Genesis at the Crossroads’ Executive Staff

Omar Gutierrez – Social Media & Development AssistantOmar provides creative media advisory services such as graphic design, video editing, and technology implementation consulting services to improve GATC’s e-communication and global presentations.  Expanding GATC’s outreach efforts, he also assists in the research for potential new donors, especially from the Hispanic community.  He believes non-profit organizations play a very important role in society and collaborates with numerous organizations including: Ensemble Dal Niente, Children International, Chicago Flute Club and Doctors Without Borders, among others. For his exemplary fundraising efforts marathon running for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, they nominated him for the 2009 Man & Woman of the Year award. The Society also selected him as Mentor for its Team in Training endurance sports and fundraising program in which he guides and assists new participants through rigorous training programs to help execute their individual fundraising strategies. In 2011, he will be completing his fifth marathon in Urbana-Champaign, IL.
A native of Colombia, Omar first came to the U.S. as an AFS exchange student in 1995. After completing his degree in Architecture in his native city of Bucaramanga, he moved to Evanston, IL in 2001. From 2001 to 2005, Omar was an Intern Architect for Greystone Builders & Architects, a premier residential design-build firm on Chicago’s North Shore. From 2005 to 2009 he worked as Project Architect for Becker Architects in Highland Park, IL. He is currently freelancing as an architectural and graphic designer while completing the process towards obtaining his United States architectural license.

 

Genesis at the Crossroads’ Board of Directors

Sema Barlas, PhD -Sema has a PhD degree from University of Chicago in Research Methodology and Quantitative Psychology, an MS degree from University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign in Applied Statistics, and a BS degree in Psychology. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Business at Argosy University, Chicago. Previously, she was affiliated with the Desautels Faculty of Management at the McGill University in Canada and Department of Economics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Prior to entering academia, she consulted to private industry on the development and effective utilization of quantitative marketing tools.

Sema’s research combines social aspects of consumer behavior with quantitative modeling, which includes social influences on self-control, social network models, and the spread of information within and between networks. Her research has been published in leading journals such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes and Journal of Applied Econometrics.  She has authored chapters in a number of books and presented her work at academic conferences as well as at numerous companies and organizations.

Sema is a person driven by passion. She is most passionate about her daughter and children in general, about teaching to students who hunger to learn, especially about something novel from a diverse range of topics, including creating peace at home, at work, and throughout the world. Her passions found a home at Genesis; she is involved with Genesis’ Art of Peace program for children.  As a Board Member, she volunteers her expertise in marketing such that this and other Genesis programs reach and resonate with people of different nations, races, religions, and genders around the globe.

Keith L. Magee, PhD With a charge in life to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, Dr. Magee, is a highly sought after preacher, speaker, lecturer and nonprofit executive.  He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Africa, Europe and South America preaching the gospel and as a keynote and lecturer in the areas of African American Migration, Faith and Politics, the HIV/AIDS Crisis, Philanthropic Management, Leadership, Communications and Management. His professional career has affording him rewarding opportunities.  He is currently the executive director of The National Public Housing Museum, Chicago, IL.  He took the appointment after serving as a Senior Advisor, Religious Affairs, with the Obama for America Campaign.  He served as a senior director at the Museum of African American History-Boston and Nantucket.

Dr. Magee is a Harvard-trained and ordained minister, having been conferred a doctorate in theology.  His ministerial calling has led to leadership at Berachah Church—An International Gathering of Blessing, in Boston, MA.  His previous appointments include serving at Mount Olive Church, Dorchester, MA; resident seminarian intern at Mount Carmel Baptist Church; and minister of summer programs at Northminister Presbyterian Church, both of Washington, DC. He is passionate about providing humanitarian aid to children and families, especially in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa and in Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa. He is working with Partners in Health, to build an interfaith Chapel in rural Rwanda.  Additionally, he is the Co-Chair of the Governor’s Council of Chaplains for Governor Deval Patrick, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  He is the Co-Founder of Abba House, an orphanage project for children infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa.

He serves as the President on the Board of Directors of Healing Our Lands, Inc., Board of Advisor of the Anti-Defamation League-World of Difference Institute, a Director of the Leggasy Foundation, and Board of Visitors of the Boston Center for the Arts. He is a member of the National Center for Black Philanthropy, American Academy of Religion and Massachusetts Bible Society.  Additionally, he is a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., serving on the centennial committee and nominating committee chair, Boston (MA) Alumni Chapter, and has served on the Guide Right Commission and the Board of Director of Kappa Scholarship Foundation.  Magee has one son, Pierre, who is a student at the University of Massachusetts. He lives between Chicago, IL and Boston, MA.

