This November the Foundation and our partners at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute held a celebration honoring the 10th anniversary of the Central Asia-Caucasus Fellowship Program. Joined by many individuals who have supported and been involved with the program over the years, we were pleased to have the opportunity to thank the many friends of the program who have been instrumental to its success. Beginning with the first group of Fellows that arrived in Washington, D.C. in 2008 to today’s more than 200 alumni, the program has grown and developed a breadth and reach far surpassing its initial intention. In this blog post we reflect with gratitude on how far the program has come as we share some noteworthy milestones from “then to now” spanning the past ten years.
1. In 2007, Donald and Joyce Rumsfeld established the Rumsfeld Foundation. The idea that free systems, economic and political, provide the most opportunities for their people was a founding tenet of the Foundation’s mission. In developing concepts for the Foundation’s programs and focus areas, the Rumsfelds had an initial interest in supporting opportunities for engagement with the important region of Greater Central Asia, a region with scant attention from the international community, to encourage these countries' evolutions along their respective paths toward freer systems. To hear Don Rumsfeld’s firsthand account of his interest in the region, listen to this in depth interview below.
2. In the Spring of 2008, the Foundation established a partnership with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute to develop the Central Asia-Caucasus Fellowship Program. With the instrumental guidance and regional expertise of the Institute’s leadership, including Chairman Dr. S. Frederick Starr and Director Dr. Svante Cornell, the conceptual vision of this meaningful engagement with the Greater Central Asia region came to life in the form of a cross-cultural program bringing rising regional leaders to Washington, D.C. TODAY, we are grateful to look back on 10 years of partnership with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute’s leadership and staff who have contributed countless efforts toward the program’s success. We also particularly recognize and honor the program’s dedicated Fellowship Director, David Soumbadze, who has been with the program since the beginning.
3. In October of 2008, a group of five Fellows (pictured below) arrived to participate in the program’s first session. With each following session, the Fellowship Program has continued to advance with new and evolving elements and opportunities across its many facets, to include unique experiences, renowned speakers, travels, presentations and beyond. TODAY, groups range from 10-13 Fellows per each bi-annual session (selected from typically over 200 competitive applicants per session!) and we are proud to have organized 21 successful Fellowship sessions to date.
4. In the Fall of 2011, the Fellowship Program began a partnership with the Open World Leadership Center. To enhance the experience of our Fellows during their program travels, Open World offered the opportunity for our groups to stay with host families in smaller cities across America where they could learn more about local governance and community development. TODAY, with Open World’s partnership, our Fellows have benefited from visits to 26 communities in 22 different states to date.
5. In June of 2012, the program’s first Alumni Conference was held in Batumi, Georgia, organized due to the demonstrated interest of Fellows to reconnect with session-mates, meet other participants and to discuss ideas for collaboration on timely regional issues. TODAY, the gathering of the alumni network for annual conferences (there have been 7 to date) continues to be a valuable and driving force providing momentum for the continuation of the Fellowship Program and for the productivity of the alumni network.
6. In the Fall of 2013, the Fellowship alumni established a group of ten “National Coordinators," with one individual per country selected to manage regular gatherings, communications and more on behalf of each team of alumni within their country. An increasingly important element of the Alumni Network, these Coordinators serve as the alumni’s leadership body and drive the network’s initiatives and connectivity. TODAY, there have been 41 alumni who have held this leadership position over the years and the current group of National Coordinators has organized a total of nearly 100 alumni meetings throughout 2018.
7. In June of 2014, the first CAMCA (Central Asia-Mongolia-Caucasus-Afghanistan) Regional Forum was held in Astana, Kazakhstan alongside the annual Alumni Fellowship Conference, with the intention of creating a platform to broaden alumni engagement with an international audience invested in the future of the region. Over time, the Forum has evolved into a premier convening for region-wide discussions on means of advancing economic growth and social development in Greater Central Asia and is attended by rising leaders from all sectors as well as international leaders, stakeholders, policymakers, researchers, private sector executives and civil society representatives. TODAY, there have been 5 CAMCA Regional Forums to date held across the region with 165+ speakers and 730+ participants from more than 25 countries.
8. A memorable highlight of the program’s meetings over the years, the Fall 2012 Fellows were fortunate to have the unique honor to have a private meeting with former President of the United States, George W. Bush. Since 2008, the list of impressive leaders the Fellowship participants have benefited from has grown to include government leaders such as former Vice President Richard Cheney, former President Giorgi Margvelashvili of the Republic of Georgia, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Benjamin Carson, National Security Advisor John Bolton, Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and Samuel Alito, Secretary of State & National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, and former Prime Minister of Spain Jose Maria Aznar. Beyond government leaders, Fellows have met with top private sector leadership from businesses, academia, the media, the non-profit sector and more. View a comprehensive report on the Fellowship's past meetings here. TODAY, the caliber of our programming has been able to reach great heights from the continued generosity of over 250+ professionals who have contributed their time and insights in meetings with our groups.
9. In October of 2018, with the Fall 2018 session underway, the Fellowship officially hit the milestone of 200 participants! With each session, the capacity, connectivity and reach of the network grows. TODAY, the program’s more than 200 alumni have developed numerous cross-country partnerships, businesses and initiatives, and are redefining “regional cooperation” across their borders.
10. In November of 2018, the Rumsfeld Foundation and Central Asia-Caucasus Institute held a 10th Anniversary Celebration to commemorate the progress of the Fellowship Program in the decade since its founding. In attendance were program staff, partners, Embassy staff and many others who have contributed to the program and played an important role in getting the program to where it is today. In 2019 and beyond, we look forward to building on this decade of progress and to continuing to strengthen these important connections between the CAMCA region and the United States, as well as within the CAMCA region itself, through the Fellowship Program and CAMCA Regional Forums.
To view more photos from the reception, visit our Flickr page.
