For this post in our Service Series, we were pleased to interview Sheriff Almakki, one of our 2023 Graduate Fellows, who recently joined the U.S. State Department as a newly minted Foreign Affairs Officer. We asked Sheriff to reflect on his journey to public service, including his graduate education at the University of Michigan, his longtime interest in refugee affairs, and the impact of his experience within our Graduate Fellowship Network on his professional development. 

This September, a delegation of women representing the CAMCA Network visited The United Arab Emirates to advance the network’s connections with the UAE business community and to attend the 2024 WE EMPOWER Summit organized by the U.S. Embassy in the UAE.  The delegation was initiated and organized by longtime CAMCA Network member, Nazira Beishenalieva, a current resident of Dubai, and a native of the Kyrgyz Republic.

This fall, the Foundation was pleased to recognize an alumna who has exhibited extraordinary intellectual ability, integrity, and leadership in public service. We were delighted to award the 2024 Alumna of the Year Award to Dr. Meg Reiss.

This year marks the notable 10^th anniversary of the inception of the CAMCA Regional Forum. Established as a platform for region-wide conversations on advancing economic and social growth and development, the Forum has fostered dialogue among leaders working across all sectors in the 10 countries of the CAMCA region and beyond. Over the last decade, the Forum has been held in eight major cities in the region as well as in Washington, D.C., building significant relationships with international leaders and influencers and earning its reputation as a premier and unique regional convening.

This spring, a partner entity of the Rumsfeld Foundation, The Institute of World Politics (IWP), hosted a reception honoring its founder, Dr. John Lenczowski, for his far-reaching impact across IWP’s community and his distinguished career in public service. The Foundation has been fortunate to benefit from Dr. Lenczowski’s dedicated service as an Adviser to our Graduate Fellowship Program for more than a decade and, throughout that time, to have supported 13 impressive IWP graduate scholars who are committed to public service. 

We are pleased to provide an update on the National Defence Academy of Georgia’s Rumsfeld Stipend and its recipients. Established in 2022 by the Georgian alumni of our CAMCA Fellowship Program, the Rumsfeld Stipend supports outstanding cadets at the National Defence Academy in Georgia – recognizing them as rising leaders and providing them with mentorship, international exposure and access to new educational opportunities.