9 DC Metro Area Innovators elected for Prestigious Global Summit

Photos: Yaara Barnoon (1), Jessica Brooks (2), Mark Hanis (3), Sheila Katz (4), Yael Shapira (5), Samantha Sisisky (6), Hillel Smith (7), Benjamin Weiner (8), and Shai Korman (9) (Courtesy).

WASHINGTON — Washington natives Yaara Barnoon, Jessica Brooks, Mark Hanis, Sheila Katz, Yael Shapira, Samantha Sisisky, Hillel Smith, and Benjamin Weiner, as well as Arlington native Samuel (Shai) Korman, were selected to join over 150 of the Jewish world’s leading young innovators from 29 countries who will convene in Jerusalem, June 24-28, to connect with other change makers, gain new skills, and find renewed inspiration at the 2018 ROI Summit. The summit is the flagship program of ROI Community, an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Barnoon is an anti-corruption associate at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, and a National Security Fellow for Truman National Security Project. To learn more about Barnoon, click here. Brooks is an assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting local child and adult sex crimes and sex trafficking cases. To learn more about Brooks, click here. Hanis is a research fellow with Stanford University’s Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice. He is the co-founder of Shop for a Cause, and is currently developing two social-justice-oriented startups. To learn more about Hanis, click here. Katz is vice president for student engagement and leadership at Hillel International. To learn more about Katz, click here. Shapira is program director or OLAM, convening and connecting Jews working in international development and global service. To learn more about Shapira, click here. Sisisky is Mid-Atlantic director of community engagement for BBYO, the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement. To learn more about Sisisky, click here. Smith is an independent artist and graphic designer who redefines the bounds of Jewish art. To learn more about about Smith, click here. Weiner is the founder of Golf Mountain Coffee Growers, a direct trade social enterprise that connects farmers of exquisite specialty coffees in Nicaragua with roasters throughout the world by cutting out middlemen. To learn more about Weiner, click here. Korman is director of public affairs and communications for United States Institute of Peace, an organization aiming to promote conflict prevention and peacebuilding as practical and essential elements of U.S and global security. To learn more about Korman, click here.

This year’s ROI Summit participants bring a diverse set of interests and achievements, ranging from boosting political involvement; to promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Jewish community; to leveraging 'maker' technology to create solutions for people with disabilities; and much more. These innovators share a commitment to building a more vibrant, inviting and inclusive Jewish future for the benefit of the Jewish community and the broader world. For a full list of this year’s participants, please visit this page.

The 2018 participants hail from: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Inspired by Israel’s 70th anniversary and its accomplishments over seven decades, the summit will focus on the theme of independence and the interplay between dependence, independence and interdependence.

“The 70th anniversary of the state of Israel provides a theme and framework for the journey we hope our participants will undergo during the summit, both as individuals and as a community,” said No’a Gorlin, associate executive director of ROI Community. “By bringing greater awareness to, and understanding of, our relationships with others, we aim for these leaders to walk away with a heightened sense of intention, belonging and responsibility as they continue pursuing social change in the Jewish community and around the world.”

For more details on this year’s ROI Summit, visit this page.