Nineteen young professionals have joined the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region’s 2017-2018 Robert B. Sturm Leadership Fellows Program. The program year began with a half-day retreat at the Genesee Challenge Course in Golden on August 27 at which the new Fellows had an opportunity to try out partner and group team-building activities on the low and high ropes courses with trained leaders from the Denver Parks and Recreation staff.
This year’s Sturm Fellows class includes the following individuals, who were chosen through a competitive application process: Holly Adinoff, Jordan Andersen, Jamie Brenner, Hilary Cooper, David Feldman, Sarah Fenn, Daniella Gold, Jenna Goldstein, Giovanna Henery, Jenny Hess, Sophia Laster, Amanda Levit, Sarah Mitchell, Melanie Reiff, Jenna Schwab, Elizabeth Snider, Mike Sosniak, Caley Weinstein and Jodi Zik.
When asked why she wanted to be a Sturm Fellow, Jordan Andersen, one of this year’s Fellows, replied:
More than anything, I have found that it is my duty to be heard and to be informed about my world. While those lessons learned have certainly stayed with me, I sometimes struggle with the execution. I think the Fellows Program will help me solidify my involvement as an active and attentive citizen, particularly given the struggles we are facing today. I look forward to the prospect of gaining the tools to be a more effective voice. I don’t believe in being complacent and my hope is to be able to speak and act in a well-informed and productive way. I’m passionate about my community and helping to create a better world in every way possible. I think it will be incredible to spend constructive time learning from and engaging with equally passionate people.
The chairs of this year’s Sturm Fellows Program are Karen Flaxer, Andrew Rubin and Leorah Young, all graduates of the Program and members of the ADL Mountain States Regional Board.
The Robert B. Sturm Leadership Fellows Program, part of the national ADL Glass Leadership Institute, runs each year from September-June and provides educational and social programming about the substantive issues of ADL’s work, giving participants the tools to become passionate civil rights leaders in the Denver community. A highlight of the Program is the opportunity to attend ADL’s National Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, joining participants from all over the country to learn from nationally renowned speakers and leaders. The Sturm Fellows Program is supported locally by a generous endowment from philanthropist Robert B. Sturm.