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Meet Our Advisory Board

Sam Lauter is a public affairs professional with almost 40 years of experience in local, state and national politics and a key voice and fundraiser for the organized Jewish community in both California and Washington, D.C. Among Sam’s affiliations: founding member, Board of Directors for the Democratic Majority for Israel; Past Chair of the Northern California Board of Directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC); member, National Council of AIPAC; and he serves on or has served as California State Chair of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee, and as a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council, American Jewish Congress, the Jewish Bulletin (now the J), Brandeis Hillel Day School, Raoul Wallenberg Jewish Democratic Club and the Diller Teen Advisory Board, among others. 

Arthur Slepian is Board Chair of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. Previously, he was the founder and a board member of A Wider Bridge, the North American organization working through education, advocacy, relationship-building and grant-making to create equality in Israel by expanding LGBTQ inclusion in Israel, and equality for Israel by cultivating constructive engagement with Israel. Arthur loves to walk his dog, listen to Broadway showtunes and sample dessert wines with his husband.

Sam Yebri is an experienced trial lawyer representing workers, a former Los Angeles City Commissioner, a Jewish communal, pro-Israel, and social justice activist, and the president and co-founder of Iranian Jewish civic organization 30 Years After. Sam is a proud refugee who fled Iran with his family at the age of 1.
 

Vlad Khaykin serves as the inaugural Director of Programs on Antisemitism at the Anti-Defamation League. Vlad joined ADL in 2014 as the Associate Director for the Central Pacific Region, leading the office’s international affairs work, representing ADL to leading social media and internet technology companies in Silicon Valley, and delivering all programs related to antisemitism and white nationalism.

 

Before joining ADL, Vlad served as the Assistant Director for Communications and Advocacy for the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Philadelphia where he advocated on issues related to immigration reform, foreign policy, and human rights with state and federal lawmakers and foreign diplomats. Prior to AJC, Vlad worked in the International Programs department of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston.

 

Vlad earned dual Master’s degrees in Non-Profit Leadership and Near Eastern & Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, where he was awarded the Genesis Fellowship, and a B.A. in Economics and Business Management from the University of California, SantaCruz.

Erin is an activist and social entrepreneur. This leading voice on sustainability, social impact and millennials recently ran for US Congress and has developed eco-education for millions since co-founding Turning Green in 2005. Erin speaks and consults internationally, contributes to top media, and led #ChefsForPuertoRico post-Hurricane Maria, serving 3.7+ million meals and investing in food systems islandwide, now driving her non-profit’s Conscious Kitchen to serve hot, organic, nutritious meals to students, elders and vulnerable populations near her home in Marin County. This bold innovator and community organizer inspires and mobilizes people to activate passion for social impact and policy change.

Carly Pildis has dedicated her career to fighting for justice and equality on a global and national scale. She was named one the 2019 Forward 50, Forward’s annual list of influential American Jews. She works for Tikkun Olam, healing a broken world, through advocacy, organizing, and writing. She is an outspoken advocate against rising antisemitism. She currently serves as a Contributing Editor for Tablet magazine. Past work includes Zioness, RESULTS, Obama for America 2012, Jubilee USA Network and American Jewish World Service. In addition, she serves as a board member for the JCRC of Greater Washington and the Inter Jewish Muslim Alliance (IJMA). She has been featured in Forward, Refinery 29, Washington Jewish Weekly, Tablet Magazine, the Washington Post, Politico, CNN, and the Jerusalem Post. She was spoken at the ADL Never Again is Now Summit and National Leadership Summit, The Israel Forum at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, Z3, The Jewish Council for Public Affairs Conference, The Israeli Embassy, AIPAC Policy Conference and RESULTS International Conference. In her free time, Carly enjoys engaging in Jewish Twitter and making Shabbat with her family.