Solomon Program

The Solomon Leadership Program

The Solomon Program provides the teens of today, our leaders of tomorrow, a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be a true, moral, and just leader.

The Eight Pillars of Leadership.

Each of the Program sessions is centered around a Pillar—one of the eight skills and values that are essential for effective and moral leaders. The Pillar is explored through three different lenses: the curriculum, guest speaker, and mentor. These three parts build upon each other to form a layered, fully developed understanding of each Pillar, and of leadership overall.

Curriculum

The first step for every Pillar is our written curriculum, which is based on the Socratic Method of critical thinking.

Mentorship

Our Mentors are the key to our success. The relationships formed and wisdom that mentors share with students are i the most unique aspect of the Solomon Leadership Program.

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers come from across the professional spectrum, including doctors, CEOs, various government positions, public servants, and more.

The program is open to all 11th and 12th grade students with a passion for leadership.

WHAT IS THE SOLOMON PROJECT?

It is an accredited mentorship that selects a diverse body of teenagers who volunteer in their local community, school, church or synagogue, or otherwise demonstrate their future leadership potential.

Through Solomon’s multi-dimensional program, students, known as Fellows within the program, grow to understand their personal value and potential as leaders. Our curated curriculum, successful mentor role-models, and inspiring renowned guest speakers give participants a broad perspective on leadership and success. This enables Fellows to envision themselves as future leaders, giving them the motivation to pursue their goals on their leadership journey.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The program is open to all 11th, and 12th grade students who aspire to be leaders in their communities and are active in their schools, houses of worship, and extracurricular activities. Students who hold, or have held, leadership positions, or volunteer regularly receive preferred status in the applicant pool.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Once an application is received, the student will be emailed to schedule an interview. Accepted students will receive a Welcome Letter into the program.

WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

The Fort Lauderdale Chapter is located at the Downtown Jewish Chabad Center. 900 E Broward Blvd Fort Lauderdale FL 33301

WHEN DOES IT START?

Sunday, October 18th
7:00 pm-9:00 pm is the Meet and Greet.

DATES & TIMES

Solomon Leadership groups will meet two Sundays a month from 7pm-9pm

1. Meet & Greet-October 18, 2026
2. ⁠Leadership-October 25, 2026
3. ⁠Character-November 1, 2026
4. ⁠Tolerance-November 15, 2026
5. ⁠Communication-December 13, 2026
6. ⁠Vision- January 10, 2027
7. Empowerment -January 24, 2027
8. Persistence-February 7, 2027
9. ⁠Strategy-February 21, 2027
10. ⁠Judgment-March 7, 2027
11. ⁠Closing-March 21, 2027
12. ⁠Graduation-May 2, 2027

Light dinner is served at each class.

Classes start promptly at 7pm and ends at 9pm

OUR SOLOMON PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Directors & Spiritual Leaders Rabbi Schneur & Devorah Kaplan.
Chana Hodakov DJCC Solomon assistant director and Student Advisor.

Our Mentors

Hover to view full bio

Ms. Carolina Pina

Carolina is a seasoned executive with a track record of building high-performing teams and scaling transformative ecosystems. She specializes in aligning senior stakeholders, simplifying complexity, and translating strategy into scalable execution.

Ms. Carolina Pina

At Amazon Web Services, she built a team that upskilled more than 1.1 million in cloud & GenAI, generated multi-million-dollar revenue impact, & served as Amazon’s Spokesperson & Document Bar Raiser. Her leadership experience spans Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Babson College, Univision, and NASA, along with service on nonprofit boards including the Adrienne Arsht Center & the New World Symphony.

Carolina is a Kellogg School Leadership Executive Scholar, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from FIU, an MBA from Rice University, and is AWS-certified in Foundational GenAI and Inclusive Leadership. Rooted in Venezuelan heritage, she is committed to unlocking human potential, empowering young leaders, and strengthening local and regional communities.

Mr. Kenneth Fisher

Kenneth Fisher is a born entrepreneur. At seventeen, he purchased his first business, and at nineteen, his first four residential properties. His business interests expanded across industries, including real estate and telecommunications.

Mr. Kenneth Fisher

In 1986, Ken founded Nationwide Paging and built it into one of the ten largest paging carriers in the country. His telecommunications companies were featured in INC Magazine’s Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies.
Ken later chose to give back, becoming what he calls a “philanthropreneur.” He has supported many charities, served on nonprofit boards focused on developing educated and motivated young leaders, and personally funds and coaches nonprofit organizations to create positive impact.

