Stewards of Democracy. Catalysts of Change. LeadersInLightInstitute.org
Executive Committee Shakila Ahmad Kevin Aldridge Debbie Brant Bret Caller Karyn Cohen Brendon Cull Bobby Fisher Beverly A. Grant Brian Jaffee Jerry Kathman Gloria Lipson Danielle V. Minson Ronna Greff Schneider Sherri Goren Slovin John Stein Eric Ward Sarah L. Weiss Nancy and David Wolf Ashlee Young Dr. Gary Zola
Major Funders
Dear Reader, Tuesday, September 14 was launch day for Leaders in Light. And it wasn’t a day too soon. We are living in a time when extremist rhetoric and conspiracy theories spread quickly and pervasively across social groups and media platforms and make both civility and governance a challenge. Polarization and contempt in our social interactions fuel these divisions, as we label and dismiss "the other" as worthless. We are seeing the dangerous effects of these trends: increasing racism, anti-Asian hate crimes, Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment, and more. Antisemitism today is at the highest level since 1979, when the Anti-Defamation League started keeping records. Effective solutions to these critical problems have to come from local leadership; and not just the politicians, but the educators, religious leaders, the media, nonprofits, the arts, and the business community. Our leaders need an opportunity to reflect, to learn, and to connect with one another to examine the crisis points and to learn about new and innovative strategies to combat these forms of hate. This is why we created the Leaders in Light Institute. A first-of-its-kind pilot project, Leaders in Light is committed to the idea that meaningful change can come at the local level. The Institute’s nine-month leadership academy is bringing together changemakers across a diverse spectrum of Cincinnati to explore the real challenges of extremism and polarization; and the relationship between extremism, antisemitism, racism, and inclusive democracy. On September 14, 27 committed Cincinnati leaders from across the political and ideological spectrum, representing the fields of politics, religion, the arts, education, media, the nonprofit sector, and business gathered for the first of nine monthly sessions of transformative learning. Along the way, seed funding will support the cohort in the implementation of these tools and approaches in community. The goal is to build skills for effective leadership in a polarized time, and to catalyze community change. These are the leaders we need today—to light the way for our community. Thanks to your support, they are well on their way. In the included Leaders in Light October Update, you'll find news about what we've accomplished so far, and where we’re headed. With gratitude, and with excitement for what is to come,
and Generous Individual Donors
Brought To You By
Jackie Congedo Director Jewish Community Relations Council
In Partnership With
MEET OUR COHORT OF CINCINNATI CHANGEMAKERS This first-of-its-kind, year-long leadership development program is all about building bridges between people.
The initiative is designed to develop a network of informed and skilled stewards of democratic engagement. These leaders will be equipped with the in-depth understanding and modern tools to help them steer their respective organizations and networks, as well as our community, through these volatile, divisive, and polarized times. The first cohort is made up of 27 participants with an intentionally wide variety of civic and faith backgrounds.
Desiré Bennett Senior Social Equity Specialist, Design Impact
Tammy Bennett Partner, Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Dinsmore
Louis Blessing III State Senator, 8th District | Engineer, Super Systems Inc.
Dr. Paul Booth, Jr. Lead Pastor, Legacy Pointe Church | President, Concentric Brands
Andrew Ciafardini Head of Corporate & External Affairs, FIS
Leo D’Cruz Cofounder & Chief Strategic Officer, Box Kite Strategy
Norma Lynn Felts Pastor, Lee Chapel A.M.E. Church
Dani Isaacsohn CEO & Founder, Cohear
Dr. Robert Kahn Executive Lead, Community Health, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Brigid Kelly State Representative, Ohio’s 31st House District
Marie Krulewitch-Browne Founder/Executive & Artistic Director, ish
Beryl Love Editor and Vice President of News, Cincinnati Enquirer
Mack Mariani Professor of Political Science, Xavier University
Kenji Matsudo Superintendent, Madeira City Schools
Lucy May Reporter, WCPO 9
Thomas McLaughlin VP of Patron Experience & Community Engagement, Cincinnati Ballet
Andrew Musgrave Director, Catholic Social Action, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Susan B. Noonan Board President, FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association
Lauren O’Brien Business Continuity and Disaster Resiliency Planner, Northern Kentucky Area Development District
Ioanna Paraskevopoulos Co-Founder/Executive Director, Action Tank
Rev. Nelson Jerome Pierce, Jr. Senior Pastor, Beloved Community Church | Grassroots Power Builder, Democracy for America
Pamela Rincones 2nd Vice President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Melanie Slane Associate for Mission and Liturgy, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
Rickell Howard Smith Executive Director, Center for Social Justice, Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio
Julie Sunderland Program Manager, Cincinnati Regional Coalition Against Hate
Joey Taylor Director, Bespoken Live
Kyla Woods Public Information Officer, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
For detailed bios on all participants, please see our website at www.leadersinlightinstitute.org/leaders-in-light/cohort.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR LAUNCH This first-of-its-kind, year-long leadership development program is all about building bridges between ideas.
On Tuesday September 14, Jackie Congedo, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the two Institute Facilitators, Kevin Aldridge, the Opinion Editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, and Sheri Goren Slovin, Workshop Director of Beyond Civility, facilitated a discussion of “The contemporary challenge of extremism, and what’s at stake for our civil society and inclusive democracy.”
States Center. Together, we worked through Ward’s anchoring, profound analysis of contemporary antisemitism and the way it informs and intersects with other forms of hatred. Supporting speakers Oren Segal, of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and SSA Morgan Spurlock, from the FBI, presented a sobering assessment of the threat of extremists in America today.
