GERMAN MARSHALL FUND SELECTS 53 AMERICAN MARSHALL MEMORIAL FELLOWS FOR 2008

GOAL CEO Gail Rothman amongst leaders selected for prestigious fellowship

WASHINGTON, DC (December 12, 2007) — Fifty-three emerging American leaders representing 17 states and the District of Columbia have been awarded the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) for 2008.  They will each spend 23 days in Europe visiting institutions, societies and cultures and learning about economic, political and social issues facing the United States and Europe.

“Each year, the MMF program expands to reflect the changing nature of both the United States and Europe,” said Craig Kennedy, President of the German Marshall Fund.  “This year we are especially happy to welcome a strong contingent of American Fellows from the private sector. Thanks to our Belgrade office, we are also excited to send American Fellows to new countries in the Western Balkans in 2008.”

The goal of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship is to educate the next generation of American and European leaders on the importance of the transatlantic relationship and encourage them to work with each other on a range of international and domestic policy challenges.  Fellows are selected through a competitive nationwide process and come from politics, government, media, business, and the non-profit sector.  The MMF program began in 1982, when the inaugural group of German MMFs visited the United States.  Now entering its 26th year, the MMF program currently includes Fellows from 21 European countries and the United States.  GMF and its partner institutions have been instrumental in developing and maintaining a vital network on both sides of the Atlantic committed to transatlantic relations.

Each year GMF works with partners across the United States to identify and select the American Marshall Memorial Fellows.  Partners include the Cleveland Foundation, the Forum at the University of Washington’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, the Citizens’ League of Minnesota, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, the International Visitors Council of North Carolina, the University of Denver School of Public Policy Studies, and the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta.  National partners include the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the Council of State Governments and the National League of Cities.

Also in 2008, MMF alumni in the Los Angeles region will lead the coordination of the annual Marshall Forum on Transatlantic Affairs. This conference, to be held in September, is a gathering of MMF alumni from the U.S. and Europe to discuss current events affecting the transatlantic relationship. Alumni of the MMF program are a vital component of the program’s success. In 2007, American alumni helped coordinate programs for their counterpart group of European Fellows, organize selection processes around the U.S., and managed the 2007 Marshall Forum in Atlanta, GA.

The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) was created by the German Marshall Fund in 1982 to introduce a new generation of European leaders to America’s institutions, politics, and people.   In 1999, GMF launched a companion program to expose future U.S. leaders to a changing and expanding Europe.   The program attracts the best and brightest from all sectors, including politics, media, business, and nongovernmental organizations.  Fellows come from across the United States and from 21 European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia including Kosovo, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey).  GMF works closely with partners in more than 50 cities on both sides of the Atlantic to make the MMF program possible. 

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (www.gmfus.org) is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to the Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest.

2008 American Marshall Memorial Fellows

Alaska

Mr. Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State Legislature

Ms. Lesil McGuire, Alaska State Legislature

Mr. Hugh Short, Alaska Growth Capital

Arizona

Ms. Kara Kelty, City of Flagstaff

California

Ms. Camilla Eng, Office of the City Attorney, LA

Mr. Dave Grenell, Mayor's Office City of Richmond, CA                    

Mr. Victor Hwang, T2 Venture Capital

Mr. James Mize, Bingham McCutchen

Ms. Manju Seal, McMorgan & Company

Mr. Seth Stodder, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld

Colorado

Ms. Janelle Doughty, Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Mr. Eric Hiraga, Department of Revenue, City and County of Denver

Dr. Rico Munn, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies

Ms. Christine Nelson, National Conference of State Legislatures

Washington, DC Region

Ms. Claire Carlin, Downtown DC Business Improvement District

Ms. Rana Hightower, The Maryland-National Park and Planning Commision

Mr. Gary Norman, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Attorney Advisor

Ms. Doua Thor, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

Georgia

Ms. Julie Bryant, Atlanta Business Chronicle

Ms. LaTjuan Dogan, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Mr. Patrick Millsaps, The Millsaps Law Firm

Mr. Navneet Narula, Accenture

Ms. Gail Rothman, GOAL - A Girl's Journey of Growth

Illinois

Mr. Michael Brown, Citigroup Global Markets Inc

Ms. Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee, University of Illinois at Chicago

Mr. Ricardo Estrada, Erie Neighborhood House

Ms. Jaclyn Park, Kraft Foods

Indiana

Ms. Bridgette Carr, University of Notre Dame Law School, Legal Aid Clinic

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