Lynn Schusterman—Founder and Chair

Lynn Schusterman is the founder of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, a global philanthropic network of organizations and initiatives dedicated to spreading the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning, as well as to enhancing the quality of life in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Jerusalem. This network includes the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Schusterman Foundation-Israel and the ROI Community.

Active in Jewish communal and philanthropic affairs for over 40 years, Lynn has been recognized for being a driving force behind the values and causes she holds close to her heart: a love for Judaism, the Jewish people and Israel; a passion for repairing the world; a belief in the potential of young people; a devotion to supporting the Tulsa community; and a commitment to the pursuit of excellence.

Through her work in the fields of service learning, education, inclusivity and the prevention of child abuse and neglect, she has bettered the lives of hundreds of thousands of people locally, nationally and globally.

Lynn currently holds a variety of leadership positions in organizations such as BBYO, Hillel, Repair the World and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. She is also a founding member of the Birthright Israel Foundation and a leading philanthropist in the Birthright Israel program. Locally, Lynn serves on the advisory boards for the Foundation for Tulsa Schools and the Parent Child Center of Tulsa.

Her advocacy efforts include writing articles and opinion pieces for a variety of publications, including the Huffington Post, Jewish Week, the Forward, JTA, eJewishPhilanthropy, Contact and Tulsa World. Her reflection on family philanthropy appears in Voices from the Heartland, a collection of essays from 50 Oklahoma women, and she also contributed to A Dream of Zion: American Jews Reflect on Why Israel Matters to Them. Her work has been profiled in the global Jewish and secular press, including the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Huffington Post, among others.

In 2000, along with her late husband Charles (z”l), Lynn was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame; in 2003, into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame; and in 2006, into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. The following year, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Lynn was honored in 2008 with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Public Service award and, she has been named one of the “Forward 50” by the Forward newspaper five times. In 2011, Lynn joined Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and others by signing the Giving Pledge.

A mother of three and grandmother to six wonderful girls, Lynn has been a pioneer for women in philanthropy, and her charitable work stresses the importance of family, giving back to society and helping those who help themselves.