The Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee announces that Morton I. Sosland, leader in Kansas City’s civic community, will be the keynote speaker at the 2015 Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award Dinner. The gala dinner on Dec. 13 at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center will honor Mark R. Jorgenson with the award.
Sosland, editor-in-chief of Milling & Baking News, World Grain and Food Business News magazines, is known and respected for his knowledge and involvement in the global grain-based food industry. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}He is also known as a leader in promoting education, cultural life, health care and support for the vulnerable among us.
Sosland has played a major role in civic and philanthropic causes in the Kansas City community. Currently, he is active in the family’s charitable arm, the Sosland Foundation, where he is a board member. The Foundation came into being as part of a principle that obligates one to provide support to those in need.
In addition Sosland is a director of the Hall Family Foundation, the H&R Block Foundation, and the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation. He is one of the founders of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. He has been particularly active in recent years as co-chairman of major capital campaigns on behalf of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where his wife Estelle served for many years as a trustee and as the first woman chairman of the museum’s trustees.
He has served on the boards of directors of major public and private corporations and at one time was a director of six companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He continues to be involved in corporate governance, primarily with private companies. He believes that board service not only gives him insights into corporate affairs, but provides a unique opportunity for helping businesses prosper and serve their communities
Sosland Publishing Company was founded by his grandfather, his father and uncles in 1922. Its founding magazine has been published every week since then, a longevity record equaled by few other magazines around the world. Sosland’s editorial focus has been on assuring the quantity and quality of the U.S. food supply, as well as urging steps by governments and companies aimed at solving world food supply problems.
The Soslands have traveled the world, and Morton strongly believes that seeing different places has made him a powerful believer in a life well lived and based in Kansas City. His leadership in so many areas is evidence of his love and support for this community.
The Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee was formed in Kansas City in 1944 with the mission to protect and preserve equal rights and opportunities, build broad coalitions, reduce discrimination and prejudice, and expand freedom for all people. For more information on the Dec. 13 event, contact or call 913-327-8126.{/mprestriction}