April 2006
Clockwise from top: the Fellows and spouses of the 2006 MNP on the steps of the Academy of Music in downtown Philadelphia; Esteban Bullrich of Argentina, EF President John Wolf, and Charles Kamba of Zimbabwe; Governor Rendell addressing the Fellows in Harrisburg; and the group out for dinner in Philadelphia.
2006 Multi Nation Program
The 2006 Multi Nation Program commenced in Philadelphia this month, bringing together leaders from 23 countries for a lively opening week which included seminar discussions, professional meetings, site visits, and social gatherings. The Fellows participated in sessions on American culture and diversity, visited Pew Charitable Trusts to learn more about civil society in the U.S., and got to know the city of Philadelphia by way of trolley tour and evening excursions.
Among the highlights of the week was a day trip to Harrisburg for an overview of the American legislative process and the role of the government in economic development. The Fellows met with Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell and were hosted at the Pennsylvania House and Senate and Department of Community & Economic Development for sessions with state legislators, lobbyists, trade specialists, and political party officials. USA alum and state Representative David Argall ’98 moderated a morning session on education and government.
The opening seminar concluded with energizing and thought-provoking sessions on leadership presented by Michael Useem of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Bob Halperin ‘02, USA, of Harvard Business School. Following a send-off dinner which included many Philadelphia Fellows, the Multi Nation group departed for various destinations, scattering in all directions around the country to confer and exchange ideas with eminent doers and thinkers in their respective fields.
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Permanent Secretary in Malaysia
Halim Man ’02, Malaysia, has been named permanent secretary of the communications ministry. Immediately before this appointment, Man served as deputy secretary general in the ministry of power, water, and communications.
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Growth in Northeast Asia: Paths to Sustainable Growth
June 23-24, 2006
Peninsula Palace Hotel
Beijing, China
Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) will host a regional conference titled Northeast Asia: Paths to Sustainable Growth on June 23 & 24 in Beijing.
The conference will provide a unique opportunity for conference participants to:
- Explore political and economic changes in Northeast Asia and how they affect the region’s relationships with the United States and the rest of the world.
- Engage in a dialogue on regional economic issues.
- Consider how to ensure sustainable development while promoting regional economic growth.
Opening with a welcoming address by Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, the conference will feature a CEO roundtable, with top business leaders from China, China (Taiwan), Korea, Japan and the United States presenting their views on future trends in their countries and industries; a session on the environment by EF Trustee Governor Christine Todd Whitman; and break-out groups on energy, the rule of law, information technology, and financial markets.
The conference will kick off Eisenhower Fellowships' 2006 Northeast Asia Regional Program (NARP) which will bring 23 emerging leaders from China, China (Taiwan), Japan, and Korea to the United States in September 2006.
For conference information, please contact Susan Kohler Reed at skohler@eisenhowerfellowships.org.
For sponsorship information, please contact Tom Ferguson at tferguson@eisenhowerfellowships.org.
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Fundação Hemominas receives awards
Anna Bárbara de Freitas Carneiro Proietti ‘00, Brazil, president of Fundação Hemominas, is pleased to announce two National Awards for Public Administration recently received by her organization.
On March 14 the Hemocentro Regional de Governador Valadares, one of the centers run by Fundação Hemominas, received the Faixa Bronze award in the category of special health. On the same day, Fundação Hemominas also received the 2005 Medal for Quality Volunteers in Public Office in recognition for its work in the State of Minas Gerais. At the invitation of the ministry of planning, Fundação Hemominas has been developing programs to promote quality administration and to disseminate these ideas since 2004.
The National Award for Public Administration, the second to be granted to Fundação Hemominas, was created in 1998. The award evaluates institutions according to excellence models used in more than 120 countries. It applies the same criteria for evaluation as those used in many national and international awards, including the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award awarded by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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Anna Bárbara Proietti, center, accepts an award on behalf of her organization.
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Istanbul conference
Registration for Building Networks for Change, the 2006 Eisenhower Fellowships conference to be held in Istanbul on September 10-12 continues through June 15. Last month the Eisenhower Fellows of Turkey announced that Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, will be a keynote speaker at the conference. Moussa is a former minister of foreign affairs and permanent representative to the United Nations for Egypt. Other dignitaries addressing the conference include Abdullah Gul, foreign minister of Turkey, Hikmet Cetin, NATO representative to Afghanistan and former speaker of the Turkish Parliament, and Suleyman Demirel ’53, former president and prime minister of Turkey.
