Jonathan Lavine: One of Our Earliest Champions
•You’ve heard me say this before, but it simply can’t be said enough: the Opportunity Nation campaign would not exist today without the tireless contributions and efforts of our many champions and partners.
Today we are a broad and diverse network of more than 250 organizations and hundreds upon hundreds of individuals all working collectively toward a shared goal: restoring opportunity to America. But just a few short years ago our campaign was just an idea, and you could count our early partners and allies on one hand.
Board member Jonathan Lavine was one of those partners.
In addition to serving as a managing director at Bain Capital and Managing Partner and Cheif Investment Officer at Sankaty Advisors, Jonathan Lavine has contributed and continues to contribute an incredible amount of his time, energy, and expertise to Opportunity Nation, alongside many of our coalition members and other strategic partners. Hearing him speak about our core issues – economic mobility; expanding access to opportunity; ensuring young adults have pathways to success – it’s immediately evident that Jonathan cares deeply about restoring the American Dream for all Americans, and he demonstrates his commitment in so many ways. Through his position on our Board of Directors and leadership of the Opportunity Nation Committee, he has helped us think through specific challenges faced by the campaign early-on; connected us to other leaders at key non-profit organizations and partners; leveraged his impressive business connections to advance the goals of the campaign; and advised the entire Opportunity Nation team on how to best infuse the issue of opportunity into the public debate.
As one of our earliest partners, and because of his endless time and unwavering commitment to our campaign, Opportunity Nation is thrilled to present him with a token of appreciation and officially recognize him as a true champion of the American Dream.
I presented Jonathan with this plaque after the Opportunity Nation Summit on September 19th. Upon receiving it, Jonathan remarked: “Opportunity Nation’s unwavering passion to bring together folks on the right and the left and encourage unprecedented cross-sector collaboration is a breath of fresh air in today’s overly-divisive world. I’m honored to receive this recognition and look forward to continuing to work with the campaign in it’s pursuits to see that every American has access to the American Dream.”