Laurie Levin, Attorney - Fox, Hefter, Swibel, Levin & Carroll, Chicago, IL
Member, Interlex Group –Consortium of International collaborative law firms
Concert Pianist, Undergraduate and Masters Degreed from Julliard.

Eduardo Romero -Born in Cali, Colombia, Eduardo took his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering followed by an MBA from Columbia University in New York City. He then went on to work for over 15 years in emerging markets of the banking, private equity and consumer goods industries.  As Bank of America’s Managing Director, he served as president of the bank’s Colombian and Venezuelan subsidiaries, responsible for both managing a team of 100 professionals and for creating corporate finance, banking, and private equity strategy.  During his tenure, he managed a combined investment portfolio in excess of $1.5 billion.

His leadership skills also took him to cross-cultural business ventures for Procter and Gamble (P&G) in the US and Brazil.  In the four years he lived in Brazil, he had the unique opportunity to be part of P&G’s entry into a new and challenging country, and to understand its business environment in general and, more specifically, its economic climate.  Of equal importance, he had the privilege of enjoying the richness of the country’s vast culture and its beautiful people, which in turn allowed him to not only exceed expectations in business development, but also establish lifelong personal relationships.

In 2002, Eduardo founded Cape Horn Group (CHG), a private-equity real estate company specializing in acquiring commercial properties to upgrade and reposition them for the express purpose of increasing their value. Originally based in Miami, the company pioneered the office condominium concept, eventually becoming a groundbreaking leader in the field. CHG acquired, managed and developed a portfolio of assets worth over $300 million across Chicago, Miami and Beverly Hills.

Eduardo is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. He is passionate about his family and enjoys travelling and absorbing the culture of different countries through their arts, (music, dance, and painting,) and in particular, mastering their culinary arts.

Wendy Sternberg, MD – GATC Founder & Executive Director -Wendy is the creative engine behind GATC’s mission and vision.  She designed all programs to date and oversees production and implementation of performance/artistic programs, arts-education and humanitarian initiatives worldwide.  She developed the current Executive and Advisory Boards as well as the developing Youth Board and currently conducts search efforts to bring in new board members and staff.  As the consummate networker who facilitates all local, national and international community partnerships and global outreach, she masterminds and oversees all organizational development, including business plans and sustainability/strategic plans with the aid of consultants. Sternberg is responsible for branding of GATC and its relevant communications, integrating the efforts of GATC’s public relations firm, graphic and web designers, documentary filmmaker, photographer and information technology team’s social networks. She develops and coordinates the research team for the Genesis Academy for Global Leadership and speaks on behalf of GATC at local, national and international symposia. Under her leadership, GATC pilot programs are expanding to globally reproducible ones.

For her work on GATC, Wendy has been featured numerous times as a guest on WBEZ/NPR , the BBC, Al Jazeera, and UN Radio, appeared as a guest on CBS, ABC 7 &   Channel 5 News Chicago and has been the subject of numerous articles from The Chicago Tribune, to The LA Times and The Bangkok Post.  She was named Finalist for the Berkowitz Award for Teaching Tolerance to Children, was featured as a Woman to Watch in Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine, and was nominated for Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 Award.  She was featured as one of the 10 Jewish Chicagoans of the Year.  She is the recipient of the Publicity Club of Chicago’s Silver Trumpet Award in Issues Management.  Rotary International selected her as one of 22 global leaders from 18 countries to participate in the 2009 Rotary International Peace& Conflict Studies Fellowship at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.  Sternberg  is a 2011 Charles Bronfman Prize Nominee. 

Wendy completed a 14-year career in Internal Medicine and her role as Teaching Faculty at Northwestern University Medical School at the end of 2008.  Her former medical career  informs the healing aspects at the heart of Genesis at the Crossroads’ global efforts.

Adam J. Hecktman - Director of the Microsoft Technology Center – Chicago for the Microsoft Corporation.

2010 Rising Board Members

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Chairman, Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, DC
Michelle Buck, PhD, Professor, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
Shamus Hayes, Vice President, Branch Manager, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Chicago, IL

Genesis at the Crossroads’ Advisory Board

Monsour Ajami - Arabic Language and Cultural Consultant (part-time consultant) Of Lebanese heritage, Professor Ajami completed eight years of study on the oud and vocal training at the Lebanese National Conservatory and went on to pursue both a BA and MA in Arabic Language and Literature at the American University in Beirut. He completed his Masters and his PhD in Arabic Literature and Islamics at Columbia University and has taught at UC Berkely, Columbia, Princeton and Washington Universities. He is extensively published and has recited poetry and given lectures and concerts of Arabic music internationally. He currently is the United Nations’ Arabist Reviser/Translator for New York and Geneva.

