jonathan@usfogh.org
(713) 539-7978

Jonathan Lack

Board Member & Interim Executive Director

Jonathan Lack is a moderate pragmatist and seasoned advocate for shared society initiatives, with a deep-rooted commitment to building bridges between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel. His background in Israeli-Arab relations began in the early 1980s during his studies in the Tel-Aviv University Overseas Program, followed by his work with Interns for Peace—a groundbreaking Israeli-Palestinian cooperative project. For close to two years, Jonathan lived in Christian Arab Nazareth and Kfar Tira, a Muslim Arab town in Israel, facilitating educational and sports programs that fostered collaboration and understanding with neighboring Jewish communities, including Ramat Ha Kovesh, Kfar Saba, and Raanana. His immersion in these communities, paired with extensive training in conflict resolution, shaped his approach to promoting shared societies.

Jonathan holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University’s SAIS, with an emphasis on Middle East studies and Arabic, which included summer school at Yarmouk University in Jordan. His foundational studies include a BA in Middle East Studies from UC Berkeley, along with an internship at AIPAC’s Washington, DC office.

A serial entrepreneur, turnaround specialist, and author, Jonathan has over 30 years of strategic planning experience across 15 diverse industries, including real estate, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. He is the author of Plan to Turn Your Company Around in 90 Days, You Can't Scale Chaos, and co-author of The Real Estate Team Playbook.

Jonathan currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. His upbringing in Houston, Texas, and his family’s legacy of public service within the Jewish and broader communities continue to inspire his dedication to meaningful causes. His late mother, a Holocaust survivor from Lithuania, instilled in him a deep commitment to making a positive difference in an increasingly divisive and polarizing world by working collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives—a value he honors through his work and support of initiatives promoting cooperation and inclusion.