvard Business School and graduated from the Owner/President Management program in 1989.

Commonwealth Financial Network
In 1979 Joe founded Commonwealth Financial Network (CFN), serving as CEO until becoming Chairman in 2009. Since its inception, CFN has been defined by its commitment to quality, community and ongoing improvement. Today CFN is the nation’s largest privately owned, independent broker/dealer, and has been recognized as a Best Place to Work an unprecedented 32 times by regional and national publications. 

Southworth Development
In 2006 Joe formed a partnership with longtime close friend David Southworth and became Chairman of Southworth Development, an owner and developer of premier golf and real estate properties in the U.S., Bahamas and Scotland. Like Commonwealth, Southworth has an overarching focus on quality and community. Southworth is committed to creating the ideal environment at each property, all of which have received national and international acclaim. 

Broadway
Serving as principal of Full House Productions, Joe co-produced 9 Broadway productions from 2009 – 2012, including The Addams Family, A View from the Bridge, and Fela. In 2012, Joe won a Tony award as co-producer for The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. 

Recognition
Over the years Joe and his companies have received notable accolades and media attention:

• In 2010, Investment Advisor magazine named Joe one of the thirty most influential people in the financial services industry over the previous thirty years.
• JD Power Associates ranked Commonwealth Financial Network #1 in its industry for Client Satisfaction every year the survey has been administered.
• Southworth Development developed the first 18-hole Geo-Certified Course in the UK, ranked #1 as the Top Eco Course in 2012.
• Joe was profiled in the book, Leadership Secrets of the World's Most Successful CEOs: 100 Top Executives Reveal the Management Strategies That Made Their Companies Great (Eric Yaverbaum, Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004)

Philanthropy
Philanthropy plays an increasingly large role in Joe’s life. In addition to the Deitch Leadership Institute, other charitable endeavors include:

• Elevate Prize Foundation, which will award $5 million annually to recipients “whose ideas and endeavors elevate the human experience” starting in 2020.
• Commonwealth Cares, the philanthropic arm of Commonwealth Financial
• Foundation for an American Vision, a private foundation created in partnership with his late wife
• Tao Jones Foundation 

These days Joe divides his time between homes in Boston and Miami Beach. His whereabouts depend on the weather, business, or wherever he finds the ideal environment.