Eisenhower Fellowships
2025 Annual Meeting
PHILADELPHIA | MAY 13-14, 2024
Eisenhower Fellowships welcomed more than 220 attendees from nearly 30 countries for two days of
extraordinary events to mark its 2025 Annual Meeting on May 13 and 14 in Philadelphia.
Pin Ceremony
Eisenhower Fellowships celebrated four groups of Fellows and Global Scholars at the Spring 2025 Pin Ceremony, awarding EF certificates and fellowship pins to the 2025 Global Fellows, 2024 USA Fellows, 2024 Zhi-Xing Fellows and 2024 Global Scholars on Tuesday, May 13 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The ceremony marking the official end of their fellowship programs and immersing them in the EF global network was followed by a cocktail reception.
Annual Awards Dinner
More than 220 people from nearly 30 countries attended the 2025 Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday night, May 14 at the National Constitution Center. Featured speakers were EF President George de Lama, 2024 USA Fellow Constance Ranae Jones, 2025 Global Fellow Elise Caluwaerts of Belgium, EF Chairman, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates and Trustee Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Veteran broadcast journalist Ray Suarez was master of ceremonies. Caluwaerts, a renowned opera singer, closed the dazzling evening with a beautiful aria.
2025 Distinguished Fellow Award
EF Chairman Dr. Robert M. Gates presented the 2025 Distinguished Fellow Award to Miatta Gbanya of Liberia and the late Nuru Mugambi of Kenya, marking the first time this honor has been bestowed upon African Fellows. The award celebrates their remarkable professional achievements, exemplary engagement with EF and exceptional leadership in their respective countries. Members of the inaugural 2016 Africa regional program, Miatta and Nuru contributed greatly to the growth and influence of EF in Africa and inspired the EF global network with their selflessness, their courage and their dedication to giving back and helping others. Accepting Nuru’s posthumous award were her daughter Makena Mugambi and sister Christina Mugambi.
2025 Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service
Celebrated financier, philanthropist, author and television personality David Rubenstein received Eisenhower Fellowships’ highest honor, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service. EF Chairman, Dr. Robert M. Gates, presented Rubenstein the medal for his extraordinary public service to support higher education and the arts, advance economic empowerment in disadvantaged communities and preserve America’s historical legacy to deepen global understanding.
