Item Posted: September 30, 2009

Philadelphia Fellows Hold Salon Discussion

The Fellows of Philadelphia recently held one of their continuing series of salon discussions with Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Public Affairs with the U.S. Department of State.

Before joining the Department of State, Benton accrued more than twenty years of political and public affairs experience and expertise. Cheryl brings her extensive background and knowledge of managing complex public policy, advocacy and regulatory issues for Fortune 500 companies, associations and organizations, developing and implementing grassroots and grasstops strategies and campaigns. She has achieved victories for several political candidates at the local, state and national levels.

The event was hosted by Trujillo Rodriguez & Richards, LLC, of which Pedro Ramos, '00, USA, is a partner.

Item Posted: September 30, 2009

Indonesia Fellow Publishes Book

Iwan J. Azis, '89, Indonesia, recently published a book titled "Crisis, Complexity, and Conflict: Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics, and Development, Vol. 9." A synopsis of the book follows:

"Many economic issues that touch the life of millions of people are more complex than most people thought. From the US financial crisis to regional cooperation, from the oil price shock to climate change, policy conflicts abound. The book distils some of these conflicts and argues that understanding the nature and intensity of trade-offs is a key to resolving the conflicts. It can help improve the quality of policy debate, and remind us about what really matters. What caused the 2007/2008 crisis, how could problems in a small segment of the mortgage market bring down the world’s largest economy, what effects an oil price surge had, and how the policy response to climate change can benefit the poor?

With a better understanding about the complexity of interrelations, multiple goals that are seemingly at odds in all those issues are not necessarily in conflict with one another. When conflicts are acute, reverting to the ultimate and more fundamental goals can help resolve the problem. What alternative systems to explore (for example, with regulatory rules and an incentive system that minimizes mismanagement and greed), and which segments of society on which to focus (for example, the poor in developing countries) are among key attributes in such fundamental goals. The book provides an enlightening glimpse of complexity in many policy conflicts."

Item Posted: September 30, 2009

Pakistan Fellow Hosts Peace Telethon

Sufia Shahid, '03, Pakistan, recently hosted a 12-hour Peace Telethon Live on Pakistan Television to represent the Media for Peace (M4P) initiative globally. Says Sufia, "We connected LIVE with the U.S. through VoA, with England through Islam Channel UK, with South Asia through AsiaSat TV, and with UAE through ARY Network."

She continues, "This was a global initiative to promote peace and harmony amongst nations and to find different ways and means in which media can shoulder the responsibility of promoting peace through its interactive programs. I was the main anchor for this Marathon transmission along with two others. A special Postal Stamp was also commissioned on this occasion along with peace rallies and 'vote for peace' campaigns in all major cities of Pakistan that were shown live on the screen. I now plan to do a regular life skills program titled 'For Better or Worse' on PTV Global soon."

Item Posted: September 30, 2009

USA Fellow Earns Abe Lincoln Award

Bart Ruth, '05, USA (Agriculture Fellow), is the 2009 recipient of the Abraham Lincoln National Agribusiness Award

The Abraham Lincoln National Agriculture Awards were presented during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., last month. The awards go to several ag leaders nationally and consist of a bronze statute of Abraham Lincoln kneeling beside a small corn plant.

Ruth, who farms 1,500 acres of soybeans and corn near Rising City, was nominated for the award by the American Soybean Association (ASA) for his dedication to the soybean industry. He is a former ASA president who has promoted U.S. soybeans to international buyers in 15 countries. In nominating Ruth, ASA said: "He has played an active role in developing farm policies that impact farmers on a daily basis."

Ruth has served on numerous boards and organizations, including the steering committee of 25 X 25 Renewable Energy Work Group. He joined other agricultural leaders when then-President George Bush signed the 2002 Farm Bill, which was guided in part by his Congressional testimony on commodity policy, trade negotiations and international economic relationships within the Western Hemisphere.

Item Posted: September 21, 2009

China (Taiwan) Fellow Appointed Vice Prime Minister

Dr. Eric Chu, '03, China (Taiwan), was recently named vice prime minister of Taiwan. He was previously governor of Taoyuan County, and vice chairman of Kuomintang.

