18 August 22 • 2019
jn
Detroit is on Board with ORT
Five Detroiters were recently elected to the national board of ORT America.
F
ive Detroiters were recently
elected to the national board of
ORT America at ORT’
s annual
meeting in New York. The new ORT
America leaders are:
Jim August: A steadfast ORTist
dedicated to achieving impact
through education, new board of
directors member Jim August has
worked in the advertising agency
business for 55 years, including as
president of Stone August Inc. and as
the principal of August & Associates
LLC, a marketing and communica-
tions consultancy. His community
service background includes several
decades and a variety of positions
held with the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit. He’
s served
as president of Detroit Men’
s ORT,
the Michigan Jewish Conference,
the National Foundation for Jewish
Culture and vice president of JTA.
Dr. Conrad Giles: New Executive
Committee member Dr. Conrad
Giles was appointed president of
World ORT in May 2016 after serv-
ing as vice president from 2013.
Dedicated to strengthening Jewish
communities worldwide, Giles has
served in numerous leadership posi-
tions, including at the Jewish Council
for Public Affairs, Federation, UJA,
the Council of Jewish Federations,
the Jewish Agency for Israel and the
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee. He was president of
Detroit Men’
s ORT chapter from
1978-1980. He was a vice presi-
dent of American ORT Federation
from 1980-1983. He also served as
a member of the initial Executive
Committee of ORT American
Foundation for three years. A pediat-
ric ophthalmologist, he is chief emer-
itus of ophthalmology at Children’
s
Hospital of Michigan and clinical
professor of ophthalmology at Wayne
State University.
Bubba Urdan: New Executive
Committee member Bubba Urdan
has been involved with ORT for more
than 20 years. He’
s a past president of
ORT America Michigan Region (2011-
2014), past Rub-a-Dub event chair
(2006, 2007, 2015) and current ORT
Michigan sponsor chair (2015-pres-
ent). In 2016, he received ORT
America’
s first National Leadership
Award for leading the way with his
innovative thinking, fierce dedication
and buoyant spirit. In 2018, he joined
the board of Women’
s American ORT
Foundation. Urdan’
s late mother
was a longtime member of Women’
s
American ORT. Her involvement was
an inspiration to him.
He volunteers and sits on many
boards and committees of Detroit
Jewish organizations, including the
Federation, JARC and the Holocaust
Memorial Center. He is an alumnus
of the National Young Leadership
Cabinet of Jewish Federations of
North America. He’
s also the 2019
ORT Michigan Rub-a-Dub honoree
and, on Aug. 20, he will receive the
Hermelin ORT Legacy Award for his
achievements.
Andi Wolfe: New board of direc-
tors member Andi Wolfe has been
involved with ORT since 1973. Since
that time, she’
s played an integral
role in helping to accelerate progress
for ORT’
s schools. She’
s served as
ORT’
s Michigan Region financial
secretary and later became co-pres-
ident of the Michigan Region. She
serves on the board of Hebrew Free
Loan Society, is a transgeneration-
al member of the Jewish Women’
s
Foundation and is a life member
of Hadassah, National Council of
Jewish Women and Adat Shalom
Sisterhood. She’
s been involved
in Israel Bonds for more than 35
years; founded a women’
s group for
the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network in Michigan; and is a
national board member of American
Technion Society.
Larry Wolfe: Newly elected board
of directors member Larry Wolfe has
been a pillar of the Detroit commu-
nity for many years. He serves on
the board of trustees of World ORT.
He’
s a board member of the Jewish
Fund, Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network (Bloomfield/Detroit),
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Partners in
Torah, American Friends of Rambam
Hospital, the Shabbat Project and the
Michigan Israel Business Accelerator.
He’
s a member of the board of trust-
ees of Kids Kicking Cancer and the
Detroit Zoological Society, as well
as past president of Adat Shalom
Synagogue and the JCC. He’
s also
the immediate past president of
Federation and immediate past
chair of the State of Israel Bonds for
Metropolitan Detroit. ■
This story first appeared on
myjewishdetroit.org.
jews d
in
the
Current ORT America Board of Directors: Front row: Louanne Smolin, Saul Berkowitz, Suellen Kadis, Dr. Conrad Giles, Barbara Siegel, Morgan Newman,
Jonathan Lanznar. Back row: Debbie Kanter, Larry Wolfe, Andi Wolfe, Bubba Urdan, Chairman of the Board, Howard Lanznar, Outgoing National President,
Larry Kadis, Gail Lanznar, Sid Besmertnik. (Not pictured: Jim August).
COURTESY OF ORT