Item Posted: October 29, 2009

Turkey Fellow Named to Private Sector Advisor Group

Dr. Yilmaz Argüden, '93, Turkey, chairman of ARGE Consulting and Rothschild – Turkey, was selected to the Private Sector Advisory Group of the Global Corporate Governance Forum. Dr. Argüden said, “Serving in this capacity to help improve governance is exciting. Improving the quality of governance is one of the best means of improving the quality of life throughout the globe.”

He was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. He is also the National Representative of the Global Compact in Turkey. He is a graduate of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and a Fulbright and NATO Fellow. He has published books such as “Boardroom Secrets” and “ARGE Corporate Governance Model” and serves on the Advisory Council of the Corporate Governance Association of Turkey.

Founded in year 2003, The Corporate Governance Association of Turkiye is a non-profit organization established for disseminating best practices of corporate governance, through developing the culture and assisting the implementation. Over 500 directors and top level executives meet in TKYD to discuss and shape the future of governance in the country.

Item Posted: October 27, 2009

Spain Fellow Named Director of Chair UAM-Accenture in Economics and Management of Innovation

Paloma Sanchez, '98, Spain, was recently named director of the Chair Autonomous University of Madrid-Accenture in Economics and Management of Innovation. Reports Sanchez, "The Autonomous University of Madrid has recently signed an agreement with the world wide consulting firm Accenture, to create a Chair UAM-Accenture in Economics and Management of Innovation, which I am honored to direct. The objective of the chair is to increase awareness about the paramount importance of innovation for competitiveness, growth and development and to encourage training and research activities in this important field.

In addition, the Chair has launched a 2009 Award for a research paper in Economics and Management of Innovation. The motto for this year is "Innovation can be a lever, innovation must be levered." Click here to view the characteristics of the Award and the bases to present a paper to it. The Award is open to researchers in innovation issues, and the deadline for submission is October 31, 2009.

Item Posted: October 22, 2009

Thailand Fellows Launch Alumni Association

Somkiat Tangkitvanich, '08, Thailand, reported that the Fellows of Thailand have launched their alumni association, EF Alumni Thailand. The launch was hosted by Dr. Kittipong Kittiyarak, '01, permanent-secretary of the Justice Ministry, at the Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel.

Tangkitvanich says, "As a result, we already have a vehicle to organize public events and promote visibilities of EF. The founding members are very happy to meet one another and have a chance to do something good together, as you can see from smiles in the photos. We have also planned to organize a few public seminars on human rights, IT and media and perhaps economic update in the coming months. More events are also being planned as our human and financial resources allow. Please share our excitement and stay tuned..."

Seated (from left): Dares Chusri, '97, secretary-general of Resourcing Public Health Foundation; Sriprapha Petcharamesree, '04, Centre for Human Rights Studies and Social Development, Mahidol University; and Sanitsuda Ekachai, '95, journalist at Bangkok Post. Standing (from left): Dr. Tangkitvanich, '08, vice-president of Thailand Development Research Institute; Judge Sarawut Benjakul, '09, deputy secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of the Judiciary; Dr. Chadamas Thuvasethakul, '02, deputy director of National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre; Dr. Kittipong, '01; and Supinya Klangnarong, '07, media reform activist and vice-chairperson of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform.

Item Posted: October 22, 2009

Two Ireland Fellows Receive Degrees

Dr. Maria Moloney, '95, Ireland, and Lord Brian Kerr, '99, Ireland, were recently honored with degrees by the Queen's University at Belfast School of Law. Moloney received the M.Phil on Corporate Manslaughter, and Kerr received the honorary doctorate.

Item Posted: October 22, 2009

USA Fellow Named President & COO of Philadelphia Museum of Art

Gail Harrity, '02, USA, was named President and Chief Operating Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Harrity, the Museum’s Chief Operating Officer since 1997, also served as Interim Chief Executive Officer during the past 15 months while the Board of Trustees conducted a search for a successor to the late Anne d’Harnoncourt as Director of the Museum.

Before coming to Philadelphia, Harrity held the position of Deputy Director at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she was project director for the Museum in planning for the Frank O. Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. Before that she served as the Guggenheim Museum’s Deputy Director for Finance and Administration. From 1982 to 1989 Ms. Harrity worked in a variety of senior positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including Assistant Treasurer and Chief of Budget, Planning and Government Relations.

Harrity has been involved in active leadership of many cultural and business ventures, serving as a Board member of regional, national, and international organizations, including the Parkway Council Foundation, the American Association of Museums, and the International Council of Museums. She also serves on the Yale School of Management Board of Advisors. She received her BA from Boston University (1973) and MBA in Public and Private Management at the Yale School of Management (1982). Harrity was the first USA Fellow to go to China on her fellowship, and she recently returned from a visit to Argentina, where she met with Fellows.

Item Posted: October 19, 2009

RTNC USA Fellows Celebrate EF Day With Fall Festival for Military Families

On October 18, the USA Fellows of Research Triangle, North Carolina, hosted a Fall Festival for members of the National Guard and their families. The day featured a barbeque, games, live music, pumpkin carving, and a Halloween costume contest. More than 400 soliders and family members were in attendance, as well as Major General William E. Ingram, Jr., and local dignitaries who addressed the crowd, including U.S. Congress Representatives Bob Etheridge and Brad Miller, and Reuben Young, the state secretary of crime control and prevention.

Reports Joan Myers, '05, vice president of the RTNC EF Alumni Association, "General Ingram was tremendously thankful and very excited about the event. Our program honored President Eisenhower and I dare say that he would have enjoyed his 'birthday' party! Best of all our Eisenhower team was absolutely amazing. I believe our event will leave a warm feeling in all our hearts for months to come and it has been a great experience to help share the significant leadership and wonderful people that our fellowship team embodies."

