The core pillars of Selah—Purpose, Vision, Resourcefulness, Partnership, and Performance—have become my organizational life blood. I use the teachings of each of these pillars in everything that I do, whether it be motivating staff, writing performance evaluations, public speaking, or fundraising.
I have been able to focus on the movement's strategic goals and accept the difficulties inherent in building national coalitions because of the part of the Selah curriculum that focuses on partnership and communication. I have been working to bring together widely diverse groups in government, non-profit, and industry around a National AIDS Strategy for the next US president to adopt in 2009. I am constantly humbled by the simplicity of stepping back and listening deeply, rather than relying on old assumptions. We have built a strong coalition that has been successful in persuading the leading Presidential candidates about the need for a bold, outcome-driven federal response to the AIDS epidemic.
Robert Bank, Cohort 2: East Coast, 2005; and Cohort 7: Organizational, 2009
Robert Bank is the Executive Vice President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), and international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. Robert is a human rights activist and lawyer who has been advocating for vulnerable communities for over 20 years.