Thank you to strategist, author, and philanthropist — and my cousin — Ben Callif for joining me for my most recent Own Your Judaism Livestream Conversation. We will discuss philanthropy as an expression of Jewish living, the interplay between charity, giving, and tzedakah, the Torah as Jewish genetics, and altruism (though it took us a long time to call it though!). Enjoy the Conversation. Ben’s bio is below.
BEN CALLIF BIO
Ben Callif is a Milwaukee native and the Vice President of Strategy and Culture at Bader Philanthropies. He focuses on helping individuals grow, developing effective organizations, and designing compassionate systems. He is a lifelong learner, autodidact, and polymath.
By age 22, Ben had earned two Bachelor of Science degrees: one from Excelsior College in Psychology and Philosophy and one from UW-Milwaukee in Cellular and Molecular Biology. He then attended Marquette University, where he performed research on spinal cord injury, gene editing, and circadian rhythms, and his peer-reviewed papers on these topics have garnered over 140 citations. Ben graduated with a Master’s in Neuroscience and Genetic Engineering in 2017 and began working at Bader Philanthropies shortly after.
In 2018, Ben became a certified Outward Mindset facilitator through the Arbinger Institute at Bader Philanthropies. With these credentials, he has trained over 300 nonprofit staff, executives, and board members to develop curiosity, implement change, and lead with integrity. In 2019, his first book, Organumics, was published on the relationship between biology, inheritance, and mindset.
In his role as the Vice President of Strategy and Culture at Bader Philanthropies, Ben oversees efforts related to organizational culture and mindset change. He also works closely with the staff, management, and board at The Foundation to align strategies and goals with mission, develop the organization, its people, and its systems, resolve conflict, and support collaboration. He is currently enrolled at Indiana University and expects to graduate in 2023 with a Master’s in Philanthropic Studies.