The Truman Scholars Association is excited to announce two new volunteer positions within the TSA community: Class Co-Chair and Regional Captain. Both positions are aimed at helping the TSA Board with planning, growth, communications, and development. All members of the TSA community are eligible so please consider volunteering!
To submit your name for either position, please send your name, year, and selection state to tsaprogrammingcommittee@gmail.com by midnight on Monday, February 6. Please include a short statement (200 words max) to explain why you would be best for the role with ideas for what you would do when serving. If you are nominating yourself for a regional captain position please include which region you live in, how long you have lived there, and how long you plan to remain in the area (we do not require that you plan to remain there permanently to fill this position).
Class Co-Chair (two chairs will be chosen from each Truman Class): The role of the Class Chair is to cultivate communication, interest, and support for the TSA. They will serve as the representative from their class to the TSA board. Responsibilities will primarily be focused on keeping classmates’ contact information current, but may occasionally include assisting with TSA fundraising campaigns to increase giving amongst the class, and promoting TSA events for the class. This is a lifetime appointment, however, should extenuating circumstances arise and you can no longer fulfill your obligation, the TSA may nominate a successor.
Regional Captains (one captain will be chosen from each region): The role of the Regional Captain is to build excitement, plan events, and assist the TSA in reaching all scholars living within the borders of the region. They will serve as a regional representative to the TSA Programming Committee. Responsibilities will include: assisting the Programming Committee in planning regional events, participating in the finalist dinners in your region (when applicable), and promoting TSA events for residents in the region. Regional events may also be planned outside the direct implementation of the Programming Committee. Regional events could include two annual service events, dinners, or happy hours. Regional Captains have the opportunity to also form their own committee of volunteers in the region. This appointment will last until you no longer live in the region, or can no longer fulfill your obligation. Regional Captains will determine their successors with the input of the TSA board. The current regions are based on those for which google groups exist at this moment in time - these are not set in stone and could change based on the locations of members of our community.): Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; Midwest (e.g., IL, MO, IA, IN, KS); Minnesota (e.g., Twin Cities); New Haven, CT (including the Northeast); New York City; Oxford, England; Pennsylvania; San Francisco/Bay Area; Seattle (including OR); Southeast (e.g., TN, KY, MS, LA, AL, GA, NC, SC, FL); Southwest (e.g., NV, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX); Washington DC (including MD and VA); and Wisconsin.
Please send any questions to TSA's Programming Committee Chair, Katie Liberman, at tsaprogrammingcommittee@gmail.com.
When was the last time you updated your Truman.gov profile? Was it at TSLW? Did you not even know you had a Truman.gov profile? Well you do and you should keep it current! The Truman Scholars Association and the Truman Foundation are working together to update contact information for all scholars. Those with out-of-date or missing data will be contacted in order to obtain current information. Please save yourself and us time by logging in to www.truman.gov and updating your profile.
Thank you!
Congratulations to Melissa Boteach (MD ‘04) and Anthony Vitarelli (NJ ‘04) for being named to Forbes 30 under 30 for Law and Policy. As the magazine writes, “These are the people who aren't waiting to reinvent the world.” Keep up the good work!
Check out the story here.
“Carolyn Lerner had the Air Force’s top four-star general boxed in.
“Gen. Norton Schwartz was reeling from revelations that the Dover Air Force Base mortuary had lost and sawed off body parts and mishandled other remains of America’s war dead. In the glare of television cameras, the Air Force chief of staff was forced to issue mea culpas for the scandal in November.
“Lerner, the newly installed federal lawyer whose tiny office uncovered the gruesome findings, was ready for a fight.
“Lerner accused the Air Force of deflecting blame — and a mortuary official of lying and obstructing the probe by firing one of the workers who blew the whistle. When Schwartz declared that Lerner’s Office of Special Counsel had prevented the military from notifying the families of the dead service members for more than a year, she dressed him down to the news media.”
Jina Moore, a freelance writer and regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor, recently won the 2011 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize gold medal for best reporting on the United Nations. The award recognizes her coverage of a new UN approach to ending war and promoting peace: peacebuilders, an idea distinct from both peacemaking and peacekeeping. Below, we excerpt the article.
