Last week, participants from our Federation’s prestigious New Leaders Project (NLP) gathered at the Bradley Tower at LA City Hall for a special graduation ceremony in their honor. The 25 NLP graduates will join an elite cadre of Jewish civic leaders who have completed the year-long New Leaders Project. Cheered on by friends, family, and NLP alumni, each graduate accepted recognition from elected officials from every level of government.
Nathan Hochman, an alumnus of the New Leaders Project, and President of the LA City Ethics commission urged the graduates to take risks and think creatively about the biggest policy issues confronting our society, and pointed to his leadership on increasing voter turnout in Los Angeles municipal elections. Other guest speakers included Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, and NLP alumni Sam Yebri who serves as co-chair of the New Leaders Project Steering Committee. NLP facilitators Mitch Kamin and Steve Zimmer served as the Masters of Ceremony for the graduation.
The NLP graduation capped a year in which participants heard from top elected leaders, policy experts and community advocates, and honed their leadership skills. This diverse group of men and women came from different backgrounds and different professionals. Some are business executives, social entrepreneurs, non-profit directors, writers, and others who work in the entertainment business, while many others work as lawyers or Los Angeles City Hall staff. The common thread they share is a passion for making L.A. a better place.
Over the course of the year, NLP graduates have taken on a range of challenges, working to implement their ideas for rebranding the city of Los Angles, educating voters on the 2014 ballot propositions, and bringing diverse communities together.
The Jewish Federation congratulates all of the graduates and will continue working with these New Leaders as they fight to improve our community.
NLP is currently recruiting for its Class of 2015. Open to young, civic-minded Jewish leaders ages 27-40, the program is the premiere Jewish civic leadership training program in the city. Candidates can apply at www.JewishLA.org/NLP. The application deadline is November 30, 2014.
