Founders

Karen Winnick

Karen Winnick is an author/artist of more than a dozen children’s books. An animal lover, she serves on several boards devoted to the well-being of animals. She also serves as President of the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Zoo.

Her philanthropic interests include children, literacy, animal welfare, education, disabilities, history, and Jewish causes.

A graduate of Syracuse University, in 2010 Karen Winnick received that university’s highest alumni honor, the Arents Award, for Excellence in the Arts and Literacy Advocacy.

Mrs. Winnick is the mother of three sons, grandmother of eight, and minder of five pups.

Mrs. Winnick enjoys visiting elementary schools in the Los Angeles area to read to young students and encourage literacy. Her fourteen published picture books include— Can You Spot the Leopard? An African Safari; Gemina, the Crooked Neck Giraffe; How Lucky Got His She; Good Night Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day; Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers; Sybil’s Night Ride; Cassie’s Sweet Berry Pie; Lucy’s Cave; Barn Sneeze; Hank, The Ballpark Pup; The Night of the Fireflies; A Year Goes Round; Sandro’s Dolphin; and Patch and the Strings.

Her paintings have been exhibited in local galleries, and her poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies. She’s also produced a play, Kindertransport, about Jewish children sent to England from Nazi Germany during WWII. 

Gary Winnick

Gary Winnick, global financier and philanthropist, has helped raise billions to fund transformative technologies and corporate innovation, providing capital and leadership to companies in a wide range of industries, including advanced telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, real estate, consumer products, digital technologies, and entertainment.

Mr. Winnick, and two companies he founded, built the first global fiber optic network, spanning a 130,000-mile IP-based system connecting continents and countries around the world, making today’s global connectivity a reality.

Prior to forming Winnick & Company, Mr. Winnick was a senior financial executive specializing in high yield and convertible bonds for Wall Street and for global capital markets, bringing new resources and financing to companies and industries such as mobile telephony, biotechnology, and gaming.

Mr. Winnick has been a member of the board of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for more than 20 years, one of the premiere arts institutions in the world, and he served on the Executive Board of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading human rights organization.

Mr. Winnick is a recipient of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s highest honor, its Humanitarian Laureate Award. He also sat on the National Advisory Board of JP Morgan Chase and was on the boards of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hillel International, and The Special Olympics.

He has received an Honorary Doctorate from Long Island University, his alma mater.