Honorees & Comedian
Honoring
Lori and Eric Sklut
WHEN
Sunday, June7, 2026
EVENT CO-CHAIRS
Kevin Levine
Louis Sinkoe
Lori and Eric Sklut
From their years of leadership in the Jewish community to their deep dedication and causes serving the broader region, the Skluts embody what it means to live with purpose and give with heart.
Both Charlotte, N.C., natives, the Skluts have seen the region’s remarkable growth and helped shape it through their leadership and philanthropy. Lori, a graduate of the University of Georgia, returned to Charlotte after school to begin a career with Family Dollar Stores. Four years later, she was promoted to the role of “motherhood” with the birth of their first child, Blair, followed by Haley and Mason. She has served on the boards of HopeWay, Atrium Health Foundation, Foundation for the Carolinas, Charlotte Country Day School, and Providence Day School.
Eric, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, returned to Charlotte, where his passion for cars led him to found Perfection Automotive, a company that produces custom trim parts for high-end vehicles. The company recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Over the course of his philanthropic career, he became active in the early development of Shalom Park. He has also served on the boards of United Way of Greater Charlotte, the Levine JCC (as president), the Foundation of Shalom Park (as president), the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte (as campaign chair), the Elon University Board of Trustees and the UNC Center for Jewish Studies.
Most recently, Eric served as campaign chair for Nourish Up, a local nonprofit working to end hunger in Mecklenburg County, which raised more than $23 million for its new headquarters. Over the years, his fundraising efforts have supported institutions across the region, generating more than $70 million in total.
The Sklut Family Foundation focuses on four pillars: Jewish and faith-based initiatives; health care, including children’s and human-service agencies; education; and the cultural and performing arts. When considering a gift, the Skluts start with a guiding question: “How many people can be helped by each dollar?”
The Skluts approach philanthropy with purpose and dedication, and are committed to carrying forward the spirit of giving, one of their valued family traditions. They seek to promote compassion within the community, improve the human condition, and are proud to support JFS, recognizing its expanded services are essential to meeting the needs of Charlotte’s growing population. The Skluts’ generosity has profoundly impacted the development of JFS. Their long-term commitment has enabled JFS to grow beyond meeting basic needs to becoming the agency it is today.
Their three children and their spouses all live in Charlotte. Together, they have given Lori and Eric five beautiful grandchildren. Blair and Jeff; Haley and Gabriel; and Mason and Bashi share their parents’ purpose for giving back. They support organizations they find meaningful, participate in the Levine-Sklut Family Foundation, and serve in volunteer roles throughout the community.
Tom Papa, Stand-Up Comedian
With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country, finding success as an actor, host, and author, in film, TV, radio and podcasts as well as on the live stage. A true veteran of the comedy world, he got his start in New York City in 1993, performing at open mics and eventually became a regular host at the iconic Stand Up New York. His early days led him to cross paths with comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld, and the two quickly formed a friendship that led to Tom touring with Seinfeld.
Since then, Tom has built an impressive career, releasing five highly rated stand-up specials over the years, and most recently released his 6th stand-up special, Tom Papa: Home Free as a Netflix Original October 29th. Papa holds nothing back in his third Netflix special as his kids are finally out of the house and it’s just him, his wife and a bunch of animals ready to return to their glory days. His other critically acclaimed specials include What A Day!, Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great!, Human Mule, Freaked Out and Tom Papa Live in New York City, two of which were directed by Rob Zombie.
On June 6, 2023, Tom released his highly anticipated third book, We’re All In This Together…..So Make Some Room. The book compiles comedic essays that aim to unite us through our stupidity. Every mistake has already been made, and this should bring us great comfort as we join together in our fight for survival, or at least in our attempt to get through the day. Whether we like it or not, we’re all in this together.
In 2020, Tom released his second book, You’re Doing Great! – And Other Reasons To Stay Alive, which was the follow-up to Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas both released by St. Martin’s Press, making “Summer Must Read” lists from Parade Magazine to The New York Post. Tom is also a contributing writer to the New Yorker Magazine.
Tom’s highly rated podcast, Breaking Bread with Tom Papa, features Tom and his guest eating, drinking, and celebrating the true meaning of breaking bread with insightful, revealing and always funny conversations. He also hosts the popular daily Netflix radio show, What A Joke With Papa And Fortune on Sirius XM Channel 93 and the monthly show, Come To Papa Live on Channel 94.
Tom has starred in many fan-favorite films including Paper Spiders where he stared opposite Lily Taylor; The Informant opposite Matt Damon; Analyze That opposite Robert DeNiro; The Haunted World of El Superbeasto opposite Paul Giamatti; and he had a voiceover role in the DreamWorks animated feature Bee Movie and also was a writer on the project.. He can also be seen alongside Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in the HBO film, Behind the Candelabra, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh and won 11 Emmys.
On TV, Tom hosted the NBC series, The Marriage Ref, which ran for two seasons and had a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the CBS series, The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Tom is currently on his The Grateful Bread Tour. For additional dates and info, go to: www.tompapa.com.
For more information and question please contact Susan Meyer, Development Manager at 704.364-6594 or susan.meyer@jfscharlotte.org