Mark Johnson, PhD - Community Outreach Liason (part-time volunteer) Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation/USA, Dr. Johnson is a graduate of Ohio’s College of Wooster holding a Doctorate in Sociology from Columbia University, with alternative service as a conscientious objector in Lebanon, living and teaching in Beirut for six years. He served as Executive Director of the YMCA Silver Bay Association Conference and Training Center, and as a volunteer in environmental, arts, peace and social justice organizations. Over the past six years, he has been active with the Alliance for Middle East Peace and has supported the development of leadership and training programs for young adults at the Jerusalem International YMCA, as a member of the staff of the YMCA of the USA.  Mark serves on non-profit boards of Associated Solo Artists/Creative Leaps International, Schools That Can and the International Student Exchange Program, the Advisory Boards of Girls Learn International and Whole Women Healing, and is an Executive Committee Member of the Leadership Forum. He recently returned from an inter-faith dialogue trip to Tehran.

Stacy Keach - Artisic Advisor, Music Theater Consultant (part-time volunteer)  A graduate of  UC Berkeley, the Yale School of Drama, and England’s London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art where he was a Fulbright scholar.  Stacy has won three Obies, Best Actor Tony nominationand The Helen Hayes Award, the prestigious Millennium Recognition Award for contribution to classical theater, A Golden Globe, Best Actor Emmy nomination for his TV performance in Hemingway and Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Diego Film Festival.

Alongside Harold Ramis, he will narrate our human-interest documentary chronicling GATC’s Saffron Caravan ensemble’s journey and global impact.

Robert Khoury - Business Advisor (part-time volunteer) Robert Khoury is a Palestinian-American whose diverse childhood experiences living in Beirut, Lebanon, Jordan and Rhode Island drew him to Princeton University and eventually to Saudi Arabia with Price Waterhouse. At Duke University’s MBA program he co-coordinated the first business school venture in Egypt and Israel to expose MBA students to cross-cultural business practices, which included a private session with Shimon Peres. Rob formerly worked as a derivatives trader for First Chicago/Bank One and NewArc Investments and a project manager for GETCO.  He currently is a partner in World Wide Financial Industry Recruiting Services, LLC.

Lori Lippitz - Music Consultant (part-time volunteer) Band-leader, Vocalist and Guitarist Lori Lippitz expanded her BA in music to include graduate work in Slavic studies at the University of Chicago. She founded the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, launched the Midwest’s Klezmer revival, organized an annual Midwest Klezmer and Yiddish Music Institute, the Maxwell Street Junior Klezmer Orchestra and co-founded the Yiddish Arts Ensemble. She lectures on Klezmer music, is a frequent guest on NPR and Public TV and has multiple recordings. Lori helped create GATC’s original Arab-Jewish Fusion Project.

Hazaan Alberto Mizrahi - Music Consultant (paid musician & volunteer;) Greek-born Tenor, Alberto Mizrahi, is the internationally renowned Hazzan of Anshe Emet Synagogue and one of the world's leading interpreters of Jewish music. He has thrilled audiences at worldwide recitals, Sephardic and symphony concerts, and operas. His repertoire, spanning nine languages, makes his performances unique in the field. He has appeared as a soloist in Avery Fisher, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center… and on a world-wide PBS broadcast concert of the CANTORS: A Faith in Song, The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Gates of Justice and The 50th Newport Jazz Festival. He is one of the esteemed vocalists and composers for our Saffron Caravan .Ensemble.

Harold Ramis - Documentary Filmmaker (part-time volunteer) got his start in comedy at Second City. He produced, directed and co-wrote numerous films including: Animal House, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, Multiplicity, Analyze This and The Ice Harvest, among others. He is on the Board of Facets Cinema, The Goodman Theater and is involved in After School Matters and the national program, Journeys in Film. He has served as Principal for a Day at Chicago’s Senn High, his Alma Mater. He and Stacy Keach will narrate our human-interest documentary chronicling the Saffron Caravan ensemble’s journey and global impact.

Peter Siu - Peter graduated in 2008 with a combined JD/MBA from Northwestern University, completing their Non-Profit Management 2008 Board Fellows Program with GATC. He graduated with honors from MIT with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning. He currently works at the World Bank in strategic communications and microfinance; in the past as a consultant to the World Bank, he facilitated communications planning for a multimillion dollar technology innovation program. Fluent in Cantonese and English, conversant in Mandarin, French, Dari, Spanish and Dutch, he has served as Communications Consultant for UNICEF/China and as a Research Assistant for the National Bureau of Economic Research. In his five year tenure at Chemonics International, he launched and directed international reconstruction programs, including infrastructure projects and extensive employment programs in Afghanistan. Among his numerous accolades, he was the recipient of the 2006 Daimler Chrysler Reaching Out Scholarship and was further honored as a Corporate Social Responsibility Scholar by Gap, Inc. His GATC Board focus is on strategic planning /operations management.