16 REAL-LEADERS.COM / WINTER 2022 KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INSPIRING THE FUTURE AS A CHANGEMAKER? EMAIL US AT EDITORIAL@REAL-LEADERS.COM have been a member of global leadership community YPO in Detroit for the past 40 years and the education I have gained, extraordinary and diverse experiences I've had, and deep international relationships I have built, have shaped me as a person and business leader, fed my passions, and fueled my focus on philanthropy. My evolution as the 3rd generation, 100-year-old City Club Apartments CEO has been enormously gratifying. Building an international brand and creating a modern, immersive, and, most importantly, green mixed-use urban high-rise residential experience has been my vision and mission from day one. But my passions lie in other areas. I love my historical conversion and ground-up real estate work, but I don’t think of myself as a developer or an entrepreneur. First and foremost, I am a creator, educator, and conservationist, advocating for wildlife and the organizations that protect them. The clearest example of this is my Holtzman Wildlife Foundation. I created and directly funded the Foundation as my primary way of giving back and building a better future for endangered species. We encourage educational initiatives with a strong emphasis on repopulation and seek to influence public policy by supporting organizations and engaging in advocacy activities. Since 2016, we have been supporting the repopulation of endangered species around the globe and supporting projects that directly combat human-animal conflicts such as poaching, encroachment, exploitation, and environmental damage. We have provided 43 grants and have positively impacted 18 species with representation in 36 countries and every continent. Our recent projects have directly benefited critically endangered populations of red pandas in Nepal, lemurs in Madagascar, vultures in South Africa, orangutans in Borneo, and Grauer's gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, painted dogs and pangolins in Africa, and black rhinos in South Africa and Kenya. I have traveled to every continent in support of the Foundation’s mission. I have witnessed firsthand the threats to endangered species and their environments. I have met the most caring and amazing people doing the most spectacular things with little support and even fewer financial resources. I seek out strong leaders representing smaller organizations where my dollars and time can CHANGEMAKERS HowMyWild Life Protects Wildlife Creating positive change goes beyond writing a check. You need to immerse yourself in the cause, too. have the greatest impact. Close collaboration is critical to our success. We don’t simply write a check. We immerse ourselves and collectively determine how to best leverage Holtzman Wildlife Foundation’s time, talents, and treasures. In alignment with our mission, I recently conceived and am working with an Oscarwinning director and other wildlife organizations to create a film highlighting companies developing and deploying innovative plant-based plastics to solve one of the world’s outstanding environmental issues. The goal is to educate viewers on the plastic-related crisis facing our planet to motivate individuals, By JonathanHoltzman
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