A two-time Ironman finisher, Ken also completed a master’s program in Spiritual Psychology. He founded HealThePlanet.com and YoungPlanetLeaders.org, nonprofits dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering the next generation of young leaders.

Mr. Robert Malove

Robert Malove is a Board Certified criminal defense attorney based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, representing clients in state & federal courts throughout Florida & across the United States. His practice includes DUI defense, felonies, white collar crime, health care fraud, criminal appeals, & post-conviction relief.

Mr. Robert Malove

Robert is a Florida Bar Board Certified specialist in Criminal Trial Law, a distinction held by fewer than 400 attorneys among more than 100,000 active members of The Florida Bar. He was designated a Florida DUI Training Attorney in Miami in 1995, completed the Metro-Dade Police Academy Field Sobriety Testing Course, and is licensed to conduct breath alcohol testing on Intoxilyzer Series instruments.

He earned his J.D. from Pepperdine University, a Master’s in Forensic Science from George Washington University, and a B.S. in Administration of Justice from American University. He is a former Assistant Public Defender, founding member of the National College for DUI Defense, co-author of White Collar Crime: Health Care Fraud, and former Court TV guest commentator.

Mr. Sergio Heumann

The grandson of a 101-year-old Holocaust survivor, Sergio was born & raised in São Paulo, Brazil. He majored in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, earned an MBA in Finance, & built a career advising corporations on complex financings for infrastructure projects.

Mr. Sergio Heumann

At 31, after working for three European banks, he was recruited by Citibank to establish & lead its Project Finance Division in Brazil. At 35, he co-founded the country’s first independent firm in that field & led it for eleven years. He was responsible for structuring complex & innovative infrastructure financings in Brazil, including a $3 billion transaction for the world’s first ethanol pipeline system.

In 2016, Sergio immigrated to the US on an Extraordinary Ability Visa, together with his wife & daughter. They are the 1st in both of their families to become US citizens.

He now divides his time among long-term investments, causes he cares about, and, most of all, personal improvement, to be better equipped to make an impact in the lives of family, friends, and anyone open to it. Mentoring in this program is an important part of that.

Mr. Thomas Easton

Until May 31, 2025, Thomas Easton was the Economist Magazine’s bureau chief in Mumbai, following tenures as its bureau chief in Hong Kong and New York.
Along the way, he picked up a smattering of journalism prizes.

Mr. Thomas Easton

Since June 4th, he has been working as a senior analyst at GQG Partners, a large investment management firm with particularly significant stakes in emerging markets.

Earlier in his career, he worked at a number of other publications in America and Japan, as well as a dishwasher, shipping room clerk, gas station attendant, bank teller, construction laborer, etc, as well as a teacher/professor at PS 180 elementary school in New York, the New School for Social Research, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Yale, NYU and NYU Stern. He has degrees from Brown (AB), Columbia Business School (MBA), Yale Law School (MSL) and various certificates of completion from the New York Academy of Bartending, Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School, and Rhode Island’s emergency medical technician program.

Honorable Judge Shari Africk-Olefson

Shari Africk-Olefson was elected to serve Broward County residents as a Circuit Court Judge for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in 2018. On the bench, she has worked hard to improve child welfare in Broward County, especially improving court-facilitated placements & outcomes.

Honorable Judge Shari Africk-Olefson

Prior to that, Judge Africk-Olefson served as Executive Director of The Carnegie Group, a think tank. For over a decade, she served as President and CEO of a Fortune 300 title insurance joint venture. Judge Africk-Olefson is the author of two personal finance books and has contributed to many publications for the legal community. During the 2008 real estate and economic crisis, she was relied upon as a respected subject matter expert.

Judge Africk-Olefson helped pioneer the Collins Center for Mediation to help save families save their homes from foreclosure. She and her family have passionately supported a wide array of organizations. Judge Africk-Olefson has earned two Bachelor’s degrees, a Juris Doctorate degree, an LLM in Finance, Development, Real Property and Land Use, a Master’s in Psychology-Neurology, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership.

Dr. Marla Reis

Dr. Marla Reis is a Licensed Psychologist and has been practicing in South Florida for over twenty-five years, having received her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Miami in Coral Gables.

 

Dr. Marla Reis

Dr. Marla specializes in couples and family therapy and has extensive training and experience in issues related to parenting. She also works with individuals to help them obtain greater communication and harmony in relationships, thereby increasing personal intimacy. Dr. Marla assists in her clients’ personal growth, thereby positively influencing not only the love relationship, but the many diverse relationships present throughout life.

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Leadership

Guiding the moral compass of tomorrow's leaders

Check out 2026 Graduation!