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.

As the capstone of their program, each CAMCA Fellowship cohort delivers a presentation addressing timely regional issues at a Central Asia-Caucasus Institute forum attended by professionals from local embassies, think tanks, the Hill and more.

We are delighted to share in this blog post about a recent unique crossover experience between our Graduate Fellowship and CAMCA Fellowship programs this past fall.

This fall, the Foundation was pleased to recognize an alumnus who represents the next generation of civic-minded leaders. We were delighted to award the 2023 Alumni of the Year Award to Dr. Ben Judge!