26 | APRIL 1 • 2021 

OUR COMMUNITY

S

cott Hiipakka, CEO 
of the Michigan Israel 
Business Accelerator, 
has received a promotion 
from the rank of colonel to the 
rank of brigadier general in 
the Michigan Army National 
Guard. The official title of the 
role is assistant adjutant general. 
Hiipakka will continue to be 
responsible for the majority of 
units in the Guard and building 
teams ranging from 30 up to 
2,500 people in their respective 
organizations. There will likely 

be additional areas he will be 
in charge of relative to special 
projects for the adjutant general. 
To Hiipakka, the promotion 
is a blessing and an honor. 
“If you would’ve said to me 
when I was entering the mili-
tary that I would’ve made the 
rank of colonel, I would’ve said, 
‘no way,
’” Hiipakka said. “But 
then, if you would’ve said I’
d 
make the rank of brigadier gen-
eral, I would’ve laughed at you.
” 
Hiipakka entered military 
service in June 1993 as an infan-

try officer initially assigned 
to the 10th Mountain 
Division as a platoon lead-
er. Upon selection to the 
75th Ranger Regiment, he 
served with the 3rd Ranger 
Battalion until 1997. 
Following active duty, 
Hiipakka entered the 
Michigan Army National 
Guard in 2001 and has 
served in key roles including 
multiple commands and staff 
officer positions.
Hiipakka currently serves 
on the board of directors for 
Leadership Oakland and was 
recognized by Crain’s Detroit 
Business as a 2020 “Notable 
Veteran.
” He also serves as an 
adviser and former appointee 
to the Michigan Community 
Service Commission. 
As the CEO of the MIBA, 
Hiipakka sees a possible syn-
ergistic effect between his roles 
with the MIBA and the Army.
“In the MIBA, we’re respon-

sible for creating opportunities 
and jobs in Michigan and con-
necting Israeli innovation to 
Michigan businesses,
” Hiipakka 
said. “What I see is opportuni-
ties to accelerate that, particu-
larly in the defense industry. I’m 
already connected in that space, 
and from my initial conversa-
tions with Israeli companies, 
they think it’s pretty cool that 
the CEO of MIBA is a general. 
We’ll see what the outcomes are, 
but I do see the opportunities to 
build partnerships.
”
Now, more than 25 years into 
his military career, Hiipakka 
forges ahead with his willing-
ness to serve.
“What I hope to achieve in 
this new role is to first and fore-
most serve the men and women 
I serve with, serve their families 
and serve the community,
” he 
said. “
As citizen soldiers, that’s 
what we do, and I’m blessed to 
be able to continue to do so at 
this new rank.
” 

COURTESY OF SCOTT HIIPAKKA

Michigan-Israel 
business group’s 
CEO promoted 
to Army general.

High 
Honor

DANNY SCHWARTZ 
STAFF WRITER 

Scott Hiipakka at his promotion 
ceremony at Milford High School 
on March 13.

A

fter a year of isola-
tion, many people are 
feeling more alone 
than ever. What can we do to 
reunite our communities in the 
aftermath of this pandemic and 
the toxicity and 
political division 
that accompanied 
it? This is the ques-
tion Rabbi Sam 
Englender is work-
ing to answer.
Englender, who 
most recently 
was the community rela-
tions manager for the Jewish 
Community Relations Council/
AJC, is the new Michigan 

regional outreach manager at 
the D.C.-based One America 
Movement, a national nonprof-
it confronting toxic polariza-
tion in our society. 
The organization equips 
faith communities to confront 
division and work together 
across political, racial and reli-
gious divides to solve problems 
that matter.
“Michigan is a purple state 
— purple used to mean mod-
erate, but now, it more and 
more means that we are polar-
ized to the extreme,” Englender 
said.
 “Political sides are facing 
off and that means trouble, not 

just for Michigan as a whole, 
but for the communities and 
congregations trying to navi-
gate these challenging times.
“We know the Jewish com-
munity isn’t immune from the 
political division that has roiled 
the country,” Englender said.
“It’s incumbent on us to do 
what we can to heal our own 
community.”
He said the good news is 
that more and more of us are 
realizing there is another way. 
“We can come together to heal 
our divides, to work with peo-
ple with whom we share much 
more than we realize to solve 
the problems that matter to all 
of us,” he said. 
Englender will take the lead 
here in Michigan, working to 
bring training, resources and 
support to help the Michigan 
Jewish community and other 

faith communities to counter 
the effects of harmful political 
polarization.
This month, Englender and 
the One America Movement 
are opening applications for 
the inaugural class of campus 
fellows in their Leadership 
Incubator, a program designed 
to support young leaders in 
their efforts to heal divides on 
college and university campus-
es in Michigan. Applications 
will be accepted throughout 
April.
“We know we can equip 
young Jews in our community 
with the tools necessary to cre-
ate change,” Englender said.
To learn more and to 
get involved, visit www.
OneAmericaMovement.org, 
or reach out to Rabbi Sam 
Englender at sam@ 
oneamericamovement.org. 

Rabbi Sam 
Englender

New leadership incubator’s aim is to 
heal society’s political divides.
Goal: One America

JN STAFF

