Ido Aharoni
Ido Aharoni
Ido Aharoni is an Ambassador, member of APCO’s International Advisory Council, who serves as global Distinguished Professor at New York University’s School of International Relations in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Career
In February 2011, Ido Aharoni officially assumed the post of Consul General of Israel in New York, after serving as Acting Consul General since August 2010. As Consul General, he represents the State of Israel to communities from throughout the tri-state areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He has been a member of Israel’s Foreign Service since the summer of 1991. During his tenure in Israel’s diplomatic corps Aharoni held two overseas positions, in Los Angeles and New York.
Between 2001-2005, Ido Aharoni served as Consul for Media and Public affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in New York. He assumed this position several weeks prior to the terror attacks of 9/11. As the head of the department, Aharoni oversaw the operation of Israel's largest Public affairs and Media relations apparatus worldwide. He handled Media relations, Community outreach, as well as a variety of informational services.
From 1994 to 1998, Aharoni served as Israel’s Consul for Communications and Public affairs at the Consulate general of Israel in Los Angeles. In that position, Aharoni covered the seven southwestern states of the USA and worked extensively in some of America’s top markets (Greater Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City and Denver).
In the spring of 1993, upon completion of the Foreign ministry's Cadet program, Aharoni was appointed to serve under then Foreign minister Shimon Peres, as Policy Assistant to Israel’s Chief negotiator with the Palestinians.
Aharoni had an active career in news production and produced several independent videos in Israel and in the United States. Ido Aharoni served in the Israel Defense Forces as a Company commander in the Infantry during the Lebanon War.
While studying at Emerson College Ido directed and produced the Documentary- short Doorman which chronicled the story of the late Phil Adelman, a former retail executive who became a Doorman at the Marriott Hotel in Cambridge, MA after losing his job at the age of 56. Upon completion of his degree, Ido joined Israeli Educational Television for its daily newscast Erev Hadash (A New Evening) where along with his colleague Shmuel Korazim co-conceived one of Israel’s leading sports news magazine "SporTV", which ran for 13 years on national television (1994-2007).
Over the years he has delivered lectures on the Middle East, Israel’s foreign relations, Mass media, new media, the Information revolution, public marketing, non-product branding, country Positioning and nation Branding at Yale School of Management, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Johnson School of Management at Cornell University, Brandeis University, Emerson College, Wharton Business School, Columbia Business School, Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, Colgate University, American University, Maxwell School of Syracuse University, University of Connecticut, SUNY-Stony Brook, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, Hofstra University’s Zarb School of Business, Duke University Fuqua School of Business, Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Tulsa University, Oklahoma State University and dozens of others around the country.
Education
Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aharoni earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tel Aviv University with a joint-major in Film and Television, Sociology and Anthropology. He then moved to the United States where he obtained a Master's degree in Mass communications from Emerson College in Boston. In 1993 Ido attended the Hebrew University’s special program for foreign service cadets in Government and Diplomacy. Prior to that, in 1980, Ido finished H. Kugel Highschool in Holon, Israel.
Achievements
In April of 2017 Ido Aharoni conceived and produced the first New York University conference on "Places as Brands" as part of the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Forum on International relations.
In 2013, the news magazine Algemeiner named him among "Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life" commonly known as the "Jewish 100". In 2015 he was awarded the Honorary Governor status by Tel Aviv University. In 2005 a communications studies scholarship, Wings of Hope, was named after him by the Yemenite-Jewish Federation of North America. In 1998 he was given the Community Leadership Award by the American Friends of the Rabin Medical Center.
Besides, Ido Aharoni received multiple awards recognizing his contribution from national Jewish organizations such as The Albert Einstein Foundation, Israel Bonds, UJA-Federation of New York, Association of American-Russian Jewry, American Jewish Committee, Jewish National Fund, Beit Hatfusot Museum, Hadassah, the Womens Zionist Organization of America, Friends of Hebrew University of USA and Canada, Friends of Soroka Hospital, Friends of Tel Aviv University, and many others. In September of 2016 Ambassador Ido Aharoni was honored by the Jerusalem Foundation at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 2013 Aharoni was invited by Google to take part in their renowned speakers’ series "Authors at Google". Ambassador Ido Aharoni is also the Founder of two annual public diplomacy conferences: BTC (Broadening the Conversation 2011-2014) and the Beyond Conference (2015 to present). In 2003, as part of his public diplomacy efforts, Ido initiated the induction of Israeli-manufactured all-weather, multi-role Combat aircraft Kfir (Lion Cub) on board of Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
Personal Life
Ido is married to Julie Goodman-Aharoni, a native of Los Angeles. They have three children: Talia, Sharon and Adam.