Americans for Ben-Gurion University Launches Zin Fellows Leadership Development Program
Americans for Ben-Gurion University Launches Zin Fellows Leadership Development Program
March 28, 2012
Negev Development & Community Programs, Press Releases
NEW YORK, March 28, 2012…Fifteen young leaders have been selected to participate in the Zin Fellows Leadership Development Program of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University). Applicants were nominated by Americans for Ben-Gurion University supporters and friends and will participate in three major seminars over the course of two years. The first three-day seminar took place in February in Florida. The inaugural class culminates its program next year in Israel.
This exclusive innovative program is designed to create a community of “next generation leaders” committed to furthering David Ben-Gurion’s vision for Israel’s Negev region. Zin Fellows experience in-depth immersion into issues relevant to the Negev and its development.
“Our goal is to provide insight into the challenges that lie ahead for Israel’s expansive desert region. Zin Fellows will gain a unique appreciation for both the obstacles and opportunities that lie before us,” explains Doron Krakow, executive vice president of Americans for Ben-Gurion University. “Utilizing the University’s extraordinary resources, the program will provide each fellow with a special appreciation for the Negev and, we expect, a determination to play a part in its development.”
The program’s lead faculty members are Dr. Paula Kabalo of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism and Prof. Isaac (Sakis) Meir of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research. Several other distinguished BGU faculty and guests will also contribute to the program. Topics will encompass the Negev as a crossroads of history and ecology, religion and technology, desert research and sustainable development, and indigenous populations in transition.
The Zin Fellows Leadership Development Program is being generously supported by Co-chairs Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller of Allentown, Pennsylvania, participants in the inaugural class themselves, as well as other donors from across the country. Wayne is vice president at GKM Advisers, LLC and an investment management consultant. He is also a vice president on Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s national board.
Lisa Scheller is president of her family’s manufacturing business, Silberline Mfg. Co., headquartered in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. She is the elected Lehigh county commissioner. Lisa and Wayne are married and have six children.
“While monetary donations are critical for the growth and development of the University, Lisa and I conceived the Zin Fellows program to cultivate a younger, future donor base,” Wayne explains. “This innovative, self-sustaining program will also create a highly knowledgeable group of ‘Negev Ambassadors’ who will truly understand and effectively communicate the importance of the region for the future of Israel.”
The name Zin is derived from the biblical Wilderness of Zin. The Desert of Zin is a geographic area mentioned in the Torah as a place where the Israelites wandered and Moses drew water from a rock. David Ben-Gurion chose to live near and be buried on the edge of a cliff overlooking the vast Zin Canyon. BGU’s Sde Boker Campus, home to the program’s lead faculty, also overlooks the canyon.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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