May 2007

Top left: Susie Perera de Silva (Sri Lanka) shows a St. Peter’s School class where her country is located. Susie and several other Fellows visited the school to speak to students and tour the facility.
Top right: Left to right: Olga Girstlova (Czech Republic), Gunvor Kronman (Finland), Farith Rithauddeen (Malaysia), and Rabia Garib (Pakistan) work on their team presentation during Opening Seminar.
Bottom left: Left to right: Fellows Fatin Bundagji (Saudi Arabia) and Rafael Bundoc (Philippines) visited EF Trustee Dorie Friend.
Bottom middle: Though his field is law, Roberto Guerrero (Chile) was able to indulge his culinary interest during his fellowship as well.
Bottom right: Brazilian Fellow Marcelo Knobel and his wife Keila pose in front of a “Shrek 3” poster at DreamWorks in San Francisco.

2007 MNP Fellows Halfway Through Travels

The 24 Fellows of the 2007 Multi Nation Program arrived in Philadelphia last month, kicking off the first half of what has proved to be a lively, close-knit program. Bonds were formed as early as arrivals week, as many Fellows traveled to western Pennsylvania to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Flight 93 memorial, and Amish country, and then returned to Philadelphia for a weekend of group tours and home hospitality with their program officers, local Fellows and Trustees, and a group of parents from St. Peter’s School.

Opening Seminar week consisted of seminar discussions, professional meetings, site visits, and social gatherings. Fellows participated in sessions on American culture, politics, economics, and leadership , visited Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Constitution Center, and enjoyed relaxing evening excursions to restaurants, theaters, and home hospitality visits around the city.

The end of the week featured a seminar on leadership and change with Feather Houston, president of the William Penn Foundation, followed by a reception and dinner with the EF Trustees. Friday night, USA Fellow Tim Boyle, ‘05, and partner, KPMG, hosted the Fellows and EF staff for a send-off reception at his 36th floor office in Center City, which provided stunning views of Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Although the Fellows’ paths have now diverged to various destinations around the United States, they have made it a priority to stay in touch with each other via email, blogs, and photos. (See this month’s Fellow Impact Profile for more information on MNP Fellows’ blogs.) Many of them have been able to regroup several times for EF hub events in St. Louis and San Francisco, as well as other collective meetings at Google, Boeing, and DreamWorks. The Fellows also convened at the Grand Canyon for the traditional mid-fellowship weekend, during which they further shared experiences, hiked, and began to prepare final team presentations.

During their final weeks, there is still much to look forward to. Hub events in Boston, a day at Governor Christie Todd Whitman’s farm, and the exciting Closing Seminar activities with EF Chairman Colin Powell are still on the horizon for this outstanding group of international leaders.

Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos (left) talks with Indian Fellow Ratish Nanda at the reception he hosted in his home.

 

Peruvian Ambassador and EF Alum Hosts MNP Fellows in DC

Eisenhower alumni Fellows from the Washington, DC, area were invited to the residence of the Peruvian Ambassador to the United States, Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos, ’96, on April 4 to welcome the 2007 MNP Fellows to the EF network. Ambassador Ortiz graciously toasted all as he recounted his days as a new Fellow some 11 years prior. He encouraged others to follow his footsteps and those of Ambassador Jose Bordon from Argentina, spouse of Monica Bordon, ’97, suggesting that participation in the fellowship program led them to their ambassadorial posts.

Other alumni Fellows in attendance included Benjamin Lozare, ’86, Philippines; Juraj Mesik, ’95 Slovakia; Alfonso Zavalla, ’66, Peru; and USA Fellows Brad Belt, ’97; Martha Hamilton, ’95; Maggie O'Brien, ’99; Alan Rockwood, ’96; and Howard Wallack, ’89.

Eisenhower Fellowships Launches St. Louis International Leadership Initiative

The St. Louis Initiative continues Eisenhower Fellowships’ tradition of establishing regional programs in the United States. Other U.S. programs are in the greater Philadelphia region, the Research Triangle in North Carolina, and New England. St. Louis is a natural focal point for EF’s next regional initiative, as it provides strong public-private partnerships, outstanding academic institutions, entrepreneurial spirit, and keen interest in such a program.

Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton and John McDonnell, retired chairman of McDonnell Douglas Corporation, will co-chair a blue ribbon Steering Committee that will recommend a roster of candidates each year based on the professional fields they determine to be most critical to the region's future. Other participating members of the St. Louis community include EF Trustees Andrew Bursky, CEO of Atlas Holdings, LLC, and Edward Monser, COO of Emerson; George Roman, Vice President, State and Local Government Relations, Integrated Defense Systems & St. Louis Regional Executive, The Boeing Company; and Doug King, President of the St. Louis Science Center. Missouri’s U.S. Senator Kit Bond will serve as honorary chairman.

For information on how to apply please click here.

EF Trustee Nathan Hayward visits with Sam Rodriguez of Olney High School, who worked on the mural.

EF House Hosts Mural Arts Program Reception

On April 9, EF House hosted its first event since moving to its new location as it opened its doors to Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program (MAP). Directed by Jane Golden, ‘03, USA, MAP recently began work on its first youth-based international mural as part of the organization’s Big Picture project. Initially conceptualized during Jane Golden’s fellowship to Ireland, the project pairs youths from Big Picture’s Olney High School site with youths from a similar arts organization in Ireland called the Dolphin Arts Group. The students communicated via email to share mural ideas and create design elements, and finally met face-to-face when the Dolphin Arts Group visited Philadelphia for one week in April. Completion and dedication of the mural is expected this October.

The students from Olney High and Dublin were honored at the reception at EF House by Jane Golden, muralist James Burns, MAP staff, and Olney High faculty members, and EF Trustee Nathan Hayward spoke on behalf of Eisenhower Fellowships. Golden noted in her speech that none of this would have been possible had she not traveled to Ireland on her Eisenhower Fellowship.

Appointment, Special Assistant to the Minister

Jose Noronha, ’93, Brazil, has been appointed special assistant to the Minister of Health of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Keynote Speaker, Tufts FOOD Symposium

Marge Kilkelly, ’99, USA, was the keynote speaker at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy’s symposium, “Power in the Global Food System: Mapping Food Production and Food Sovereignty in the 21st Century.” Kilkelly, director of the Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship (NSAAS) and a former Maine state senator, spoke on the subject of “A Bountiful Harvest of Healthy Food and Agriculture Policies – Dream or Possibility?”

Coordinator, Third International Exhibition on Monuments Restoration

Laretna Adishakti, ’02, Indonesia, recently coordinated the Third International Exhibition on Monuments Restoration, which started from the Salone del Restauro of Ferrara, Italia (March 22-25, 2007) and will be continued in other Italian cities and European capitals. This Third Exhibition is following the first one held in Paris at the Palais de Chaillot (1957), and the second one in Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1964) on the occasion of the Second International Congress on Monuments Restoration, during which the Restoration Charter was enacted. Adishakti is a lecturer and researcher at Gadjah Mada University, as well as an architect and founder of the Center for Heritage Conservation.

Finalist, United Nations Film Festival

The short film Wake Up, by Simone Duarte, ’96, Brazil, is a finalist in Stories From the Field: The Third Annual United Nations Documentary Film Festival. Wake Up is about women and children fighting AIDS in Mozambique, and is narrated by American singer Roberta Flack.

President, Governmental Research Association

Ran Coble, ’01, USA, director of the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, was elected president for 2007 of the national Governmental Research Association (GRA), a group of 33 policy groups in 22 states. Coble has been director of the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research since 1981.

The N.C. Center for Public Policy Research also won two prestigious national awards for high-quality policy research by the national GRA: the Most Distinguished Research award and the Award for Most Effective Education.

Author, “Secrets for Success”

Geoffrey Moss, ’68, New Zealand, has published his latest book, “Secrets for Success.” In the book, Moss asks successful people from all over the world their advice for succeeding in their chosen career. Their answers and other advice are combined in this book. Moss’s other publications can be viewed at www.mossassociates.co.nz

Registration for Dublin Conference Continues Through May 31

Registration continues through May 31 for the 21st Century Cities conference organized and hosted by the Eisenhower Fellows of Ireland June 8–10. Conference participants will tour the Intel Innovation Centre located just outside Dublin and will be addressed there by Intel CEO Jim O’Hara. Various issues related to the impact of technology on the future of cities will be discussed. Irish government authorities and private sector executives will share their experiences on the “Celtic Tiger” phenomenon.

International perspectives from European Fellows, Alfonso Vegara (Fundacion Metropoli, Madrid), and others will focus on future trends in cities and best practices/innovative approaches to urban challenges. Tours of Dublin and the surrounding area are also planned.

More information as well as conference and hotel registration is available here.