Item Posted: June 30, 2009

In Memoriam: Javier Beristain Iturbide

It was with great sadness that we learned Javier Beristain Iturbide, ’87, Mexico, passed away on Sunday, June 21, 2009, due to complications from cancer. In addition to a distinguished professional career in the academic, public, and private sectors in Mexico, Javier was a dedicated alumnus and active member of the Eisenhower network.

When Javier embarked on his fellowship in 1987, he was President of the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), a prestigious private university. Upon his return to Mexico City, Javier created a major center for Graduate Studies and Social Research for ITAM. From 1991 to 1997, Javier served as Deputy Mayor for Planning and Finance for Mexico City. With fellow 1987 Fellow Alfonso Vegara, Spain, he served the Proyecto Cities program, linking major metropolitan cities around the world. Javier also served as a member of EF’s Alumni Advisory Council from 2002 to 2008.

Javier played a significant role in recruiting and nominating candidates for Eisenhower Fellowships in Mexico and for the 2008 Latin America Program. Last year, while working on a publication for the program, Javier remarked, “In my (EF) final report, 20 years ago, I stated that ‘the program was stimulating, exciting and fun…we were enriched in our family life by this experience.’ Twenty years later, that feeling remains as strong as ever.”

Javier was a true friend to EF and will be greatly missed. Our condolences go to his wife Maria Elena and his children.

Item Posted: June 30, 2009

Paris Conference to Feature High-Level Speakers

Top-level ministers and executives from around the world will be on hand to speak at EF's upcoming international conference in Paris, Energy: The Challenges for Environment and Security. Held October 1st and 2nd, the conference will feature experts in the fields of renewable energy, climate change, and issues pertaining to the global energy crisis. Just a few of the outstanding speakers slated to speak include:

• Christie Todd Whitman, EF Trustee and former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Hubert Verdrine, former French Minster of Foreign Affairs (invited)
• Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency
• Luis Echavarri, Director-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency
• Bernard Bigot, Chairman of the French Atomic Energy Agency
• Mike O'Brien, former Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (invited)

Eisenhower Fellows who are slated to speak include:

• Antônio Dias Leite, former Minister of Mines and Energy (1960 Eisenhower Fellow from Brazil)
• Hans Joachim Reck, General Director of the Association of Municipal Enterprises (1988 Eisenhower Fellow from Germany)
• Ivan Blokov, Greenpeace Campaign Director (2001 Eisenhower Fellow from Russia)
• Dr. Muhammad Al-Saggaf, Chief Petroleum Engineer, Saudi Aramco (2009 Eisenhower Fellow from Saudi Arabia)
• Zhu Ye Zhong, Director of the Research Management and International Collaborative Division at the Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission (2009 Eisenhower Fellow from China)

We hope to see you in Paris for this exciting event. Don't forget to register before July 15 at the conference website!

Item Posted: June 30, 2009

L-R: Jackie Saettone, Cecilia Rizo Patrón, Rosa Maria Palacios, and Jimena Cayo

Latin America Women's Network Organizes Panel Discussion

On June 4, 2009, Eisenhower Peruvian Fellows Rosa María Palacios, '01; Jimena Cayo, '06; Jacqueline Saettone, '08; and Cecilia Rizo Patrón, '08, organized a panel discussion on "New Leadership: Women in the Business World," as a part of the activities of the Eisenhower Fellowships Women´s Leadership Network. The panel took place at the 6th Expo Fair on Social Responsibility, co-organized by PERU 2021, of which Cecilia Rizo Patrón is projects director. Nearly 150 people were present for the panel.

The panel examined entrepreneurial experiences of Peruvian women and the main challenges to being a successful woman in business. The Eisenhower Fellows discussed their points of view from their own career fields, and the panel also featured two guests: Gladys Triveño, general manager of Proexpansión, and Patrica Tirado, general manager of Mueble de Estilo Loza. Both women shared their experiences about how they managed to build and run their business.

Item Posted: June 29, 2009

Fellows Featured as Speakers at Marketers/09 Conference

Stuart Brotman, '00, USA; Pablo Fernandez, '08, Uruguay; and Maria Errazuriz, '08, Chile, recently connected in Punta del Este, Uruguay, following the conclusion of the Marketers/09 conference that Pablo organized in Montevideo. The conference attracted several hundred leading executives from throughout Latin America. All three Fellows were featured speakers at the conference.

Shown from left to right are Brotman, Errazuriz, and Fernandez.

Item Posted: June 29, 2009

USA Fellow Appointed to Commission on Indigent Defense Services

Jennifer Owen, '07, USA, was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina, Beverly Perdue, to the Indigent Defense Services Commission. The IDS Commission's mission is to "recruit the best and brightest North Carolina attorneys to represent indigent defendants; to ensure that every attorney representing indigent defendants has the qualifications, training, support, resources, and consultation services they need to be effective advocates; to create a system that will eliminate the many recognized problems and conflicts caused by judges appointing and compensating defense attorneys; and to manage the state’s indigent defense fund in a more efficient and equitable manner."

Owen is director of policy initiatives at the Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy.

