Marshall Memorial Fellowship

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It started with a simple ask over a year ago….fast forward to a nomination, application and interview and finally a selection to participate in the 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program.

Thanks to City of Portland Commissioner Nick Fish and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith for their letters of recommendation and Tripp Somerville and Zeke Smith for their nominations….I’m off for an incredible adventure.

I should add that I sported a nasty black eye during my interview at the University of Washington a year ago (a header gone bad during an outdoor soccer match) and was lucky enough still to be selected as a participant. Soccer/Football really is a universal language!

So, what is this fellowship all about?? Founded in 1982, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) Program was created by the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF) 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 US leaders to a changing and expanding Europe. During three and a half weeks, fellows explore a range of domestic and international policy issues through briefings, site visits, cultural activities, and personal appointments with local counterparts. The program exposes fellows to new ideas and challenges their perceptions of politics, identity, and civic responsibility.

My trip starts in DC with a few work related Congressional visits then I head out to: Brussels, Berlin, Madrid, Prague and Paris.

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