This week our community spotlight shines on James (Jim) Kramer, President of Luminescent Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Astronics Corporation, headquartered in East Aurora. Jim has been employed by Astronics for over 35 years. A publicly traded company with over 2,000 employees worldwide, Astronics supplies products to the global aerospace market, engineering solutions for power, connectivity, lighting, and other technologies. If you’ve flown on a plane, you’ve seen, used or benefited from an innovation of Astronics.
Jim graduated from Brown University with a degree in Engineering and Economics. A native of Long Island, Jim lived in Seattle and Boston prior to moving to WNY. It was here in Buffalo that Jim met and married Leslie Shuman, z’l, and together they raised their three children: Josh (30), Joey (26) and Leah (24). Jim and Leslie had many shared passions including family, travel, fitness, volunteer leadership, and a deep love for the outdoors.
In addition to family, work and his personal pursuits, Jim devotes a tremendous amount of time and energy to volunteer leadership across Buffalo. He is a member of the Buffalo Jewish Federation Board of Governors, serving on the Finance Committee. Jim is also active in several organizations including Buffalo Seminary, Hospice and Palliative Care of Buffalo, and Insyte Consulting, where he serves on each of their Board of Directors.
This Sunday, March 3 marks the second anniversary of Leslie Shuman Kramer’s passing. Jim’s beloved wife, Leslie, was also a transformational leader for Jewish Buffalo. A constant and wise force while she led the Buffalo Jewish Federation, Leslie made her mark advocating for the most pressing issues of the day such as helping maintain calm during the pandemic, investing in security and community relations infrastructure, reimagining immersive travel experiences, and designing pipelines and pathways to Jewish engagement and leadership.
Leslie’s approach to leading was molded and motivated by her primary passions: family & legacy, travel, wellness, Jewish learning, and the power of woman. In 2023 Jim and members of his extended family established the KOLOT Fund in Leslie’s memory to honor her lifetime of impact and to continue her legacy of amplifying women’s voices. Tomorrow, friends of Jim and Leslie’s will be sponsoring the Kiddush Lunch in Leslie’s memory following services at Temple Beth Tzedek (beginning at 9:30 am). We invite you to join us tomorrow and to make a gift in Leslie’s memory here: bit.ly/KOLOTFUND.
