Calling Georgia's Best and Brightest

The Civic League for Regional Atlanta is accepting statewide nominations until June 1 for the 2013 Marshall Memorial Fellowship [MMF] - a unique international exchange program for emerging civic leaders.

   Georgia's fellows will join counterparts around the country on a mission to strengthen transatlantic cooperation.They also will join a list of prominent MMF alumni, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who was chosen as a fellow in 2000. 

    MMF "provided rare time to deeply explore Europe's successes and challenges and contemplate why they are relevant to our path in America," said Amir Farhoki, director of GeorgiaForward, a nonpartisan policy group working to engage leaders to solve some of the state's biggest challenges.

    "For me, the experience resulted in new relationships with other young American leaders and a rejuvenated sense of purpose and creativity in my work with GeorgiaForward," says Farhoki,  who was chosen for the program in 2011."One of my primary takeaways was that Atlanta and Georgia's challenges, when marked by weak collaboration and coordination, are often dwarfed by the historical, ethnic and geographic divides in Europe.  And, if we can work together as a region and a state, we have the opportunity to remain not just relevant but also remarkable in the 21st century."

    Sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship program gives participants a unique opportunity to explore institutions, politics, and culture across the Atlantic.  Fellows each visit five or six cities during the three-to-four-week travel program, meeting formally and informally with a range of policymakers, movers and shakers in business, government, political, nonprofit and media communities.

    Awarding more than 100 Fellowships nationwide each year, the MMF program has attracted nearly 2,000 of the best and brightest. Fellows are between the ages of 28 and 40 and involved in careers from all sectors, including politics, media, business, and nonprofit groups. The MMF’s aim is to create a diverse network of “transatlanticists” who remain engaged through annual conferences, meetings, online communications, and involvement in other GMF program areas.

    The Civic League for Regional Atlanta works with GMF to coordinate the selection process in Georgia, "because of the broad, complex perspective it affords those who will be leading metro Atlanta and Georgia in the decades to come. We also like that MMF recognizes the contributions that come from a variety of disciplines, including business, education, government, the nonprofit sector, journalism and the arts," says Civic League executive director Ellen Mayer.

    The Civic League will be accepting nominations until June 1. 

    Candidates for the program must be nominated by a former Marshall Memorial fellow or a recognized professional or community leader. For additional information, including eligibility criteria and nomination guidelines, visit the German Marshall Fund web site. For the Georgia nomination form, please click here.