Yale World Fellows this fall
President Richard C. Levin has announced the selection of the 2006 Yale World Fellows.
The Yale World Fellows Program -- the only program of its kind -- aims to build a global network of emerging leaders and to broaden international understanding. The program conducts a worldwide competition each year to select 18 highly accomplished men and women from diverse fields and countries for a four-month leadership program at Yale.
"The World Fellows Program is a crucial component of Yale's continuing globalization efforts," said Levin. "I look forward to welcoming this extraordinary new class of World Fellows to Yale."
Selected from outside the United States at an early mid-career point, World Fellows come from a range of fields, including government, business, media, non-governmental organizations, the military, religion and the arts. This year's World Fellows include the deputy chief executive officer (CEO) of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the minister of finance of Costa Rica, the director general of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, the managing partner of Vietnam's leading law firm and a top correspondent at Egypt's most widely read newspaper.
"The 2006 Yale World Fellows have a remarkable record of leadership and achievement," said Yale World Fellows Program Director Daniel C. Esty, the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale. "Most exciting is their potential for future leadership on the global stage. I am confident that the program will help them further develop that capacity."
These newest World Fellows were selected from a pool of 1,200 nominees from 136 different countries. A multi-level selection process narrowed the field to 100 short-listed candidates from which the 18 World Fellows were chosen, 10 of whom represent countries new to the program's network. Since its inception in 2002, 88 World Fellows from 61 different countries have been accepted to the program.
"I am honored to have been selected as a 2006 Yale World Fellow. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to engage Yale's resources and learn from the other fellows," said Jessica Faieta of Ecuador, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Mark Malloch Brown. "I know that the program will benefit both me and my work greatly."
From September to December, the 2006 World Fellows will engage in a specially designed seminar taught by some of Yale's most renowned faculty, take any of the 3,000 courses offered at the University, participate in weekly dinners with distinguished guest speakers, receive individualized skill-building training and meet with U.S. and foreign leaders. Past World Fellows have met with Kofi Annan, John Negroponte, Jeff Sachs, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Tom Friedman, among others.
The program covers all of the World Fellows' expenses -- tuition fees, housing, travel and health care -- and grants them a $30,000 living stipend. In addition, all World Fellows, both past and present, are invited to a biennial "Return to Yale" forum at which current and alumni fellows meet to build a global network of world leaders as well as renew their ties to Yale.
The Yale World Fellows Program has at its core three main goals: to provide advanced global leadership training to emerging leaders from a diverse set of fields and countries, to link these world leaders to each other and to Yale in a tangible way and to facilitate the internationalization of the University.
The 2006 Yale World Fellows are:
Getachew Alemu Ethiopia
Director General, Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office
Alemu, 42, is a driving force behind the development of the nation's intellectual property system. His innovative approach to using intellectual property rights to advance socioeconomic development in Ethiopia is recognized as having valuable applications across the African continent.
Xenofon Avlonitis Greece
Director, Department of Public Offerings, Hellenic Capital Market Commission
Avlonitis, 37, has been a crucial participant in the development of the newly established Hellenic Capital Market Commission, the Greek equivalent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He is responsible for the evaluation of public offerings for the Athens Stock Exchange as well as the monitoring of transparency requirements and coordination of IPO activities.
Mohamed Baba The Netherlands
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, MEX-IT Intercultural Management
Baba, 34, helps run MEX-IT, a consulting firm that works to overcome cultural barriers and promote successful integration of immigrant communities in Europe. Baba's initiative in generating dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims has been acknowledged as contributing to the prevention of violence in Amsterdam after the murder of film director Theo van Gogh.
Saleh Barakat Lebanon
Founder and Executive Manager,
Agial Art Gallery, Beirut
Barakat, 39, is a leading expert in contemporary Arab art. His work has created a market for contemporary Arab art worldwide. Barakat is currently developing an arts quarter in Beirut with the aim of establishing a financial and cultural center for Middle Eastern art.
