A pioneer in energy efficiency will develop affordable energy solutions. A financial leader will encourage expanded entry into agricultural business. An artificial intelligence specialist will build an entrepreneurship bridge from China to Silicon Valley.
Innovators among peers, they are just three of the nine government, private sector and civil society leaders from the United States selected for Eisenhower Fellowships 2018 Zhi-Xing China Eisenhower Fellowship Program.
For four weeks, from June 2 until June 29, nine Eisenhower Fellows will travel throughout China, pursuing individual projects and engaging in transformative exchanges of knowledge and ideas with leading thinkers in their respective fields. Their program will begin in Beijing with robust cultural immersion training and exposure. The Fellows will embark on a customized program in three to four cities meeting with top leaders in their fields concluding in Shanghai to share key takeaways.
General Colin L. Powell (USA, Retired), Chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships, noted the diverse and dynamic backgrounds of the new Fellows and welcomed them to the EF program. “We are pleased to provide this group of exceptional American young leaders the unique opportunity to meet with influential leaders across the world to expose them to new ideas, grow professionally and enhance international understanding,” General Powell said.
Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, Vice Chair of the EF Board of Trustees, noted that this year’s group of Fellows advances the organization’s emphasis on increasing the number of American leaders exposed to the world beyond our shores. “These influential young U.S. leaders will return home to have a real impact in their fields and in their communities after a transformational fellowship experience overseas,” Gov. Whitman said. “We look forward to welcoming them into the Eisenhower Fellowships global network of dynamic doers.”
The 2018 Zhi-Xing China Eisenhower Fellows are:
Bill Davis
Director, Energy Efficiency & Renewables, Ameren Missouri
St. Louis, MO
Katherine Fritsch
Director of Marketing, The Hive
San Francisco, CA
Tyrone Grandison
Founder, The Data-Driven Institute
Seattle, WA
Ryan Richardson
Executive Director, J.P. Morgan
London, UK
Anthony Shop
Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Social Driver
Washington, D.C.
Patrick Schaefer
Executive Director, Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness
El Paso, TX
Laura Taylor-Kale
International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Washington, D.C.
Krishna Walker
Managing Director, Closing Manager, Rabo AgriFinance
St. Louis, MO
Adam Zuckerman
Director, Ventures & Innovation, Discovery Communications
Washington, D.C.
Since 1999, Eisenhower Fellowships has sent over 300 U.S. citizens and permanent residents abroad. The recruitment and selection of EF’s Zhi-Xing China Eisenhower Fellows was supported by seven steering committees around the United States–Philadelphia, Boston, Raleigh-Durham, St. Louis, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago–composed of local leaders and Fellows who embody the organization’s principles. The 2019 application cycle will open in June 2018.
Successful candidates for EF programs are exceptional leaders eager to advance their personal and professional growth who can articulate how the fellowship will serve them to produce impactful change. Eisenhower Fellows commit to lifelong engagement with the organization and its nearly 1,600 active Fellows around the world. Fellows apply what they learn from their peers and in their meetings with experts in their respective fields to maximize their potential and produce sustained impact through their fellowship experience and collaboration within the EF global network.
