Aspen Institute Names 24 Top Young Elected Officials to Its First Class of Aspen-Rodel Fellows
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following an eight-month search involving input from more than 1,400 business, political, and civic leaders, the Aspen Institute has selected 24 of the nation’s top young elected officials for a new fellowship program honoring public leaders the Institute has identified as “the true rising stars” of American politics.
The 24, drawn from the ranks of federal, state, and local governments, and representing 20 states, will form the inaugural two-year class of the Aspen-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership, designed to bring together “the very best of the nation’s emerging leaders” to discuss broad issues of democratic governance and effective public service.
“We are committed to getting past the narrow partisanship of contemporary politics and rebuilding a tradition of thoughtful dialogue and political civility,” said the program’s director, former US Congressman Mickey Edwards.
In a joint statement, Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson and Rodel Foundation spokesman and Institute trustee, William D. Budinger, the fellowship program’s chief source of inspiration, described the new program as “a serious effort to bring together, in one place, without partisan considerations, the brightest, most thoughtful, and most promising of America’s young leaders.”
“All 24 of these young men and women have reputations for intelligence, thoughtfulness, and the ability to work effectively across party lines,” Edwards said. “The common denominator is that they are among the young officials most likely to achieve even higher positions of public responsibility in the years ahead. They truly represent America’s next generation of political leaders.”
The 24 Fellows include:
Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson; Warwick, Rhode Island, Mayor Scott Avedisian; Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren; Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning; Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan; Louisiana State Representative Karen Carter; Alabama Congressman Artur Davis; Arizona State Senator Gabrielle Giffords; Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson; Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins; New Jersey State Senator Thomas Kean, Jr.; Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk; Florida Congressman, Kendrick Meek, Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller, and New York City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz.
Also, Minnesota State Representative Erik Paulsen; Montgomery County, Maryland, Council President Tom Perez; Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff; Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan; Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele; Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck; Colorado State Senator Jennifer Veiga; and New Mexico Congresswoman Heather Wilson.
The Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership seeks to enhance our democracy by identifying and bringing together the nation’s most promising young political leaders to explore, though study and conversation, the underlying values and principles of western democracy, the relationship between individuals and their community, and the responsibilities of public leadership; to support and inspire political leaders committed to sustaining the vision of a political system based on thoughtful and civil bipartisan dialogue; and to help America’s brightest young leaders achieve their fullest potential in public service.
For additional information concerning the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership, please contact Ms. Amy Grossman at 202-736-5853 or at amy.grossman@aspeninst.org.
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U.S. Newswire
To: National Desk
Contact: James Spiegelman of The Aspen Institute, 202-736-3849
