Summit Seeds: Atid

Summit Seeds 2:

ATID: Becoming a Future-Focused Jewish Leader

Goals

• To develop meaningful visions for the future of the Jewish People that can guide our communal leadership
• To learn the skills of futurism and scenario planning which can aid in wise planning and decision-making in our Jewish leadership work
• To hone our narratives about the futures we wish to see for the Jewish People and cultivate our roles in bringing those narratives to life.

The Topic

The Jewish past is long and illustrious. At the same time, our tradition teaches that those who exercise leadership must not only responsibly address the needs of the moment but must also develop visionary and aspirational strategies for our future. The past year has revealed to us in stark terms the need to be prepared for an uncertain path ahead, buffeted by a world that is changing at a dizzying pace.

We find ourselves asking: As leaders, how can we continue to imagine, shape and steward the futures that we want to be a part of, versus just reacting, responding and defending?

Practices of strategic foresight, scenario planning, and speculative world building are more than just games or fantasies. They constitute new leadership skills that help us interrogate and assess our current reality, proactively learn from unfolding patterns and emerging trends, and fuel bold imagination and hopeful optimism.

Faculty

We are excited to be engaging Lisa Kay Solomon, an expert in the topic from the Stanford Design School and who has taught for WHP: Futurist in Residence, Stanford d.school; LinkedIN learning, Leading like a Futurist ; Host, The Futures Happening and Futures Series; Creator, Vote by Design, TheTeam.org; Author, Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change, Design A Better Business

When will the program take place?

Zooms will take place at 12pm ET/ 9am PT / 7pm IT on the following dates:

• January 14
• January 28
• February 18
• March 4

In-person: March 30-31, 2025 in Columbus, OH

Summit Seeds Overview

Who will participate?

Summit Seeds will bring together up to 25 alumni of The Wexner Foundation’s initiatives for volunteer leaders in the North American Jewish Community, professional leaders in the North American Jewish Community, and leaders in Israel’s public service.

What is the commitment?

Summit Seeds participants will commit to participate in four Zoom calls of 90 minutes each. These conversations will entail building connections and trust among group members, exploring the topic at hand, and pursuing possible connections to work together on addressing the topic moving forward.

By the end of the fourth call, members of the group will prepare to meet in person to dig more deeply into possible collaborations or partnerships to deepen their work on the topic.

The meeting will be a day-long gathering at The Wexner Foundation’s headquarters in Columbus, OH. Participants will cover their own travel expenses up to $500; The Wexner Foundation will cover all additional expenses.