Shephard Hall on CCNY's campus.

August 2007

EF and Powell Center to Sponsor November Conference

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 15, 2007! Eisenhower Fellowships, together with the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at The City College of New York (CCNY), will be hosting a conference in New York City titled "Strengthening Global Cities: An Urban Leadership Forum."

Speakers include EF Chairman Colin Powell and CCNY President Gregory H. Williams; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also been invited to speak. Also present will be the 2007 Common Interest Program Fellows from both the U.S. and abroad, as well as the Powell Center Scholars.

Planning Continues for June 2008 Brazil Conference

Preparations are underway for EF’s Latin America Regional Conference on “Leadership for Development and Sustainable Growth – Facing the Challenges in Latin America.” Hosted by the Eisenhower Fellows of Brazil, the conference will take place June 5-8, 2008, in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerias.

This conference is designed to provide participants with insights on leadership practices and inspire action, as well as to use the skills of Latin American leaders to address issues such as sustainable growth and prosperity through the exchange of information, ideas, and new perspectives.

The program will contain a blend of international and regional presenters in the areas of environment and energy, education and health, integration and regional development, as well as workshops for more intense dialog among Fellows and other guests.

Further information on the conference will be posted on the EF website soon.

EFASL Holds Successful Seminar on Global Warming

The EFASL (Eisenhower Fellows Association of Sri Lanka), in cooperation with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Munasinghe Institute for Development, organized a half-day seminar on July 3 titled "Global Warming (WARNING!): Challenges and Opportunities for Sri Lanka.” The seminar welcomed more than 60 participants and featured U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake as a keynote speaker. Sri Lankan Fellows in attendance included Godfrey Gunatilleke, ’70; Mangala Moonesinghe, ’75; Dayananda Gunawardena, ’86; Chandra Jayaratne, ’89; Nimal Samarakkody, '93; Nivard Cabraal, ’00; Kala de Costa, '04; and Susie Perera de Silva, '07.

Sponsors of the event included AIDMI (All India Disaster Mitigation Institute), which is headed by Indian Fellow Mihir Bhatt, ’00, and Eisenhower Fellowships. The text of Ambassador Blake keynote address can be read here.

Left to right: Mahen Dayananda, chairman, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce;
Robert Blake Jr., Ambassador of the United States of America to Sri Lanka &
Maldives; Mangala Moonasinghe, ’75, chairman of the EFASL; Richard Edwards,
director, Office of Economic Growth, USAID, Sri Lanka; and H.Dayananda
Gunawardena, ’86, secretary of the EFASL and AAC member

Recipient, Magsaysay Award

Noted Indian journalist Palagummi Sainath, ’00, India, is a 2007 recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communicative Arts. He is being recognized for "his passionate commitment as a journalist to restore the rural poor to India's consciousness, moving the nation forward," according to the Magsaysay Foundation.

This is the second year in a row that an Eisenhower Fellow has won a Magsaysay Award. Won Soon Park, ’99, Korea, was a 2006 recipient.

Recipient, Z. Smith Reynolds Sabbatical

Debra Tyler-Horton, ‘05, USA, has been granted a Z. Smith Reynolds Sabbatical. Tyler-Horton, who is executive director of the North Carolina Justice Center in Raleigh, will take a three- to six-month period of absence from the Justice Center to engage in non-professional development activities to aid in personal renewal and growth.

USA Fellows Blogs About Fellowship in South Africa

USA Fellow Jennifer Owen, ’07, who recently returned from her fellowship in South Africa, documented her fellowship experiences on her blog, which can be found here.

Owen is director of Policy Initiatives at the Center for Child & Family Policy, Duke University.

President & CEO, PinoyME Foundation

Danilo Songco, ‘99, Philippines, was appointed president and CEO of the PinoyME (Filipino MicroEnterprise) Foundation. The organization is a product of the PinoyME consortium, which Songco helped to organize under former President Cory Aquino.

Board Member, Arab Innovation Summit

Samer Asfour, ’05, Jordan, was nominated as Board Member for the Arab Innovation Summit (AIS), based in Dubai. Asfour is chief executive officer of Design Jordan.

The inaugural AIS, to be held October 3, 2007, will bring together CEOs from top corporations and global experts to discuss the innovation agenda of the Arab world.

Planning Meeting Held for February 2008 South Asia Conference

Nalin S. Kohli, ’04, India; Arif Jabbar Khan, ’06, Pakistan; and Dayananda Gunawardena, ’86, Sri Lanka, recently gathered for an informal planning meeting in Colombo to discuss the theme of the upcoming South Asia 2004 SRP reunion and Regional Conference, which will be held February 23-24, 2008 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Out of Focus Exhibition, Month of Photography

Shirlene Noordin, ’07, Singapore, director of Phish Communications, recently concluded an exhibition titled “Out of Focus” as part of Month of Photography 2007, an annual photography festival in Singapore organized by Phish Communications.

Chief Executive, Private Sector Organization of Jamaica

Sandra Glasgow, ‘00, Jamaica, has been appointed chief executive of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica. Glasgow, the current chair of HEART Trust/NTA and senior vice president of Corporate Services at the University of Technology, Jamaica, will take up her new appointment on September 3.

Poverty Policy Advisor, UNDP

Dr. Nuzhat Ahmad, ‘02, Pakistan, was named Poverty Policy Advisor of the United Nations Development Program’s Poverty Group in New York City. Ahmad, who was previously director of the Applied Economic Research Centre in Pakistan, has relocated to New York City.

National Convenor, BJP’s All India Media Cell

Nalin S. Kohli, ‘04, India, was recently appointed as the National Convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s All India Media Cell. Kohli is also a director of the Vidya Sanskar International School for Holistic Learning and director of the International School of Media and Entertainment Studies.

Senior Research Associate, Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies

Jack Barkenbus, ’96, USA, is now a senior research associate with the Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies (VCEMS) in Nashville, TN. He was previously director of the Energy, Environment and Resources Center for the University of Tennessee.

National Secretary for Healthcare, Ministry of Health

Jose Noronha, ’93, Brazil, has been promoted to the position of national secretary for healthcare in the Ministry of Health for Brazil. He was previously special assistant to the Minister of Health.