Item Posted: June 23, 2009

Northern Ireland Fellow to be Named a Lord

Brian Kerr, '99, Northern Ireland, will be introduced into the House of Lords on June 29, at which point he will become Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore. Kerr, a judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Northern Ireland, reports, "I shall be a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary - in other words, a Law Lord. On 1 October, the Law Lords will transfer to the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords (which I shall join on 29 June) is the highest court in the UK. The Supreme Court (which it will become on 1 October) will likewise be the highest court in the UK. It is a momentous step, but not one that I could contemplate without the support of my family and friends - from both sides of the Atlantic!"

Item Posted: June 23, 2009

USA Fellow Joins Trujillo Rodriguez & Richards

Pedro Ramos, '00, USA, has joined the law firm of Trujillo Rodriguez & Richards as a partner and will be a managing principal of its new lobbying and government-relations subsidiary, OnPoint Public & Private Solutions.

Ramos was most recently a partner at Blank Rome and a principal with Blank Rome Government Relations. Ramos spent 12 years practicing at Blank Rome and Ballard Spahr in between stints as city solicitor and chief of staff to the former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Judith Rodin. He also served a term as board president of the School District of Philadelphia.

Item Posted: June 23, 2009

Pakistan Fellow's WebStudio Nominated for Award

Rabia Garib, '07, Pakistan, editor-in-chief of CIO Pakistan, reports that the CIO Pakistan WebStudio was recently recognized by the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society and nominated for an award as the best e-Content example in e-Science & Technology from Pakistan.

The CIO Webstudio is an extension of CIOPakistan.com, the main CIO Pakistan site, which has already become an interactive community most trusted by Pakistani CIOs and other high-level IT executives to connect on key issues and business challenges. Web-exclusive information covering business technologies and strategies, is updated daily, including regular articles, blogs and interactive polls.

CIO Pakistan was launched after a meeting between Rabia and CIO magazine's publishers, IDG (International Data Group), during her fellowship.

Item Posted: June 23, 2009

Morocco Fellow's Hospital Recognized by WHO

Driss Moussouai, '89, Morocco, who founded the Ibn Rushd University Psychiatric Centre in 1979, announced that the Centre has been renewed for the fourth time as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Mental Health and Neurosciences.

Reports Moussouai, who is chair of the Centre, "When it was designated in 1992 for the first time, it was the only one in the Arab countries and in Africa. Two years later, the Cairo centre joined. It is still the only one (all medical specialties included) in Morocco."

Item Posted: June 16, 2009

Former EF President Serves as Guest Editor; Heads E2Tech

Samuel Townsend, president of Eisenhower Fellowships from 1974-1977, served as guest editor of the February 2009 Maine Public Policy's Special Issue on Climate Change and Energy. This publication is a collection of 25 essays by citizens of the state of Maine with a forward by Maine's Senior Senator, Olympia J. Snowe.

Reports Townsend, "The articles cover a wide range of topics, including Maine’s future climate, impacts of climate change, energy supplies and demand, and related state and federal policies. Its feature articles focus on various energy-using sectors: commercial and industrial, housing and transportation, on efficiency, and on community and regional actions to address climate change and energy. It also provides much on which to ponder: policy, alternative energy, efficiency, and practical examples of immediate actions that can be taken by communities, businesses, and consumers to improve their energy use."

The publication is available online here.

Townsend has been promoting the use of biodiesel in Maine, and in November 2008 was appointed the executive director of the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech).

Item Posted: June 16, 2009

USA Fellow Speaks at Arab Media Forum in Dubai

Martha M. Hamilton, '95, USA, was a panelist at the Eighth Annual Arab Media Forum in Dubai, which took place May 11 and 12, 2009. Hamilton spoke about the performance of the financial press in the run-up to the economic crisis, following a piece she wrote for the Columbia Journalism Review. You can view the article here.

A columnist for the Washington Post for more than 35 years, Hamilton now writes a column called "Your Financial Future" for the AARP Bulletin Today. An archive of these columns can be viewed here.

Item Posted: June 16, 2009

Pakistan Fellow Named Chair of Healthcare Committee, FPCCI

Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, '04, Pakistan, was recently nominated as the chairman of the healthcare committee of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FPCCI). Dr. Khan is also a professor and head of the department of cardiac surgery at Dow University of Health Sciences, as well as CEO of the Board of Governors at The Indus Hospital in Karachi. The Indus Hospital was recently featured by the New York Times in a video on its work on tuberculosis research and treatment. View the video here.

Item Posted: June 11, 2009

2010 Fall Program Announced: Women's Leadership Program

Eisenhower Fellowships has chosen the focus for its fall 2010 program: the Women’s Leadership Program (WLP), which will create opportunities for women globally and increase the participation of women throughout the EF network. In addition, EF will enhance efforts to recruit American women during the 2010 cycle of the USA program.

This initiative will infuse the EF global alumni network with a significant cadre of talented and energetic new alumnae. They will join several hundred distinguished women who have participated in the unique experience that is Eisenhower Fellowships since the organization’s inception over 50 years ago. Scheduled for October to November 2010, the WLP will bring to the U.S. approximately 18 mid-career women who have a record of high achievement and strong potential to assume senior leadership positions in their fields.

