The University announced the names of the 15 World Fellows for the 2010-’11 school year. The program brings mid-career professionals from abroad to live at the University and audit Yale classes while receiving training specific to their careers and interacting with members of the Yale community. The program received nearly 1,500 applicants this year. While the University used to accept 18 fellows each year, the 2009-’10 class was reduced to 15 in response to budget cuts. The program was founded in 2006 with the goal of providing training to future world leaders and increasing international understanding at Yale.
May Tony Akl (Lebanon)
Foreign Press Secretary, Office of MP Michel Aoun
Akl advises former Prime Minister Aoun, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement and the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc. She is a founding member of the Free Patriotic Movement.
Subhashini Chandran (India)
CEO, Woodbriar Group; Managing Director, Tea Estates India Ltd.
Chandran, a business and social entrepreneur, owns and manages the largest privately owned tea plantation business in India, with diversified interests in insurance services and real estate.
Lumumba Di-Aping (Sudan)
Deputy Permanent Representative, Sudan Mission to United Nations
A diplomat and chief negotiator on financial and economic affairs, Di-Aping represented developing countries as chairman of the Group of 77 and China at the recent Copenhagen climate change conference.
Ana Hernandez (Mexico)
Founder, Collective for an Integrated Drug Policy
Hernandez is a leading advocate for drug policy reform in Mexico. She was formerly Deputy Director of the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center.
Sergey Lagodinsky (Germany)
Fellow, Global Public Policy Institute
An expert on German foreign policy, transatlantic relations, global security and international law, Lagodinsky is also lead spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Berlin and the Jewish Caucus of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Fares Mabrouk (Tunisia)
Founder and CEO, Viamobile
A successful business entrepreneur in mobile banking and oil logistics, Mabrouk is also founder of the Arab Policy Institute, the first “think and action tank” dedicated to nurturing democracy in Tunisia.
Kala Mulqueeny (Australia)
Senior Counsel, Asian Development Bank
Mulqueeny is an environment and energy lawyer and a lecturer at the University of the Philippines Law College. She leads work on environmental courts, sustainable electricity and water regulation, and carbon capture and storage regulation in Asia, and initiated a post-tsunami governance and legal aid project in Sri Lanka.
Alexey Navalny (Russia)
Founder, Minority Shareholders Association
Navalny spearheads legal challenges on behalf of minority shareholders in large Russian companies. He is also co-founder of the Democratic Alternative movement.
Wolfgang Proissl (Germany)
Brussels Bureau Chief, Financial Times Deutschland
A champion of European integration, Proissl has been responsible for defining the editorial line on European affairs and global governance for the Financial Times Deutschland and its affiliated news magazines. A reporter, editorialist, and frequent television commentator, he helps shape public opinion on European issues.
Marvin Rees (United Kingdom)
Director, The Bristol Partnership
A BBC Radio talk show host and member of the National Community Forum, Rees is a leading voice on race relations and race equality in Great Britain.
Azizullah Royesh (Afghanistan)
Founder & Director, Marefat High School
Royesh, a former mujahideen resistance fighter, is now a leading advocate for equal access to primary and secondary education, directing a school for 3,500 Hazara minority students in Afghanistan.
Ricardo Teran (Nicaragua)
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Agora Partnerships
A successful businessman, Teran promotes development of “social impact entrepreneurs” by helping to start and grow companies in Latin America.
Diana Tsui (Hong Kong)
Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and CEO of the KPMG Foundation
As the creator of KPMG’s corporate social responsibility strategy, Tsui leads programs with a special focus on education and sustainable development. She was previously a Managing Director of Mercy Corps and the Head of Community Affairs in the Asia Pacific region for Nike.
Thembi Xulu (South Africa)
Medical Director, Right to Care
Dr. Xulu leads technical operations and provides strategic direction for Right to Care, the largest NGO in South Africa engaged in delivery of care for people living with HIV/AIDS, TB, and other health conditions.
Arif Zamhari (Indonesia)
Senior Advisor, Nahdlatul Ulama
A rising leader of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia (some 40 million members), Zamhari promotes moderate and progressive Islam. He is involved in Track II diplomacy through leadership of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars Forum.