Michael von der Schulenburg drove deliberately into the riot. Angry men filled a main road here in Freetown; they quickly surrounded his car. They were members of the APC, the All People's Congress, and their leader, Ernest Koroma, was Sierra Leone's president. They were in a dispute with their opposition over a local election that had taken place a day's drive deep into the countryside.
That rural dispute turned national and urban, and threatened to turn violent in Freetown. Thousands of APC men thronged toward the headquarters of the opposition party. They were drunk, and they were being used. Men here are cheap – a beer buys a vote – but they are not usually violent.
Mr. Schulenburg, the United Nation's top man in Sierra Leone, hadn't been in the country for long, but he did know this: So many men don't gather by accident, nor do they spontaneously decide to fight over such a paltry political event as a rural vote. Schulenburg didn't know who had reported the crowd, or why. He's friendly with Sierra Leone's "Big Men" – he chats daily with Mr. Koroma by phone. But that day, no one would take his calls.
As he approached the action, he wondered: Was this the kind of raucous discontent typical of Sierra Leonean politics, or was the street rumor right? Could it be the moment that the war comes back?
Read the full article here.
"Mayor-elect Daryl Justin Finizio is about to announce the head of his transition team.
"Finizio, who won the mayoral election Tuesday, has called a press conference for 3 p.m. at his home on Ocean Avenue to elaborate on transition procedures and timelines.
"He is also expected to announced he is closing out his "Finizio for Mayor'' campaign account, and thank William "Billie" Bourque for his services as campaign chairman and treasurer.
"Bourque will not be part of the new transition team, Finizio said, in keeping with his promise that those who worked on his election or contributed to his campaign would have no role in the new administration."
Click here to read the whole article.
Last year, three of New Mexico’s Truman Scholars worked together at Think New Mexico, a nonpartisan, results-oriented think tank dedicated to improving New Mexico’s quality of life.Yahonnes Cleary (NY ‘99) was married in Manhattan. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/fashion/weddings/marcie-graham-yahonnes-cleary-weddings.html)
Ibrahim Elshamy (NH ‘09) has moved to Cairo, Egypt on a Fulbright Scholarship where he is researching local organizations that create civic education materials to empower citizens in an emerging democracy.
Saul Garlick (CO ‘05) was selected to Diplomatic Courier's 'Top 99 Most Influential Professionals Under 33'. (See http://www.diplomaticourier.com/index.php?Itemid=191).
Elizabeth Gish (IL ‘01) is teaching at Western Kentucky University where she is an assistant professor at the Honors College teaching Citizen and Self as part of the core honors curriculum (“A very Truman-esque class,” she notes). She is on track to complete dissertation by the Spring for a June graduation.
Kevin Lee (KY ‘98) got a dog, and he is “freakin' adorable”.
Matt Lindsey (KS '01) married Gabrielle Kissane in Kansas City, KS on October 29, 2011.
Victoria Luhrs (KS ‘05) is back in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools this fall after finishing her Masters in Education at George Mason University. She is happy to report that she is working as a Teacher Leader (more commonly known as an instructional coach) in an urban district and loving it!
Kuong Ly (MA '07) was selected as one of the top nine honorees in Diplomatic Courier's 'Top 99 Most Influential Professionals Under 33'. (See http://www.diplomaticourier.com/index.php?Itemid=191).
Myles Matteson (NH ‘05) moved to Washington, DC in May and has started working on the legislative staff of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH).
David Rubenstein (OR ‘06) will be publishing a law review comment in December's edition of the Washington Law Review (volume 87). The topic is how the federal habeas corpus statute has ratcheted down the Miranda right to counsel. He also shared the great news that Jacob Heller (CA ‘06), Judy Herbstman (IL ‘06), and Bree Bang-Jensen (VT ‘06) have all married.
Anthony Shop (MO '04) and his partner of nearly four years Thomas Sanchez are engaged. They plan to marry in the District of Columbia in 2012 and to celebrate with family and friends in Kansas City, Mo., where they met. In addition to being partners in life, Anthony and Thomas own and run Social Driver, a growing digital consultancy that serves many public sector clients.