EF will invite the nominating committees in the following countries to submit nominees for the WLP:

• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland/Northern Ireland
• Italy
• Kenya
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Peru
• Turkey
• United States
  

In addition, EF will broaden the geographic scope by setting aside three “at large” seats to enable other countries to submit nominees. The Fellows for these seats will be selected based on their caliber and competitiveness, regardless of country of origin.

Information will be disseminated to the Nominating Committees shortly. If you know of an outstanding woman leader in any of the countries listed above, or someone who could compete for an "at large" spot, please contact your country's nominating committee or Alumni Advisory Council member to let them know.

Item Posted: June 8, 2009

Brazil Fellow Named Dean, Undergraduate Programs

Marcelo Knobel, '07, Brazil, was named Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), a public university of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. He was previously the executive director of the Science Museum at Unicamp.

Item Posted: June 8, 2009

USA Fellow Discusses Public Diplomacy; Honored by Alma Maters

John Osborne, '98, USA, departed in May 2008 to travel to Singapore and Indonesia as a member of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy to discuss public diplomacy initiatives and challenges with American officials and others in the region.

In April 2009, Osborne was inducted as an alumni member of The Raven Society of the University of Virginia, where he earned his law degree in 1983, in recognition of professional accomplishments and support for the university. He was recognized by the President of the university in May at Final Exercises.

In September 2008, Osborne returned to the University of Iowa, from which he graduated in 1979, as a Liberal Arts Alumni Fellow in September 2008. As part of this program, he spoke to History Department faculty and students, and gave an address on public diplomacy to the World Affairs Council, which was broadcast on Iowa Public Radio.

Item Posted: June 8, 2009

Malaysia Fellows Receive Degrees, Promotions

Mohammad Nor Khalid (Lat), '98, a political cartoonist, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Anthropology and Sociology by Universiti Kebamgsaan Malaysia. He was also honored by the King in conjunction with the King's birthday on June 6. His works were also put to music by the Petronas Philharmonic Orchestra.

Kamal Khalid, '05, who was the director of communications to the previous Prime Minister, has moved to the private sector. He is now the Chief Operating Officer of Media Prima International. Media Prima is the leading integrated media investment group in Malaysia. The Group has a diversified interest in a complete media platform from the broadcasting (TV and radio), online, outdoor advertising content creation, print media and event management.

Hardev Kaur, '96, has moved from the Securities Commission to the Prime Minister's office as Special Officer. She continues to write her column for the New Straits Times.

Professor Khor Lake Tee, '02, has been honored by the Agong in conjunction with Federal Territory Day, which carries the title Datuk (a title similar to knighthood in Great Britain).

Item Posted: June 8, 2009

Peru Fellow Invited to Serve on Boards

Jackie Saettone, '08, Peru, was recently invited to be a board member of the Fulbright Commission. She was also invited to serve on the board of Compass, a Latin American Financial Company that has funds and a new brokerage house in Peru. Jackie is managing director of Stromboli srl.

Item Posted: June 5, 2009

Sri Lanka Holds Essay Competition for EF Day

As part of their EF Day celebration, the Fellows of Sri Lanka sponsored an All-Island English Essay Competition on the theme of "Sri Lankan Youth Perceptions of the United States of America, and Lessons for Sri Lanka," which involved students from international and regional schools in the country.

The awards ceremony was recently hosted by U.S. Ambassador H.E. Robert O. Blake Jr., (on right in photo) at his residence in Colombo. The two winning essays were:

Junior Category: Jonathan Gnanapragasam of St. Thomas ’ Preparatory School, Kollupitiya – Colombo, age 14 years. Click here to read the essay.

Senior Category: Arun Nadarajah of St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa, age 17 years. Click here to read the essay.

To view a photo gallery of the awards ceremony, at which the top essay writers from each school were invited, click here.

Start Planning for EF Day 2009

EF Day 2009 is approaching. October 14, the anniversary of the founding of Eisenhower Fellowships and the birthday of President Eisenhower, will once again be celebrated as Eisenhower Day of Fellowship worldwide. The festivities, programs, and alumni chapters that were launched to inaugurate EF Day in 2008 demonstrated a tremendous spirit and unity of purpose among Fellows. We look to build on the number of Fellows participating and the awareness of EF as a global institution making an impact in international dialogue, understanding and collaboration.

To view suggestions for 2009 and a few highlights from 2008, click here.

Join the Eisenhower Fellowships Social Networking Groups

If you are on Facebook, please join the Eisenhower Fellowships Group. To find the group, type "Eisenhower Fellowships" in the search box in the top right-hand corner of your Facebook page, and request to join the group. You can also become a fan of Eisenhower Fellowships on Facebook.

Please also join the EF NING Community to read Fellow blogs, post photos, and connect with your fellow Fellows.

Finally, you can follow EF on Twitter. Please add us to your list of followings if you use Twitter!

Click here to read Fellow News from May 2009; or click here to read news from prior months.