The Fall 2015 Group of Rumsfeld Fellows Complete Program in Washington, D.C. The Fall 2015 group of Fellows from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and Mongolia completed a six- week program of high- level meetings and research in Washington, D.C. from September 29 to November 6, 2015. The group included Mr. Azizuddin Jalal (Afghanistan), Chief Operating Officer of Arrow General Supplies Co., Ltd in Kabul; Mr. Parwiz Kawa (Afghanistan), Editor- in- Chief of Hasht e Subh Daily, the leading and largest independent newspaper in Afghanistan; Mr. Shoaib Rahim (Afghanistan), Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defense on administrative issues and finance; Mr. Giorgi Pertaia (Georgia), Director of the National Investment Agency; Ms. Saule Imanova (Kazakhstan), Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation in Almaty; Dr. Roman Vakulchuk (Kazakhstan), Co- Founder and Country Director for Kazakhstan at the Central Asian Development Institute and a Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; Mr. Aibek Djangaziev (Kyrgyzstan), Owner and CEO of Egoist Group, which operates restaurants and fashion shops in Kyrgyzstan; Mr. Naidalaa Badrakh (Mongolia), CEO and Secretary- General of the Mongolian Bankers Association and Chairman of the Policy and Research Academy of the National Labor Party of Mongolia; Major Bayasgalan Lkhagvasuren (Mongolia), desk officer at the Ministry of Defense; Mr. Almaz Saifutdinov (Tajikistan), Economic/Commercial Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan; Ms. Larisa Agiarova (Turkmenistan), First Deputy Director of the General Electric International Inc. Branch in Turkmenistan; Mr. Bahtiyor Mirzabaev (Uzbekistan), Planning Executive at KNOC Ferghana Operating Company, an Uzbek subsidiary of Korea National Oil Corporation; and Ms. Hilola Suleymanova (Uzbekistan), Founder and Managing Partner at DaVinci Solutions, a human capital consulting company. Fellows with Don and Joyce Rumsfeld and Dr. S. Frederick Starr at the Final Dinner The group had an intensive schedule of group meetings with representatives of the U.S. Administration, the U.S. Congress, the Judiciary, business community, media, think tanks, academia, and NGOs, as well as attended conferences, seminars, and workshops at various institutions that helped them understand how opinion making and policy making work in Washington, D.C. The Fall 2015 group met with former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich; former Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen; former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao; former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski; former President of the World Bank Group Robert Zoellick; former Commander of the U.S. 5 th Fleet Admiral Timothy Keating, as well as with members of the current Administration including representatives of the Departments of State, Defense and many others. 1
Fellows with Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives In addition, the group had the opportunity to meet with such business leaders as Founder and Chairman of Thayer Lodging Group Fred Malek; Chairman of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute and Founder and President of ConantLeadership Doug Conant; Co- Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Blue Star Strategies, LLC Sally Painter; Founding Principal of Navigators Global LLC Cesar Conda; Founder and CEO of New Magellan Ventures Richard Lawless; Vice President for International Governmental Affairs of Ford Motor Company Stephen Biegun, and Vice President for Global Security Policy of Lockheed Martin Corporation Daniel Fata. Fellows with William S. Cohen, President of the Cohen Group and former Secretary of Defense 2
They also met with representatives of the media including Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Post Fred Hiatt; Executive Chairman of C- SPAN Brian Lamb; CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper; American journalist and author Cokie Roberts; and BBC Anchor and Correspondent Laura Trevelyan. Fellows with Brian Lamb, Executive Chairman of C- SPAN From various think tanks, non- profits and other organizations, the Fellows had interesting sessions with individuals such as President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Dr. John Hamre; Member of the Board Directors of the Rumsfeld Foundation Dr. Stephen Cambone; President of the Halifax International Security Forum Peter van Praagh; CEO of the International Executive Service Corps Ambassador Tom Miller; President and CEO of Mary's Center and recipient of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal Maria Gomez; President and CEO of TechNet Linda Moore and CEO of Christie Strategies Ron Christie, as well as visited the National Defense University (NDU) at Fort McNair for a series of meetings with NDU representatives including Commandant of the National War College Brigadier General Darren Hartford. Fellows with Robert Zoellick, Chairman of Goldman Sachs International Advisors and former President of the World Bank Group 3
Since the fall of 2011, the Rumsfeld Fellowship has partnered with the Open World Program to organize local programs with host communities outside of Washington, D.C. to help demonstrate American democracy on the grassroots level, how business and government work on the local level and how people are empowered to take responsibility for themselves and others in their community. This fall the fellows traveled to Charleston, South Carolina and Fort Worth, Texas. The entire group then traveled to Austin, Texas where the highlights of the program included a luncheon with STRATFOR leadership and analysts and visits to the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin and the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. Fellows with STRATFOR leadership and analysts in Austin, Texas In the final week of their program, the Fellows gave a presentation at the Central Asia- Caucasus Institute, SAIS on their chosen topic of Bringing CAMCA in from the Cold: Possible Scenarios. Fellows with Stephen Biegun, Vice President of International Governmental Affairs of Ford Motor Company 4
Fellows with Doug Conant, Chairman of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute Shoaib Rahim: The Rumsfeld Fellowship not only immensely increased my knowledge about Washington, but also introduced me to a group of talented and highly motivated peers from other CAMCA countries who will all play a role in changing the future of our region. I consider the time spent during this Fellowship as the greatest investment in my personal growth. Fellows with Daniel Fata, Vice President for Global Security Policy, Europe and the Americas, Lockheed Martin Corporation 5
Fellows with Admiral Timothy Keating, former Commander of Carrier Group Five, the U.S. 5 th Fleet, the U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, and the U.S. Pacific Command Roman Vakulchuk: While short- term in duration, the program is long- lasting in terms of influence and impact on its participants. It not only provides unbelievable opportunities to meet and learn from outstanding people in the U.S., but more importantly, it fosters a regional network of leadership that will ultimately develop much needed cooperation in our part of the world. Fellows with Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Labor Parwiz Kawa: Whether you want to learn how politics works in Washington, build your network, or experience American culture - there is a one- stop- shop to turn such dreams into reality and it is the Rumsfeld Fellowship! 6
Hilola Suleymanova: It is an intensive, fast- paced program that gives participants the unique opportunity to meet and network with outstanding people in the United States, as well as with future leaders of the CAMCA region, while at the same time helping you discover your own hidden potential. Naidalaa Badrakh: This program provides an excellent snapshot of how the United States system works and will assist our new generation of young leaders in the CAMCA region in creating the best suited systems in our own countries. Fellows with Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Almaz Saifutdinov: I couldn't agree more with a comment from one of our speakers that the Rumsfeld Fellowship is a highly condensed six week program on international relations, politics and security that in its scope is equivalent to a year- long Masters Degree program. Bahtiyor Mirzabaev: The entire six week experience has been enjoyable, insightful and enlightening. It was refreshing to attend such a stimulating and comprehensive program that was focused around participation and active learning. The next group of Fellows will visit Washington, D.C. from March 29 to May 6, 2016. The winners of the Rumsfeld Fellowship Program for spring 2016 will be announced in late February of 2016. 7