Item Posted: September 21, 2009

L to R: Silvia Bacher, Marita Carballo, Ines Etchebarne, Natalia Gambaro (2010 MNP), and Marta Pascual

Latin American Women's Leadership Network Holds Seminar

EF's Latin American Women's Leadership Network (WEEF) joined with the Argentine American Cultural Institute (ICANA) to organize a seminar on "Women and the Challenges of Transparency," held September 3. The organizing committee included Argentina Fellows Laura Alonso, '08, who was recently elected to the National House of Representatives; Silvia Bacher, '01, WEEF coordinator; Marita Carballo, '88, vice president of ICANA; Marta Pascual, '88, ICANA board member; Mónica Bordón, '97; and Inés Etchebarne, ICANA cultural director.

Over 100 people participated in the session. Main speakers for the seminar were Congresswomen Hilda Duhalde and Gabriela Michetti, and Beatriz Nofal, president of the National Agency for Investors. The discussion was moderated by Bacher and award-winning journalist Maria O’Donell.

Item Posted: September 21, 2009

USA Fellow Named Co-Executive Director, City Year Greater Philadelphia

Loree Jones, '07, USA, was named co-executive director of City Year Greater Philadelphia (CYGP), a nonprofit that provides critically needed services to some of Philadelphia’s most underserved children and youth. Says Jones of her new position, "I was attracted by CYGP’s new strategic growth initiative and the launch of a nationwide campaign called 'In School and On Track,' which has been endorsed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and embraced by the New York and DC School Superintendents. This data-driven, comprehensive program addresses the early warning indicators that lead to nearly half of Philadelphia’s students dropping out, with the goal of getting them back on track and keeping them there."

Item Posted: September 17, 2009

Fellows in the News

Tine Hansen-Turton, '05, USA, co-authored an opinion piece on healthcare with Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell (USA Today).

Tantowi Yahya, '05, Indonesia, retires from his entertainment career to focus on politics (Jakarta Post).

P.D. Rai, '00, India, was profiled for his experiences as the lone member of Parliament from Sikkim (Hindu Business Line).

Thailand Fellows Somkiat Tangkitvanich, '08, and Supinya Klangnarong, '07, are both quoted in this article about media reform (Bangkok Post).

Shailesh Pathak, '00, India, was profiled for his contributions to meritocracy in the civil services (Forbes India).

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, '97, USA, was on Hardball, an MSNBC political show, to discuss healthcare reform.

Item Posted: September 17, 2009

New England Fellow Named President of GLAAD

Jarrett Barrios, '09, USA, who recently returned from his fellowship travels in Brazil, began his tenure as president of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) on September 7. Barrios was previously president of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, and is a former Massachusetts State Senator.

At 40 years of age, Barrios is the youngest leader of GLAAD and, as a Cuban-American, the first fluent in English and Spanish. While in Brazil, he studied the impact of economic development and infrastructure growth on community and environmental health of urban and rural populations.

Item Posted: September 10, 2009

Jordan Fellow Named Chair of Alumni Advisory Board, Daniels College of Business

Samer Asfour, '05, Jordan, has been appointed as the first chair of the newly reformed Alumni Advisory Board for the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. The Alumni Advisory Board provides guidance to the Office of Alumni Relations on alumni programming and communications and seeks to support and strengthen Daniels alumni groups nationwide.

Asfour, who is the Commissioner for Investor Services & Development at the Development Zones Commission, received his MBA from the Daniels College of Business in 2002.

Item Posted: September 10, 2009

Mexico Fellow Chosen for Hubert Humphrey Fellowship

Alicia Guajardo Alatorre, '07, Mexico, was chosen to participate in the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship, a special international program that is financed by the United States Congress as part of the Fulbright agenda. Alatorre was accepted as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fellow and her base will be Boston, where she moved in late August for the one-year program.

Reports Alicia, "The program includes an opening seminar in Washington, a professional participation in an American agency for a two-month period and a closing seminar in New York." She is the chief executive officer of the Neocity Real Estate Group and participated in EF's first Common Interest Program on the challenges of urbanization.

Item Posted: September 10, 2009

Two Pakistan Fellows' Children Marry

On June 19, 2009, the daughter of Sufia Haq, '03, Pakistan, wed the son of Salman Ansari, '99, Pakistan, in Islamabad. In the words of Salman, "This is an Eisenhower Fellows’ family wedding!"

Salman continues, "Sana [Haq] has a degree in computer science and a master’s in organizational change management and been working until recently at Schlumberger in their Paris headquarters. Saad [Ansari] has a degree in computer science as well as a masters from Stanford and is working at Microsoft in Seattle." Shown at left is the photo from the couple's wedding annoucement.

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

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Click here to read Fellow News from July-August 2009; or click here to read news from prior months.

Download the July 2009 e-Newsletter