Chantal Line Carpentier Canada
Head, Environment, Economy and Trade Program, North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
At the CEC, Carpentier, 39, negotiated the North American green purchasing initiative and secured a mandate to promote the development of renewable energy in North America.
Jessica Faieta Ecuador
Principal Officer, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations
Faieta, 42, is chief of staff to Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy secretary general of the United Nations. She is a key figure in developing and implementing reforms at the United Nations.
David Fuentes Costa Rica
Minister of Finance, Government of Costa Rica
In his term as minister of finance, and previously as vice minister, Fuentes, 36, negotiated significant fiscal reforms for his country.
Garentina Kraja Kosovo
Correspondent, Associated Press (AP)
Kraja, 28, is responsible for the AP's news operations in Kosovo. She was one of the first journalists to report on the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army and her subsequent reporting helped to limit reprisal attacks on the Serb minority by ethnic Albanians.
Massimo Lapucci Italy
Head, Mergers and Acquisitions, Ferrovie dello Stato Group
Ferrovie dello Stato is a holding company that includes the Italian railway system and has nearly 100,000 employees across the European Union. Lapucci, 37, is also chief adviser to the chief financial officer of the company.
Nicola Newton-King South Africa
Deputy CEO, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)
Newton-King, 40, led the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's initiative to develop the Socially Responsible Investment Index for the South African market and is responsible for negotiating and implementing the exchange's major corporate transactions.
Ngo Tung Vietnam
Managing Partner, VILAF Lawyers
VILAF is the leading law firm in Vietnam. Ngo, 37, is a strong advocate for an adversarial justice system and has pushed to adopt greater transparency and consistency in the application of law in Vietnam.
Imane Rtabi Morocco
Founder and Managing Director, Maghrebnet
One of the few female information technology (IT) entrepreneurs in her country, Rtabi has been instrumental in developing Morocco's IT infrastructure through her company, Maghrebnet.
Tomas Sedlacek Czech Republic
Adviser to the Minister of Finance, Government of the Czech Republic
Sedlacek, 29, began his career in politics as the economic adviser to then President Václav Havel. In his current post as adviser to the minister of finance of the Czech Republic, Sedlacek has drafted and implemented legislation to significantly reform his country's taxes, healthcare and pensions.
Igor Shevchenko Ukraine
Founder and Managing Partner, Shevchenko Didkovskiy & Partners Law Firm
Shevchenko, 35, helps head one of the leading law firms in Ukraine. He is also the founder and former president of the Ukrainian Bar Association, which represented President Victor Yushchenko in the legal battle that preceded his victory in the 2004 presidential elections.
Sem Shikongo Namibia
Chief Development Planner, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Government of Namibia
As head of the international environmental conventions unit, Shikongo, 34, coordinates and implements the country's obligations to multilateral environmental agreements. His work is seen as critical to sustainable development within Namibia and as a model for the rest of Africa.
Balázs Szekf Hungary
Adviser to Minister of Economy and Transport, Government of the Republic of Hungary
In his current post, Szekf, 34, forms policies and programs that foster scientific innovation throughout Hungary. He is also one of the country's best-known Internet entrepreneurs.
Oyungerel Tsedevdamba Mongolia
Former Adviser to the Prime Minister, Government of Mongolia
Tsedevdamba, 40, served as an adviser to Elbegdorj Tsakhia during his term as prime minister. One of her key roles in this position was to formulate and implement the government's strategy to combat corruption. Most recently, Tsedevdamba was instrumental in the adoption of a new law requiring increased female representation in the Parliament of Mongolia. She plans to run for parliament in the 2008 elections.
Ezzat Youssef Egypt
Deputy Head, Political Department, Al-Ahram
Youssef, 38, works for one of the most influential newspapers in the Middle East and the largest in Egypt. His objective reporting and analysis is considered a key part of the new wave of reformist journalism in Egypt.
Nominations to the 2007 Yale World Fellows Program are now being accepted online at www.yale.edu/worldfellows.
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