The Institute on Religion and Public Policy  

Every four years, new Administrations bring with them new priorities, plans, and issues they look to implement. These new priorities require faith-based organizations to reassess their approaches and relationships to guarantee that their interests and priorities remain important. Joining us today to discuss how faith-based organizations work with the White House and Congress on important social and other issues is William Daroff, Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office of United Jewish Communities. In November 2008, William Daroff was named by the Forward Newspaper as being among the fifty most influential Jews in America. As the Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office of United Jewish Communities, he is a leading advocate for the American Jewish community’s agenda in the nation’s capitol. As the chief lobbyist and principle spokesperson on public policy and international affairs for the 157 Jewish federations and 400 independent communities represented by UJC, Daroff ensures that the voice of Jewish federations is a prominent force on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch. Daroff guides the Jewish community’s advocacy efforts on the federation system’s key domestic policy issues, principally on health and human services, such as Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care, and policies affecting older Americans, as well as homeland security programs and strengthening the capacity of the not-for-profit sector. In addition to his focus on domestic policy, Daroff is a key player in foreign policy circles – advising policy-makers and elected officials on Jewish communal concerns, principally those related to the US-Israel relationship, the Middle East conflict, vulnerable Jewish communities across the world, and the fight to combat states that promote terror. He currently serves on the Iran Working Group of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Additionally, President

Last week the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The reaction has been split over the warrant, with China calling on the Security Council to halt the warrant while human rights activists around the globe lobby the US to press for his capture. Joining us today to discuss the warrant and its effects on international affairs and on Sudan itself if Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, Head of Mission for the Government of Southern Sudan to the United States in Washington DC. Mr. Gatkuoth joined the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in 1984. He was trained by Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in 1988 and remained as a soldier until 1991. In 1993, Mr. Gakuoth went to Nairobi, Kenya and continued with the political wing. He then resettled to the United States to continue his education, while maintaining his political activities, and advocating for a democratic change in Sudan. Gatkuoth received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland- College Park. From 2002-2005, Mr. Gatkuoth was Deputy Representative and Coordinator of the SPLM chapters in North America, and then became the SPLM Representative to North America. He has been the GOSS head of Mission since 2006.