West Bloomfield, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/16/2016 --Jonathan Greenblatt the new National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will visit Detroit for the first time on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm as he participates in the Michigan Anti-Defamation League Business Leaders Lunch at Local Kitchen and Bar in Ferndale. Jonathan Greenblatt, is the sixth National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), he is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovative leader with deep experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. As chief executive of ADL, Jonathan leads all aspects of one of the most respected civil rights organizations in the country.
Prior to heading ADL, Jonathan served in the White House as Special Assistant to President Obama and Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. There, he led the Administration's efforts to use financial innovation, national service, and public-private partnerships to accelerate economic recovery, boost job creation, and strengthen local communities.
Jonathan came to that role after a long career as a corporate executive. He co-founded Ethos Brands, the business that launched Ethos Water, the premium bottled water that helps children around the world access clean water. Ethos Water was acquired by Starbucks in 2005, and Jonathan then became Starbucks' vice president of global consumer products and joined the board of the Starbucks Foundation.
Jonathan's ADL roots run deep, serving as an undergraduate intern in ADL's New England Regional Office, and worked as an associate director in ADL's Pacific Southwest Regional Office in Los Angeles for nearly eight years. He and his wife have three children and live in New York.
During the Business Leaders Luncheon, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will honor the Torch of Liberty Award to Bernard A Friedman , Chief Judge, United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan. Bernard A. Friedman was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a US District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan in June 1988. Judge Friedman was elevated to Chief Judge on June 16, 2004, and served in that capacity until January 1, 2009, at which time he became a senior judge. In March, 2014, Judge Friedman ruled Michigan's gay marriage ban unconstitutional, thereby paving the way for the ground-breaking Supreme Court decision declaring same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.
In June 2002, Judge Friedman was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University/Detroit College of Law. He has been the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Oakland County Bar Association and the Mary S. Coleman Law-Related Education Recognition Award of the State Bar of Michigan. In 1990, he was named one of Michigan's 25 most respected judges by Lawyers Weekly and received the State of Israel Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award.
In 2008 the Federal Bar Association recognized Judge Friedman's commitment to professional civility by naming its annual Civility Award after him. On October 1, 2009, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appointed Judge Friedman to a three-year term of service on the Information Technology Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Judge Friedman's legal background spans many phases of the law, including acting as City Attorney for several cities and being involved in civil litigation, criminal prosecutions, arbitration, negotiations and appearances before administrative agencies. Judge Friedman is married to Rozanne Friedman, a psychologist, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Business Leaders Lunch, May 23rd at 12pm - Local Kitchen and Bar 344 W Nine Mile Rd. Ferndale, MI
hbudaj@adl.org. 248-353-7553 - http://www.adl.org/michigan