Read more about the event here.

Item Posted: October 12, 2009

Philadelphia Fellows Launch Social Innovations Journal on EF Day

On October 14, 2009, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, the first regional web-based journal of its kind, will launch to bring together Philadelphia’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs to recognize and solve current social issues. The Journal will provide a forum for the Greater Philadelphia region’s top social innovators—those who have demonstrated an exceptional capacity to recognize social problems and apply entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage high-impact social change locally, regionally and beyond.

“Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will build a pipeline of social innovations for expansion, meeting our community’s needs. Now more than ever, we need to invest in programs that work and find innovative, effective solutions to our nation's most serious challenges,” comments Michele Jolin, senior advisor for social innovation for the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal co-founders Nicholas Torres, '08, USA, of Congreso, and Tine Hansen-Turton, '05, USA, of National Nursing Centers Consortium and Public Health Management Corporation, want to bridge formal research with practice. Inspired by Stanford Social Innovation Review, also a sponsor of the Journal, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal pioneers a new avenue, bringing attention to the current and ongoing innovative work in the Greater Philadelphia nonprofit and social sector business community with respect to access to health care, human capital, education and workforce development, and violence prevention.

In conjunction with Eisenhower Fellowships’ annual EF Day celebration, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will hold a launch celebration on October 14. Eisenhower Fellowships President John Wolf said, “Philadelphia Social Innovation Journal is a way to chronicle the imagination and dedication by hundreds of organizations and thousands of their employees and volunteers who help, every day, to improve their communities.” The event, he added, will “congratulate those who have seen this journal as a way to encourage others to share in and invest back into our community and indeed communities all over the country.”

“The Philadelphia region leads in creating cutting edge social innovations, many of which go unnoticed,” says Torres. “Many of our region’s organizations and their leaders receive a great deal of regional, state, national, and in some cases international recognition; yet, we see very little opportunity for these agencies to publish their own social innovations, share best practices or lessons learned. Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal presents that opportunity.”

Hansen-Turton agrees: “Leaders of social innovations spend most of their time doing and less time publishing, and Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal serves to shine a light on these innovators.”

In recent remarks, President Barack Obama stated that government cannot solve our nation's problems alone. He launched the White House's Office of Social Innovation to uncover opportunities to partner with those who are leading change in their communities and to help create a policy environment in which these innovations can thrive. “We applaud local communities’ efforts to lead change. It is exciting that Philadelphia is launching Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal,” said Jolin.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will be published quarterly at www.philasocialinnovations.org.

Item Posted: October 8, 2009

L to R: Frederic Mauro, Diane Shoemaker, Guiseppe Cassano, Mahela Wolf, Claude Henrion, Dan Geisler, Hedwige Pasquet, John Wolf, Claudine Pons, and Mark Carnesi

More Than 120 Fellows Attend Paris Conference

Over 250 Eisenhower Fellows, spouses, Trustees, sponsors and special guests came together in Paris from September 30 though October 2 to honor the organization and initiate the newest “class” of Fellows while debating global issues of energy and climate change.

A European Operating Committee of alumni Fellows from France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, the U.K., and EC led by French Fellows Claude Henrion, ’68, and Frederic Mauro, ’01, organized the 2½-day program and stocked it with stimulating speakers and picture-perfect venues that captured the beauty for which Paris is renowned. Discussions focused on energy security from both the suppliers’ and consumers’ points of view; looked at energy transportation issues; and examined the critical questions surrounding the climate change debate, including the importance of moving forward to reduce carbon emissions.

Left to right: Francois Roche, Carlo Tamburi, and Kimball Chen discuss "Europe's Energy Vulnerability" on Day 1

Fellows from 41 countries agreed that they all took home something new from their dialogue with the energy experts from Europe, Russia, China, the Middle East, and the USA.

Sponsoring organizations included ACE Charitable Foundation, ACEA, Ansaldo Energia, Boeing, Chevron, Enel, ExxonMobil Foundation, Iberdrola, Microsoft, United Technologies, and VKU.

Fifteen Fellows who make up the 2009 Common Interest Program on “Fueling Growth” began their Eisenhower Fellowship as participants at the conference. They now are in the United States for the program portion of their fellowships.

L to R: Evelyne Henrion, Mahela Wolf, and Claude Henrion

An Eisenhower Day of Fellowship celebration took place on October 2 at a luncheon that featured Fellows as speakers. Jean Davis, ’04, USA, described several service day initiatives that the USA Fellows are taking, including one in North Carolina that will honor military families. Sam Thenya, ’08, Kenya, described how his fellowship inspired him to “think big” and to act on those thoughts. Dan Songco, ’99, Philippines, spoke movingly about some of the often overlooked disparities that arise for those with and without access to energy. And Giuseppe Cassano, ’67, Italy, talked about the importance of alumni giving and staying engaged as payback for the opportunities Fellows get during their programs. Ramon Hermano, ’59, Philippines was presented with a “50 year” pin to mark his golden anniversary as a Fellow.

There were several side conversations aimed at promoting regional dialogues in southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as possible women's leadership networks in Europe and the Middle East.

EF President John Wolf noted that, despite tight economic times, EF is seeing more and more Fellows determined to act on their collective passion for international understanding and cooperation and to give back to the international Eisenhower community. Referring to the lifetime aspect of their fellowships, he urged those gathered in France to carry the message home about the importance of using Fellows’ fellowship experience to make a positive difference in their communities, and reminded them too of the importance Chairman Colin Powell and the Board of Trustees place on increasing the visibility of the organization by their actions.

Click here for more photos and presentations from the conference.

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

Download the July 2009 e-Newsletter