Government ministers from additional European and Middle Eastern countries, including Dora Bakoyannis, the new Greek Foreign Minister, have also been extended invitations to speak at the conference which is expected to draw numerous Fellows from these regions. Transition in society, prosperity for peace, and religion and politics are the major topics to be discussed at the conference, while sub-themes of education, energy, the media, and others will round out the workshops.
Further information and conference registration is available on line at www.efistanbul.com.
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Chairman and president of XDC
Robert Stephane ’61, Belgium, has been appointed chairman of the Board and president of XDC, a company devoted to digital cinema. Theater owners can reduce their start up costs by partnering with XDC, which installs theaters and digitalizes and distribute films. XDC now has 200 theaters as partners in Europe, subsidiaries in France and Germany, and is an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, XDC was chosen by director George Lucas to digitalize the last episode of Stars Wars, and the film was presented as the main gala at the festival.
Stephane has also been named a member of the Board of the New York-based International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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First Pakistani to sit on CBA committee
Moneeza Hashmi ’95, Pakistan, was recently elected to the program committee of the London-based Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) for a two-year term. She is the first Pakistani to be elected to this position. The CBA is a subscription-funded organization dedicated to promoting the concept of public service broadcasting and providing opportunities for professional development and dialogue among public service broadcasters. The CBA has members in 53 countries.
Hashmi is the general manager of HUM TV, a private cable/satellite channel based in Lahore.
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Fellow’s film opens festival
Studs, a film produced by Fiach MacConghail ’04, Ireland, opened the 4th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival on February 17 and was released nationwide in March. The film is an adaptation of Paul Mercier’s play by the same name. It charts the successes and failures of a no-hope local soccer team from a working class area which, following a humiliating defeat by an unremarkable rival, is magically revitalized by a mysterious new manager. For more information on the film, visit www.studsthemovie.com.
MacConghail is the director of the Abbey Theater, the national theater of Ireland, and was recently featured in the New York Times.
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Fellows welcome American ambassador
The Turkish Fellows arranged a lunch to welcome Ross Wilson, the new American ambassador to Turkey, on March 14 in Ankara. Among the 18 Fellows in attendance was former president Suleyman Demirel ’54, Turkey’s most senior Fellow. Also attending was Professor Talat Halman, a member of the EF selection committee. After Nezir Kidar ‘57 introduced the Fellows, there was a good exchange of views, including remarks from Ambassador Wilson and President Demirel.
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Health plan introduced to legislature
The Wisconsin Health Plan, the health insurance reform plan David Reimer ’99, USA, has been working on since 2004, was introduced in the Wisconsin legislature on March 21 by the bi-partisan team of Representatives Curt Gielow (R-Mequon) and Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee).
The plan is a joint project of the Wisconsin Health Project, a non-profit organization headed by Riemer, and the two legislators. It was publicly unveiled in June 2005. The plan is the culmination of many months of work and meetings with representatives of over a hundred groups representing health care consumers, providers, advocacy groups, and other concerned parties. Read more about the plan at www.wisconsinhealthplan.org.
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Fellow authors biography
James Sites ’61, USA, has written Inger! A modern day Viking discovers America. The book, which is his third, is an account of his wife Inger Krogh’s post-World War II travel to the U.S. from Norway, their marriage, and their ventures in Washington news reporting, politics, and policymaking. The book also includes an account of Sites’ fellowship program abroad in 1961.
Sites is also the author of the autobiographical novel America: the search and the secret and the non-fiction Quest for Crisis, written in 1962 about challenges facing America’s urban transport system.
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Fellow co-authors book
Igor Dekanić ’87, Croatia, has co-authored A Century of Oil: The nexus of oil, money and power that has changed the world with Stevo Kolundžić, and Daria Karasalihović.
Dekanić is a full professor in the department of mining, geology and petroleum engineering at the University of Zagreb. He has also served as an advisor to the president of Croatia on matters of domestic policy.
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