Representative Sara Gelser

   PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

December 20, 2010

Contact: Kris Skaro (503-986-1416)

Rep. Sara Gelser Awarded Marshall Memorial Fellowship:

Will participate in cross-Atlantic program sponsored by the German Marshall Fund

Rep. Sara Gelser (D- Philomath and Corvallis) was recently selected as a 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellow.  The Marshall Memorial Fellowship educates emerging American and European leaders on the importance of the transatlantic relationship, and facilitates collaboration on a range of international and domestic policy challenges. 

Gelser was recently re-elected to her third full term in the Oregon House, where she will serve as Deputy Democratic Whip for the 2011 session.  She also serves on the National Council on Disability, following her appointment to that post by President Barack Obama in March of this year.

“The Marshall Memorial Fellowship is a unique and rigorous opportunity to explore challenging domestic policy issues through an international lens,” said Gelser.  “I am grateful to be selected for this once in a lifetime opportunity, and look forward to building collaborative relationships with colleagues in business, government and the arts on both sides of the Atlantic.  I am especially interested in exploring European strategies to address human service, education and economic challenges.”

During her fellowship, Gelser will visit five European cities to learn about the institutions and people that drive Europe’s cities, regions, countries and multilateral systems.  The experience will be shaped by group and individual meetings with public, private and non-profit sector leaders in Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe.  Fellows will develop extensive knowledge of political, economic and social institutions and issues facing Europe.  Gelser’s cohort will travel in September and October of 2011.

Following their travel experience, Fellows continue to participate in an international network of business, government and policy leaders working to tackle some of the most challenging domestic and foreign policy issues.

Fellows are selected through a competitive nationwide process.  This year’s class includes 44 fellows from 16 states and the District of Columbia.  Program expenses are paid for through the Marshall Memorial Fellowship which was created by the German Marshall fund in 1982 to introduce a new generation of European leaders to America’s institutions, politics and people.  In 1999, GMF launched a companion program to expose emerging U.S. leaders to a changing and expanding Europe. 

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy and grant-making institution dedicated to promoting better understanding and cooperation between North America and Europe on transatlantic and global issues.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic sphere, by convening leaders and members of the policy and business communities, by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic topics, and by providing exchange opportunities to foster renewed commitment to the transatlantic relationship. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters inWashington, DC, GMF has six offices in Europe: Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, and Stockholm.

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