Miranda Strong (AK ‘06) and her husband James just had their first baby, James G. Strong on 11-1-11 at 11:17 a.m. 8 pounds 8 ounces, 21 1/4 inches.
Cara Valente-Compton (NM ‘10) is currently in her first semester at the University of New Mexico School of Law and was honored to receive an invitation to serve on the New Mexico State Bar's Committee on Women and the Legal Profession. She also recently graduated from the Emerge program, a non-profit training program for Democratic Women to run for public office, and was elected 1L representative to the Student Bar Association and Vice President of Older, Wiser Law Students (OWLS) and the Hockey Club.
Kelsey Vaughan (ME ‘04) is starting a new job later this week at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. She will be working as a Junior Health Systems Advisor to help countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America improve their health systems. If there are any Trumans in the Netherlands, she would love to meet up.
"Greg Stanton launched his candidacy for Phoenix mayor in December, surrounded by supporters in a restored, historic warehouse downtown. Thousands of handshakes, 50 debates and 11 months later, Stanton's journey ended Tuesday at the same place he started - this time celebrating victory.
"Stanton will become the 52nd mayor of Phoenix. Unofficial election results showed that he had a comfortable lead over rival Wes Gullett, who conceded the race to Stanton about a half hour after the first results were posted.
"Stanton, a 41-year-old attorney and father of two, will be Phoenix's first new mayor in eight years, replacing Phil Gordon, who is term-limited."
Click here to read the rest of the article.
It was interesting to note that during the course of our interview, Pierce was quick to deflect attention away from himself, and toward the VC team and culture. Indeed, his approach was consistent with his philosophy on leadership – one of the major principles of effective leadership is that of building a core team spirit, uplifting the whole organization and recognizing collective accomplishments. Our discussion touched on many inspirational points and bore lessons for us all:
*A Big Heart and Great Management Are Key to Achieving Goals: Although VC is organized as a charity, Pierce and VC’s staff of 40 run the organization as a business. In Pierce’s words, “A big heart is primary, but leaders have to stay focused.” Leaders have to create discipline, manage effectively, and remember that bills must be paid on time. This type of management requires leaders to prioritize and keep things simple in order to achieve the organization’s objectives. Leaders have to be able to diplomatically say no if the task is not consistent with the organization’s true objective.
*The Team Drives the Organization: Any organization will have failures. But the organization will survive, bounce back, and thrive, if it has built a core team spirit. Pierce explains that at VC, the organization strives to ask itself, “Who are we as humans? Why are we doing this?” Armed with the answer and a core vision in hand, the organization can overcome any obstacle.
*Charitable Giving is a Thread that Binds America: After the 2008 financial crisis, charitable giving was paralyzed for almost a year. Although 2011 saw marginally improved donations, negative stock market returns in July and August may cause this year’s giving to fall once again. Moreover, some endowments were hit with a “double-whammy” after both the value of the endowment fell and donors stopped making contributions. The whole country will suffer from the resulting decline in giving. Why? Pierce explained that charitable giving constitutes approximately 2% of the US GDP and employs roughly 10% of the US workforce. In Pierce’s words, “Those are good, middle-class jobs.” While leaders in charitable giving organizations cannot control the stock market, they can plan for downturns, remain disciplined and maintain a long-term focus.
*True Leaders Walk the Talk: Pierce explained that the mission of VC is “to increase philanthropy in the United States.” This has to be done not just by including the phrase in the organization’s charter, but also by facilitating a culture of charity in the organization’s own employees. To that end, VC has instituted a “volunteers’ day off,” and encouraged its employees to take a day off each year to directly perform community service. Another anecdotal example of walking the talk can be found in VC’s own internal staff meetings, which usually last about one hour. In those meetings, Pierce himself speaks only about fifteen minutes, and the rest of the staff speaks for the remaining 45 minutes. In running the meetings this way, Pierce sees the employees themselves leading the organization from the ground up.
