Seminar 7 –Forging the Way Forward: Articulating Your Vision
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
FEGS Health & Human Services (315 Hudson Street, 9th floor)
Goals
1. To share findings from our PIP experiences while practicing public speaking and
presentation techniques
2. To explore personal narratives and how they relate to our professional trajectories
3. To collectively envision the future of the Jewish community and our roles in shaping it
4. To reflect on our summer learnings, celebrate our growth and achievements, and give
meaningful closure to the CLIP curriculum
Time
9:00-10:00
Topic
PIP Presentations I
10:00-11:15
11:15-12:00
Framing Your Narrative
PIP Presentations II
12:00-12:30
12:30-1:30
1:30-2:00
Process Groups Wrap-up
Lunch
PIP Presentations III
2:00-4:00
Vision: Towards a Bright Jewish
Future
4:00-5:00
Threads Never-ending: Closing the
Curriculum
CLIP Seminar 7
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Presenters
Non-profit, Arts,
Entertainment, &
Journalism groups
Dr. David Elcott (NYU)
Government, Law, &
Medicine groups
Process groups
-Real Estate & Social
Services Group
Jerry Silverman (CEO,
Jewish Federations of
North America)
Naomi & Justin
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Speaker Bios & Contact Information
Framing Your Narrative
David Elcott has spent the last twenty-five years at the intersection of
community building, the search for a theory of cross-boundary engagement,
and interfaith and ethnic activism. Trained in political psychology and Middle
East affairs at Columbia University and Judaic studies at the American Jewish
University, Dr. Elcott is the Taub Professor of Practice in Public Service and
Leadership at the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU, senior research
fellow at the Research Center for Leadership in Action and Faculty Director of
Wagner's Executive MPA program. His present research is focused on the baby-boomer cohort,
encore careers, and public service. He was formally the Vice-President of the National Center
for Learning and Leadership, a think-tank tasked with rethinking contemporary community and
civic obligation. As Interreligious Affairs Director of the American Jewish Committee and as the
Executive Director of the Israel Policy Forum, David has addressed a wide array of public policy
issues and has built interfaith and interethnic coalitions to address Middle East peace,
immigration reform, civil liberties and workers rights. He has written A Sacred Journey: The
Jewish Quest for a Perfect World and numerous articles and monographs on power and war,
minority civic engagement, and cross cultural pluralism. He has represented the Jewish
community in interfaith settings in Europe, South America and Asia. david.elcott@nyu.edu
Vision: Towards a Bright Jewish Future
Gerrald (Jerry) Silverman is president and CEO of The Jewish Federations of
North America. He is a highly experienced leader in the North American
Jewish community and longtime corporate executive, with over 25 years of
experience. Before joining The Jewish Federations, Jerry served as president
of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the only non-profit national organization
dedicated to raising awareness and support of non-profit Jewish resident camps. Since starting
there in 2004 the FJC team oversaw a major expansion of the organization that helped bring a
new focus on Jewish camping as a path to enhance Jewish identity. The FJC was extremely
successful in building the quality, availability and demand for Jewish summer camps, creating
partnerships with key philanthropists and Jewish Federations, increasing incentive dollars for
campers, and providing leadership development opportunities for camp directors. Jerry, along
with his board and staff, put Jewish camps on the communal map and helped turn the
Foundation for Jewish Camp into more visible and successful organization.
For a decade before that, Jerry held a range of executive positions at the Stride Rite Corp. of
Boston, including president of its international division; president, Stride Rite Children’s Group,
and president, Keds Corp. Between 1979 and 1994 Jerry held several senior executive positions
at Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco, starting as a production manager in women’s wear,
moving into financial planning, working as an account executive and sales representative, then
as a regional district national account manager and national sales manager of Levi Dockers.
CLIP Seminar 7
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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Over the years, Jerry has been on the boards of a range of Jewish organizations, as well.
Jerry is married to Erica Silverman and is the father of five children ranging in age from 16-25.
Two children attend Gann Academy – The New Jewish High School; one is studying at the
University of Maryland; one is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, now living in
New York City, and Jerry’s eldest, also living in New York City, is a graduate of the joint program
at the Jewish Theological Seminary (List College) and Columbia University.
jerry.silverman@jewishfederations.org (for time-sensitive matters, copy Jerry’s assistant,
Patricia McNamara, Patricia.McNamara@jewishfederations.org)
CLIP Seminar 7
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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