Aldridge began with a call to action: “We believe the answers to the challenges we face are in this room. Just as it is said that all politics is local, so is it true that all change is local.”
It was immediately noticeable that not only the scholars and supporting speakers, but each participant is an expert in their respective field, allowing the small group discussions to be extraordinarily insightful and enriching.
Our scholar-in-residence for the day was Eric Ward, Executive Director of the Western
We were grateful and humbled by the enthusiasm of the response to the first day. We received feedback from participants of diverse ideological backgrounds, including:
“I needed to take the time to tell you that today’s session was phenomenal. The content was thought provoking and challenging, which I welcome. Kudos and thanks to your team, facilitators and presenters.”
“Today was great. I learned so much and called my dad after to discuss everything.”
“Just a note to say that the format is great. Zoom is tough, but the decision to put us in very small groups was brilliant.”
“The info was great! Illuminating in many ways. Very interested in insights from others.”
Overall, despite the limitations of Zoom, people stayed fully engaged, in conversation with each other and with our speakers, for the better part of seven hours. If one important goal of our program is to facilitate leadership connections across spectrums of difference, our goal has already been met by these leaders, who even after just the first session, are already making plans to meet, learn from each other, and further each other’s work. In addition, we can see that this program’s power lies in the experience itself: the coming together of world-class experts presenting cutting edge research, with a special group of people committed to asking questions, posing challenges, and honoring their own lived experiences. Everyone left the first session energized and inspired for what is to come.
INSTITUTE FACILITATORS Kevin Aldridge | Opinion Editor, Cincinnati Enquirer
Sherri Goren Slovin | Workshop Director, Beyond Civility
CHECK IT OUT We have more information about our scholars-in-residence and video of their presentations here: www.leadersinlightinstitute.org/scholars-in-residence.
NEW SUCCESSES, NEW SCHOLARS, AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES FUNDING We are proud to announce that we have secured a grant from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation of $50,000; $25,000 each year over two years. This is in addition to our prestigious grant from The One8 Foundation, a national funder of cutting-edge projects in education and community change, for impact measurement and evaluation of Leaders in Light. We also received generous grant funding from The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, and support from individual donors.
LEADERS IN LIGHT IN THE NEWS Our co-facilitator, Sherri Goren Slovin, wrote an opinion piece for the Cincinnati Enquirer, “Building bridges: Steering dialogue beyond angry rhetoric,” about the power of the Leaders in Light work; it was published on September 20. Movers & Makers featured us in their October 2021 edition. Link: https://issuu.com/moversmakers/ docs/october_2021/. Find us on page 9. The Business Courier announced the inaugural class in an e-blast to subscribers entitled, “Introducing the ‘Leaders in Light’ Inaugural Cohort for 2021-2022.” The American Israelite featured the story of Leaders in Light in a September 9 article entitled, “‘Leaders in Light’ inaugural cohort announced.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO JOIN US Meet the Cohort: Cocktail reception: Please save the date for a mid-program cocktail reception, which we’re planning for the evening of December 14 at the Columns in Over the Rhine. This will be your chance to meet the cohort and hear directly from them. Leaders in Light Lecture Series at the Mercantile Library: Join the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council and the Mercantile Library for a series of conversations about the state of American democracy and the crisis of extremism and polarization. Global experts on these topics will unpack what’s holding us back, and shed light on shared pathways forward towards a healthier and more just society. We envision this as a prime opportunity for our community to benefit from these esteemed experts. Dates and speakers to be announced as they are confirmed, beginning in 2022.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 19 2021
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 5 2021
The Role of Antisemitism Dr. Ethan Katz, UC Berkeley
WHO ARE THE NEXT SCHOLARS IN RESIDENCE? Each scholar-in-residence leads their session; each is a highly sought-after global expert in their field. We are excited to announce the next six scholars (with more to come):
TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 2021
Drivers of Extremism Part 1: Trauma, Scarcity, and Fear Dr. Arie Kruglanski, University of Maryland. Supporting Speaker: Shannon Foley Martinez, former violent white supremacist
FRIDAY JANUARY 14 2022
Understanding Value Differences Drivers of Extremism Part 2: Conspiracy Theory, Alternative Facts, and the Loss of Trust Sasha Havlicek, Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Matt Masterson, Stanford University
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11 2022
Intersectionality in Equity Movement Building
Yavilah McCoy, CEO, Dimensions Inc.
Dr. Jay Van Bavel, Associate Professor of Psychology, NYU
FRIDAY MARCH 11 2022
Solving Cloud Problems: Strategies for Adaptive Leadership Dr. Peter Coleman, Lecturer; Executive Director, Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity at Columbia University
Be in Touch
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us. Jackie Congedo Director Jewish Community Relations Council jcongedo@jfedcin.org Justin Kirschner Associate Director Jewish Community Relations Council jkirschner@jfedcin.org Brant Schulz Communications Project Manager Jewish Federation of Cincinnati bschulz@jfedcin.org
STEWARDS OF DEMOCRACY. CATALYSTS OF CHANGE. leadersinlightinstitute.org
Major Funders
and Generous Individual Donors
Leaders in Light is presented by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), in partnership with The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center. Its Executive Committee (LeadersInLightInstitute.org/ourstewards) is composed of a diverse group of thought leaders from the Cincinnati civic, business, and interfaith spaces; it is charged with high-level oversight of the institute, including playing a key role in mapping out the vision and identifying program goals and key outcomes. Funding for Leaders in Light comes from our generous individual donors, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, The One8 Foundation, and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation.