Socol Speaker Series presents: A Conversation with Jonathan Schanzer
Understanding the Evolving Threats to the United States and Israel:
A Conversation with Jonathan Schanzer
We invite you to a special evening to learn more about the important work of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
Featuring FDD’S Senior Vice President for Research, Dr. Jonathan Schanzer-Senior and Vice President of Development, Lesli Reinstein Gillette.
Since FDD was founded shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, FDD’s mission has been resolute:inflict serious and measurable damage to the enemies of the United States, Israel, and other free nations. Since the brutal attacks on innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023, FDD has executed an all-hands-on-deck operation with research, strategic communications, and government relations working shoulder-shoulder to educate U.S. policymakers about the need to defend against Iran and its terrorists proxies, while supporting Israel and our other regional allies to defend U.S national security.
Our Speakers
Jonathan Schanzer – Senior Vice President for Research
Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at FDD, where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power, a project on the use of financial and economic power as a tool of statecraft.
Jonathan previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. He has held previous think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum.
Jonathan testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media. He has appeared on American television channels such as Fox News and CNN, and Arabic language television channels such as Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera.
Lesli Reinstein Gillette – Vice President of Development
Lesli has decades of fundraising and development experience. She previously worked at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where she rose to the position of deputy director of the Florida regional office and then worked at AIPAC headquarters in Washington, DC, as the deputy director of the organization’s Leadership Institute.
Prior to her time at AIPAC, Lesli served as the director of advancement for the Posnack School, a K-12 private college-preparatory institution in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where she managed the admissions, fundraising and communications departments. Lesli is a proud Gator, holding a B.S. in public relations from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.