Jewish Alumni Strong Leaders Roundtable Speaker Series
Monday | January 26 | 12-1 pm EST
About this event
Eboo and Rebecca will present for ~20 minutes, with the remainder of the time open for questions and answers.
Attendees will learn about the programs and resources that Interfaith America uses to equip leaders in creating institutional cultures where people respect, relate, and cooperate across difference. In higher education, this goal includes the shaping of students into leaders who leave college equipped with the skills and desire to engage in religious differences, so our diverse democracy can thrive. They work with hundreds of colleges across the country to develop courses, programs, and campus-wide plans.
This approach does not aim to replace direct efforts that combat antisemitism on campus, but it shares the vision of those efforts in its aim to develop environments that are hostile to bigotry and discrimination.
About Eboo Patel
Eboo Patel is a civic leader, speaker, and author advancing the notion that diversity is a treasure and cooperation across our difference is the key for everybody to thrive. Recognized as “one of America’s best leaders” by U.S. News and World Report, he is the Founder and President of Interfaith America, the nation’s leading interfaith organization.
Under Eboo’s leadership, Interfaith America has grown into a $20 million-per-year organization that partners with governments, universities, businesses, and civic organizations to transform faith into a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.
Eboo’s impact extends to serving on President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, delivering hundreds of keynote addresses, and authoring five influential books, including We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy. A Rhodes Scholar and Ashoka Fellow, Eboo earned a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University.
About Rebecca Russo
Rebecca oversees Interfaith America’s higher education strategy and programs. She has worked at IA for nearly a decade and was previously Director of Engagement at Northwestern Hillel and Executive Director of the Campus Climate Initiative at Hillel International. Rebecca has written on pluralism in outlets including the Journal of College and Character, Religion News Service, Times Higher Education, and USA Today. Rebecca holds a B.A. in Middle East Studies from Brown University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Rebecca’s work is inspired by her interfaith experiences living in Morocco and Jerusalem and by the Talmudic concept of “these and those are words of the living God.” Rebecca lives in Chicago and enjoys singing, hiking, and chasing around her three children.