Seeds of Peace proudly welcomes three new members to its board, Samir Zabaneh, Anna Tunkel, and Sushant Palakurthi Rao—proven leaders with the skills and commitment to help lead the organization into its third decade and advance its mission of creating more just and inclusive societies.
“All three bring a depth of expertise and global experience and will help drive our ambitious agenda for growth and impact,” says Seeds of Peace Executive Director Josh Thomas.
Samir Zabaneh is a Palestinian-Canadian based in Toronto and is chairman and CEO of TouchBistro Inc., a software company providing various restaurant management and payments solutions. He received a Master of Science in Finance from Boston College, an MBA from Suffolk University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northeastern University.
“I have a strong conviction that just and lasting peace is possible through dialogue and common understanding. This conviction became even stronger when I listened to young Seeds in various areas of conflict talk about their experiences,” he says.
Anna Tunkel is a 1995 Israeli Seed and is an executive director and head of strategic partnerships and global engagement at APCO Worldwide. She has nearly two decades of experience at the nexus of business strategy, ESG, public affairs and communications, advising global organizations from leading Fortune 100 companies to sovereign wealth funds, family offices and disruptive start-ups on advancing business and societal impact.
Anna is an advisor to Massachusetts Institute of Technology flagship Solve initiative focused on Resilient Ecosystems and Economic Prosperity, serves on B-20 Taskforce for Energy, Climate and Sustainability as part of Indonesia’s 2022 G-20 Presidency and is member of World Economic Forum Future Agenda Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption. She holds a Master of Science with academic distinction from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Mandarin and East Asian Studies from Tel Aviv University.
“Seeds of Peace is a transformational organization. Its programs focused on youth leadership development are changing legacies of conflict and are more relevant and pressing today than ever before. Seeds of Peace changed my life,” Anna says.
Sushant Palakurthi Rao is a German-American and overseas citizen of India based in Hamburg, Germany, and is Managing Director, Global External Relations at Agility. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a Master of Public Affairs from Columbia University, and a Master of Global Leadership from INSEAD in conjunction with the World Economic Forum. Prior to joining Agility, Sushant was the head of Asia Pacific and a member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum from 2005 to 2015 in Geneva.
“I am deeply honored to join the board of Seeds of Peace to contribute to the advancement and evolution of its mission,” he says.
Seeds of Peace equips exceptional youth and educators with the skills and relationships to work in solidarity across lines of difference to create more just and inclusive societies.