*Transparency Builds Trust: To date, more than $5 billion has been contributed to VC, and more than $3 billion has been given away by VC to nonprofits around the United States. Pierce explains that handling other people’s money requires the highest level of responsibility, transparency, and ethics. Because donors trust VC to handle their money, they should be able to obtain immediate information about anything VC does. To that end, VC’s annual report, auditor’s report, and tax return (IRS Form 990) are readily available on its website, both to current donors as well as to the outside world. This is the kind of transparency that builds trust.
*Find What You Love: Pierce tells the story of how it was actually his exit from a Fortune 500 company in 1989 that led him to find his true calling in the field of charitable giving. Upon leaving the private sector, Pierce did some deep introspection, and found that he was a person who was not meant to sit in front of a computer all day. Instead, he wanted to be doing a variety of different things, working with people, and helping others. Pierce found that charities, like many good businesses, need people who can and will do a variety of different things. Pierce found that he loved the role that required him to stretch in different directions, and he has found the resulting career immensely fulfilling.
Interview conducted by Sarah Hammer (MN '94), investment analyst at The Vanguard Group. Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment management companies. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program was founded by Vanguard as an independent, nonprofit organization.
By Westbrook Murphy, General Counsel, Truman Scholarship Foundation
Today's Washington Post carried two stories about Carolyn Lerner (MI '84) the new United States Special Counsel appointed by President Obama.
The first details how in just four months she is restoring the damaged reputation of the Office of Special Counsel in its role of protecting federal employees who become whistleblowers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-diary-whistleblowers-g...fender/2011/10/18/gIQAtnvfvL_story.html
The second interviews Carolyn about changing how Hatch Act's prohibition on partisan political activity applies to employees of state or local governments which receive federal funds. Here's an example from the interview:
"We've [the Office of Special Counsel] talked about a guy who's in a K9 unit in Pennsylvania, and because his dog is funded for federal money, couldn't run for school board. We had to be in the position of telling this gentleman who wanted to run for school that he couldn't because his dog was funded from federal funds. That's ridiculous, that's absurd."
Carolyn also speaks to other issues, including updating the Hatch Act to deal with use of social media that did not exist when the Act was passed in 1939.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/is-it-time-to-up...e-hatch-act/2011/10/18/gIQAcRJNvL_blog.html
Albert Cho, Tempe, AZ. Albert Cho most recently served as an executive at Cisco Systems, where he directed environmental innovation projects and led development of a new approach for monitoring global deforestation. Prior to Cisco Systems, Albert was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he helped found the Sustainability and Resources Practice and advised clients in the aerospace, industrial, high tech and financial sectors on strategy and risk management. He has also worked at the United Nations with Jeffrey Sachs on a global plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Albert volunteers as a strategic advisor to the Nobel Prize-winning Green Belt Movement in Kenya and as a consultant to the World Resources Institute. He serves on the board of the Telluride Association, an educational non-profit, and is a trained crisis hotline counselor and hospice volunteer. Albert has lived, worked or traveled in over 70 countries, including a year supporting financial sector reform in north Africa. He is a Rhodes and a Truman Scholar, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a Visiting Business Fellow at Oxford. He received an M.Sc in development economics and an M.B.A. with distinction from Oxford, and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College. Placement: U.S. Department of State
Official Announcement: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/fellows/2011-2012
Hi Scholars,
Russell Dallen (MS ‘83), President and Editor-in-chief of the Latin American Herald Tribune, was interviewed on Fareed Zakaria GPS. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-epVSIbjMA
Sophie Rutenbar (TX '05), contractor for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, was interviewed on 702 Radio (a South African news and talk station) about daily life in Juba, South Sudan, since the country marked its independence on July 9. Audio: http://www.pod702.co.za/podcast/bestofredi/20110811BESTREDI.mp3.
Warwick Sabin (AR '97), Publisher of The Oxford American magazine, is running for the Arkansas State House of Representatives, District 33. Campaign Site: http://www.wsabin.org/
Ming-Jay Shiao (OH '06), solar markets analyst with Greentech Media Research, was recently quoted by The Guardian. Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/15/solar-powered-homes-us