April 1, 2010

Dan Glickman to Chair U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Educational Arm

Ritu Sharma Named Executive Committee Chair; Mark Green and Ann Lewis Join Board

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) is pleased to announce Dan Glickman today as Chair of the Board of its educational arm, the Center for U.S. Global Leadership.  Secretary Glickman joins USGLC Honorary Chairman General Colin Powell, every living former Secretary of State and numerous other former cabinet secretaries and Members of Congress in lending his more than thirty years of government and public policy experience to the organization’s mission of educating Americans about the importance of development and diplomacy.

Ritu Sharma, President of Women Thrive Worldwide, is considered one of the premier leaders in the NGO community and will serve as the Executive Committee Chair, and former Congressman and Ambassador Mark Green and Ann Lewis will also join the Board.

“We are very pleased to have Dan Glickman’s leadership and guidance as the Chair of our education arm at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition,” said USGLC Executive Director Liz Schrayer.  “The vast experience of Dan, Ritu, Mark and Ann make them powerful additions to the board, and I look forward to working with them as we continue to demonstrate how important development and diplomacy are to our national security, economic prosperity and humanitarian values.”

As Chair of the Board, Secretary Glickman will provide oversight and direction to the Center for U.S. Global Leadership.  The organization develops dynamic programs in the nation’s capital and across the country to educate the American public about the importance of development and diplomacy.  Its signature Impact ’08 campaign during the 2008 Presidential election worked with the candidates of both major parties to endorse platforms that included greater engagement with the world.

New Board Member Biographies
Most recently, Secretary Glickman was named President of Refugees International.  He is the former Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. He served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until 2001, prior to which he represented the Fourth Congressional District of Kansas in Congress for 18 years.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Board of Friends of the World Food Program.

As Executive Committee Chair, Ms. Sharma will ensure the organization abides by the highest governance practices and fulfills its fiduciary responsibilities.  Sharma is the Co-founder and President of Women Thrive Worldwide, an advocacy group for women living in poverty. She is the author of An Introduction to Advocacy: A Training Guide, which has been translated into six languages. She served on the Board of Directors of InterAction and is a founding member of Pax World Mutual Funds Women’s Advisory Council.

Mark Green is the Director of the Malaria No More Policy Center, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and support for the global fight against malaria.  He served as U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania from August 2007 to January 2009.  He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, representing Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District.

Ann Lewis is President of The No Limits Foundation, an issue-based educational organization engaging American citizens on issues such as international and national women’s rights and security matters, health care reform, and economic and work-family policies.  She has served as an advisor to numerous political campaigns and appears regularly as a political commentator.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.

###