Alexander Shmidt

Content created by Virtual Intern  Helen Zeidman

Alexander Shmidt is a social entrepreneur and leader who works to provide opportunities for communities in Israel and overseas. As a social business specialist, consultant, and lecturer, Shmidt is a connector of people.

In 2013, Shmidt participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), focusing on Community Leadership Development. Shmidt gained an appreciation for creating partnerships with other people by visiting four different states and meeting with over 60 socially responsible organizations. Shmidt says, "I came back from the IVLP as a different person... changed by witnessing the power of diverse teams in changing the world."

Shmidt uses knowledge of team-building gained during IVLP in his work today. Through facilitating incubators, he encourages the development of socially conscious businesses and non-profit organizations. His human-centered approach focuses on promoting people before businesses. Shmidt teaches project managers how to think like designers and build business models that will build community.

Shmidt currently serves as the Representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Belarus. JDC has been on the ground in the former Soviet Union for decades, caring for the region’s elderly Jews when the majority of the world didn’t even know they existed. Alex and his team, through JDC network of Hesed Social Welfare Centers, works on a massive scale to ensure that the former Soviet Union’s Jews in need are able to not only to survive, but age with dignity and with support of a caring Jewish community.

As a socially-oriented entrepreneur, Alexander Shmidt helps aspiring businesses and community organizations develop plans to change the world one community at a time.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra