Press Release
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAN BUSINESS, LEGAL AND CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS STRENGTHEN THEIR REGIONAL NETWORK
May 26, 2008
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Alumni of two U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative programs meet for professional development and networking
Dead Sea, JORDAN--More than 250 of the Middle East and North Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs, lawyers, business and civil society leaders will convene at the Dead Sea in Jordan from June 9-11 to participate in a conference hosted by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). While in Jordan, these leaders will learn from experts’ wealth of knowledge, while providing opportunities to expand personal and professional networks.
The conference participants are drawn from alumni of two MEPI-funded programs designed to cultivate entrepreneurs and leaders. The Legal and Business Fellowship Program (LBFP) provides young women in business and law an opportunity to hone their skills in the U.S., gain experience, and advocate for an improved investment climate and legal reforms. The Middle East Entrepreneur Training (MEET) program provides intensive entrepreneurship and leadership training for prominent business and civil society leaders. Both programs select participants through competitive application processes in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
“The Middle East has an extraordinary and relatively untapped resource: young people. They are working to create more free and prosperous communities that will be a benefit for generations to come,” stated Kent Patton, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State. “We strongly support MEPI alumni and encourage them to utilize the skills that they learn from these events and from one other to become leaders of change in their communities.”
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to work with executive coaches and organizational specialists to further their skills, while learning from American and Middle Eastern experts. This joint alumni conference allows graduates of both programs the opportunity to share knowledge and make professional contacts from across the region. “Collectively, alumni of these programs include brilliant recent graduates and young professionals as well as successful executives and established leaders,” said Dr. Rob Fuller, director of entrepreneurial programs for the Beyster Institute at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management, which manages the MEET program. “This event offers opportunities to strengthen the networks among them and create valuable mentorships across the region.”
“It is gratifying to work on a program that is so strongly in tune with our mission,” added Kate Archambault, Vice President of Exchange Programs at AMIDEAST which manages the Legal and Business Fellows Program. “Through our efforts, we are supporting the success of these alumni of MEPI-funded programs who are already accomplishing great things, and we know we will hear about them for years to come through their continuing contributions to their work, their communities, and their societies.”
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The Middle East Partnership Initiative launched in 2002, serves as the principal U.S. Department of State initiative to foster democratic reform and the advancement of vibrant, prosperous societies in the Middle East and North Africa devoting more than $480 million to over 450 programs in 17 countries. More information is available at www.mepi.state.gov.
America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) is a private, nonprofit organization that strengthens mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. Learn more at www.amideast.org.
The Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego focuses on training, education and consulting to advance employee ownership and entrepreneurship worldwide. Visit www.beysterinstitute.ucsd.edu for more information.
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