Ron Bruder is the Founder and Chair of Education for Employment (EFE), a network of nonprofits committed to creating employment opportunities for youths in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A social franchise of independent, locally-run affiliates, EFE identifies critical skill gaps in the local economy, then develops and delivers targeted training programs for youths with limited opportunity. Graduates are linked to jobs through partnerships with employers, civic and educational organizations. After graduating its first class in 2006 EFE expanded rapidly, with independent affiliates in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen with sister support organizations in the U.S. and Spain.
Honored by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People for his nonprofit work with EFE. Bruder began as a serial entrepreneur, in 1977 Mr. Bruder founded The Brookhill Group, which owns and manages properties throughout the US with a focus on creating investment partnerships to develop or redevelop shopping centers, office buildings and multi-family homes.
Mr. Bruder was an attendee at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He has served as a delegate of the Council on Foreign Relations to the Jeddah Economic Forum, and a contributor to the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. He is frequently invited to share EFE’s best practices at major international conferences and fora, and has addressed audiences at the Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum, and the United Nations among others.
Mr. Bruder earned his Bachelors degree from Adelphi University, a MBA from New York University, and a Post Master’s degree in Accounting & Taxation from Iona College.
