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Mark Gerzon

Mark Gerzon is president of Mediators Foundation, a nonprofit incubator for projects that bridge social and political divides. He is also co-director with Chris Gates of "Philanthropy Bridging Divides," a project which fosters cross-partisan dialogue among foundation executives. Through his activism and his writing over the past quarter century, Mark has focused on the growing political polarization. In his writing, he addressed it first through A House Divided (1996); then in Leading Through Conflict (2006); and more recently in The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide (2016), which inspired the documentary The Reunited States (available on Amazon Prime.) From his early work designing and facilitating the Congressional Bipartisan Retreats to his current bridging work in philanthropy and media, he has been a dedicated activist in the movement for a diverse, inclusive, respectful civic culture and transpartisan politics.
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    Leadership

    Building bridges isn't just 'right' — it's practical

    Chris Gates
    Mark Gerzon
    https://twitter.com/gates5280?lang=en
    December 13, 2021
    bridging the partisan divide
    timsa/Getty Images

    Gates and Gerzon are co-directors of Philanthropy Bridging Divides, a transpartisan conversation among America's philanthropic leaders.

    After examining “anti-bridgers” and “faux bridging” in our previous two columns, it is clear that genuinely "bridging divides" is challenging, rare and difficult. It is hard work, requires skillful facilitation, an open mind and ongoing care. It means that one has to be open to listening to other perspectives and learning from those with other points of view. It means making oneself vulnerable, recognizing that even our strongest-held beliefs might need to be reexamined.

    Earlier in our careers we were both warriors, sure of our points of view and eager to beat down the other side. But it has become clear to both of us that the victories earned via battle are truly pyrrhic. Little or no real progress endures. Our side wins today; their side wins tomorrow; and the country careens from left to right, slowly but surely losing its way.

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    bridge building

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    Leveraging big ideas

    The problem with 'false bridging'

    Chris Gates
    Mark Gerzon
    https://twitter.com/gates5280?lang=en
    November 03, 2021
    broken bridge
    ZargonDesign/Getty Images

    Gates and Gerzon are co-directors of Philanthropy Bridging Divides, a transpartisan conversation among America's philanthropic leaders.

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    bridge building
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