The Center for Leadership Initiatives functions under a belief that change, be it communal or organizational, must occur in multiple styles to be effective. As a complement to its programs which build networks over the course of time, circumstances of vital proportions often necessitate responses that could not be part of any long term plan. The ability to respond (aka responsibility?) is a critical element in CLI's understanding of how leadership works, and we strive to reflect this in our programs.

Since our inception in 2006, CLI has conducted several one-time programs to address critical needs in the Jewish community.

Leading Up North (December 2006 - January 2007) was one of CLI's first program implementations. In response to the Second Lebanon War, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and CLI designed this intensive service trip to northern Israel for 550 young adults from around the world. In Jewish, Arab, and Druze towns in northern Israel, the participants renovated bomb shelters and prepared decimated forests for replanting. With more than 3,000 applicants to the program, it drew Jews from vastly different backgrounds and lifestyles... <read more>

The Conference for Change (April 2007) was as 24-hour long conference where 120 funders, foundation professionals, non-profit professionals, lay leaders, academics, and activists gathered together to develop individual action plans to drive the Jewish community towards a more inclusive future. Designed and implemented in partnership with Advancing Women Profesionals and the Jewish Community, the Conference for Change focused on gender equity, the GLBTQ community, and Jews of Color. Funded by Lynn Schusterman and Angelica Berrie, the Conference for Change produced real action on many levels in the Jewish community... <read more>