She would be a standout in most any crowd.

In her new office at the Volunteer Center of Danbury, Cohen-Hecht has lots of purple stuff: from famous villain characters to Jewish artwork with varying hues of purple, a purplish pencil holder that suggests her penchant for shopping and a silver "wild woman” pin with purplish gems and sequins.

Just over her desk is a purple sign that seems to sum up Cohen-Hecht’s philosophy: "Dream Big!”

Three weeks ago, she was hired as the center’s executive director. Cohen-Hecht is pretty certain her personality is a perfect match for what she considers a dream job, one that marries the best of her talents with those of an agency with a three-decade legacy in the community.

"Aside from starring on Broadway, this is my dream job; and I haven’t given up on that either,” Cohen-Hecht said. "I told the board you have to hire me. This is me.”

The 47-year-old lifelong volunteer, who has called Danbury home since she was in middle school, comes to the center after working for the last 18 months as administrator at Temple B’nai Chaim in Redding. She replaces Donna Coelho as the fifth woman to head the agency whose main mission is recruiting and placing volunteers for community organizations. The center also provides management assistance to nonprofits, and operates a program that matches volunteers as mentors for senior citizens.

"I’m standing on the shoulders of some really pioneering women who did great work in the community, and I’m now looking to do some great things with the seasoned professionals who’ve been here quite a while,” Cohen-Hecht said of her staff of 10 women, three of whom are regular volunteers. "I love the energy of women. Women can do anything.”

In her roles as wife, mother, Jewish activist, civic volunteer and career professional — from 12 years in the travel business to giving tours to school groups at Blue Jay Orchards to a stint as a chocolatier in her own home-based business aptly named "Patti’s Outrageous Confections” — Cohen-Hecht has always been a woman of passionate resolve to stand up and make a difference.

She and her husband, Gerald, a local attorney, have two sons, Matthew, 19, a student at Plymouth College in Plymouth, Mass., and Josh, 16, a junior at Immaculate High School who plays on the school hockey team. The family has a long history of involvement at the United Jewish Center in Danbury, with Cohen-Hecht serving for two years as synagogue president.

Active in the National Council on Jewish Women, Cohen-Hecht has been invested in pushing for women’s rights, including working on anti-violence programs and as a pro-choice advocate who once championed the state Attorney General’s Office when she found out that a health facility had breached a law in prohibiting first-term abortions.

"That was a great opportunity to show how one person can really make a difference,” Cohen-Hecht said. "And the Volunteer Center gives people the opportunity to make a difference.”

Early in her life, Cohen-Hecht learned the importance of volunteerism from her parents, Robert and Sheila, who were both active in their synagogue and community.

"The great sage, Sheila Cohen, used to say, "When you’re dead, you’re dead.’ You get one chance at life, and I really want to make a difference in the world,” Cohen-Hecht said.

She started as a candystriper at Danbury Hospital, doing everything from giving tours of the hospital to cleaning out test tubes.

"I loved it,” she recalled.

She also was a volunteer teacher at the synagogue religious school.

But it wasn’t until 1986 that her volunteerism kicked into high gear.

That year, as a new mother, she joined the National Council of Jewish Women. She was assigned to help with preschool vision screenings. It was all she needed to get hooked.

Suddenly, she was immersed in council activities, from fund-raising projects for local organizations to pursuing women’s rights on state and national levels. Cohen-Hecht was the first state chairman of the Connecticut Silent Witness project, which uses silhouettes to illustrate the numbers of women killed by domestic violence.

She dabbled in the political arena, running for the local Board of Education and considered a run for the state Senate. One of her goals is to become a congresswoman.

Though those political efforts did not bear fruit, Cohen-Hecht recognized that she wanted to make her avocation as a civic volunteer into a vocation.

So when she spotted the advertisement for the Volunteer Center post, she knew she had to apply.

"The Volunteer Center has its fingers in every agency in the community with volunteers, and I love to volunteer, and to be able to make that into a profession, to put my knowledge into practice is heaven. It’s kismet. It’s meant to be,” Cohen-Hecht said.

"I think she brings a real passion for community service,” said Priscilla Behling, the center’s 16-year associate director. "Her deep roots in the community are going to be able to assist her in carrying out the vision and mission of the Volunteer Center.

"I think she has brought a sense of excitement with her, and I am very excited to be on her team,” Behling said.

Center board chairman Joe Sorrentino acknowledged Cohen-Hecht’s high-octane personality as a reason the board was so impressed with her and what she might bring to an agency looking to change directions.

The center is writing a new strategic plan aimed at moving away from just placing volunteers in agencies, and focusing more on becoming a leader in nonprofit management assistance. Cohen-Hecht said the center helps agencies recruit board members, but would like to help agencies recruit their own volunteer leaders and become models in nonprofit management.

"It’s more than just giving someone a fish, it’s teaching them how to fish,” Cohen-Hecht said.

In addition to her willingness to tackle new projects and revitalize programs, Sorrentino said the board was clearly impressed with Cohen-Hecht’s passion for such work.

"She’s amazing. She is a real high-energy kind of person, and that energy feeds into everybody around her. She can get you going right away,” Sorrentino said.

For Cohen-Hecht, the last three weeks has been a dream adventure.

"I love coming to work every day,” said Cohen-Hecht, who regularly stocks her office with homemade chocolates and offers them to visitors. "It’s not really work. It’s stuff I love to do — talking to people, building coalitions and making people happy.”