Dr. Howard J. Sumka New OneVoice Chief Executive Officer

As we reach out to wish you a happy and peaceful Passover and Easter, OneVoice is delighted to announce that Dr. Howard J. Sumka accepted the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), overseeing the movement’s offices in London, New York, Ramallah, and Tel Aviv. 

As the Middle East’s youth spur demands for democratic change, OneVoice is especially well positioned to seize and channel that momentum to propel political representatives toward a comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“I’m excited to welcome Howard to head our talented team,” said OneVoice Founder and Chair Daniel Lubetzky. “His leadership will enable us to leverage all of our strengths, as we address the enormous challenges and opportunities the region faces. We have very ambitious plans, and he has the management skills, track record, and strategic depth necessary to execute on them.”

OneVoice convened an executive search committee, composed of a cross-section of board members, for the extensive selection process. Howard’s selection was unanimous.

“To reach the full potential of the movement, we recognized the need to strengthen our senior leadership,” said Samer Hamadeh, PeaceWorks Foundation board member, who served on the executive search committee. “We therefore created the CEO position to lead our high caliber, but youthful, team and take their game to the next level.”

Prior to joining OneVoice, Howard completed a 25-year career with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). An expert in post-conflict reconstruction and development, he was the Director of USAID’s country missions in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, most recently, West Bank and Gaza. He provided strategic leadership for programs in these complex multiethnic and multi-religious societies. 

 

Howard earned enormous respect from both his Palestinian and Israeli counterparts for his professional approach to solving the problems of the conflict and his empathy for the suffering on both sides. Most importantly, he is fully committed to the OneVoice vision of ending the occupation and achieving security and peaceful relations between Israel, Palestine, and all of their neighbors.

Join us this holiday week in welcoming Howard to our global movement. With your help, OneVoice continues to grow. More than 660,000 Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals have signed our mandate affirming support for the two-state solution. Thank you for your unwavering support.