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Dr. Daniel Schwake

About Daniel Schwake

Born to a German father and a Christian Arab‑Israeli mother, Dr. Daniel Schwake brings first‑hand familiarity with German, Israeli, and Palestinian perspectives. He actively promotes ethical leadership and Jerusalem as a place of encounter that fosters respect for others, dialogue, and mutual understanding. He is collaborating with the Jerusalem Office of the Hanns Seidel Foundation to host international interreligious dialogue events, advancing the Foundation’s long‑standing commitment to democracy, peace, and development in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Since April 2019, Schwake has served as director of Notre Dame Jerusalem. The academic center is part of the prestigious private Catholic University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA, founded in 1842 by the French priest Edward Sorin. As an integral part of the University of Notre Dame’s global network, Notre Dame Jerusalem aspires to be an entrepreneurial, diverse, and influential platform that leaves a positive and lasting impact on the region. The collegium of scholars offers a menu of educational, research, and outreach initiatives. The academic center is located on the University of Notre Dame’s campus in Jerusalem (“Tantur”), a crossroads of religions and civilizations. It uniquely integrates academic inquiry, spiritual reflection, and cultural engagement.

Dr. Daniel Schwake led the center’s first strategic planning process, building on its unique regional position to launch new initiatives and academic programs, including area studies, ethical leadership, and languages. He also teaches as adjunct faculty at the Mendoza College of Business and in the center’s various degree and non‑degree programs. His research focuses on the intersection of strategic management and ethics, embedded in the Middle Eastern context. 

In February 2026, he delivered a compelling talk to a diverse, multi-party audience at the German Bundestag in Berlin, examining the current situation of Christian communities across the Middle East. Blending personal insights with research from Notre Dame Jerusalem, he demonstrated how the region’s complex challenges for Christians defy simplistic narratives.

Together with colleagues from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Schwake founded Within Your Gates - The Forum for the Universal Vocation of Jerusalem, an academic initiative sponsored by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, which seeks to promote a better future for all in the Holy Land.

Dr. Schwake joined the University of Notre Dame after a decade in strategy consulting. Most recently, he was a principal (associate partner) at Oliver Wyman, advising senior leaders at major corporations, financial institutions, regulators, and ministries worldwide. He previously held a similar position at Deloitte and worked in asset management at Deutsche Bank Group. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Münster and a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Duisburg‑Essen in Germany.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation supports projects in Jerusalem on democracy, peace, and development. Through its partnership with actors such as Notre Dame Jerusalem, the foundation promotes interreligious dialogue as a contribution to a more stable and inclusive political environment in the region. 

You can get in touch with Daniel Schwake via LinkedIn here.