HARRIET FULBRIGHT
Mrs. Harriet Fulbright was the President of the J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center, a non-profit organization that served to advance the work of Mrs. Fulbright’s late husband, Senator J. William Fulbright, and to continue her own life’s work.
Mrs. Fulbright has spent the majority of her adult life in the fields of education and the arts. From 1997 until 2000 she was the Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, whose mission is to encourage partnerships between the public and private sectors in order to enhance cultural life in America. Prior to this position she served as an ‘’Unofficial Ambassador’’ for the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program and in that capacity she traveled to numerous countries on all five major continents and all over the United States to speak about the importance of international education exchange and the pivotal role played by the Fulbright Program.
JOSEPH C. SHARPE JR.
Joseph C. Sharpe Jr. was appointed to the position of Director of the Economic Division of American Legion in April 2009. Prior to serving as Director, he served as Deputy Director of the Economic Division, Health Care Field Representative and Assistant Director of the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission.
He is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, where he earned a M.A. in International Relations and Economics. He also has two Graduate Certificates in International Business and Trade and Health Care Management from Georgetown University. Joseph also earned his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
In 1982, he entered the United States Army. After completing initial training at Ft. Sill, OK, and Ft. Sam Houston, TX, he served as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. He also served as a Mental Health Counselor in Ft. Benning, GA, worked as a Behavioral Science Research Specialist at the Walter Reed Institute of Research, Heidelberg, Germany, and was appointed as the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of Inpatient Social Work and Psychiatry Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC. In addition to his active duty service, Joseph is currently serving with the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve, Riverdale, MD, as the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Brigades Economics and Commerce Team.
DAVID SALTZMAN
David Saltzman is a principal member of Saltzman & Evinch, PLLC, which is based in Washington, DC. For nearly 20 years he has represented a variety of clients whose issues cross international borders.
He has litigated land claims stemming from the 1970’s war on Cyprus and is currently representing parties in claims extending back to World War I. He has represented parties in cases concerning terrorism as well. Among his matters were a series of cases seeking to legally protect the freedom of expression to hold and promote minority viewpoints in genuine historical controversies.
David has authored numerous papers and articles, including: “Ten Years of Litigation by Heirs of Ottoman Armenians for Unpaid Insurance Proceeds: An End in Sight” published in Fall 2011 issue of Middle East Critique. He also enjoys public speaking and has lectured at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center regarding the Turkish judicial system. He is currently writing a paper on state succession and international responsibility.
Prior to forming Saltzman & Evinch, Mr. Saltzman was an associate in the New York office of Chadbourne & Parke LLP. Mr. Saltzman received his Juris Doctor degree from Washington & Lee University and conducted his Bachelor’s studies at the College of William & Mary in Virginia and the Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France.
JOSHUA W. WALKER
Dr. Walker is a perpetual bridge-builder, citizen diplomat, partnership champion, trained academic and unrepentant global enthusiast passionate about international affairs with a specialization in the Middle East and East Asia. He currently serves as the Vice-President of Global Programs at APCO Worldwide in the Office of the CEO and is also a Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, DC. As a proud Virginian by heritage, Japanese by upbringing, and Turk in spirit Joshua is a proud American global citizen by choice.
Prior to the private sector Dr. Walker served in a variety of roles and levels as a senior advisor to the U.S. government. He most recently was at the U.S. Department of State in Secretary Kerry’s Office of the Chief Economist until 2013 and prior to this appointment from 2012 he served in Secretary Clinton’s Global Partnership Initiative as Senior Advisor on the Middle East and North Africa. He has also previously worked for at the U.S. Embassy Ankara, the Turkish Desk of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department, and for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the U.S. Department of Defense. Before his government service, Dr. Walker was an academic and think-tanker bridging the theoretical and policy worlds since his earliest days of growing up in Japan and pursuing a Fulbright fellowship in Turkey.
He earned his Ph.D. in Politics and Public Policy with a specialization on international relations and security studies at Princeton University. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations from Yale University, a Bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond and speaks both Japanese and Turkish fluently.
SHIZUMI SHIGETO MANALE
Shizumi is a Japanese contemporary dancer, performing artist, choreographer, director, author, and film producer born in Hiroshima and raised in Osaka, Japan. She worked with Maestro Placido Domingo on the Washington Opera’s 2011 performance at the Kennedy Center of Madame Butterfly. She danced and lectured at the Smithsonian Institution for President Obama’s 2009 Inauguration. Her foundation Kodomo Dance Troupe performed before President and Mrs. Clinton at the White House Millennial Celebrations in 2000.
Most recently, Shizumi has been working with the Roundhouse Theater on Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. Her documentary film for PBS Television 'Geisha: An Artist’s Journey' has aired frequently since 2007 and was selected for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2008 and National Geographic Society’s International film festival in 2008. Her play, 'White Frost Falling', was performed at The Fringe Performing Arts Festival in Scotland in 2005 and shown on a BBC television documentary. Her Japanese language children’s book '48 Colors of Dreams' was published in Hiroshima in 2012 and 2013; copies are distributed to schools and libraries in the Hiroshima region. Her latest documentary 'Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard' has screened at Hiroshima Peace & Culture Museum, the U.S. Embassy /Consulate in Japan, University of California Berkley, Ritsumeikan University in Japan, the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Embassy of Japan in the United States, Kean University in New Jersey, the Embassy of the United State in Japan and Jochi University in Tokyo.
She has received numerous awards for her works, including the California and Maryland Governor Award, State Montgomery County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Outstanding Artist and Scholar Award and National Cable TV’s ACE award for excellence in dance theater arts.
FELLOWS
HANWOONG KIM
Korea Representative
YUNUS CETINKAYA
Director, Turkey
NICOLE KIM
Marketing Coordinator
SU KARAGOZ
Project Associate
KENDALL HANKINS
Academic Coordinator
BOHYUNG CHOI
Event Specialist