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2011 Top America Leaders

The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) and Washington Post Live recently honored their first selection of Top American Leaders at a sold-out forum in Washington, D.C. The group was chosen by a committee of esteemed leadership experts and practitioners, convened…

Teresa Ulloa Ziáurriz Wins 2011 Gleitsman International Activist Award

News & Events >> Press Releases

Lifelong advocate for women's rights to receive award at Nov. 1 ceremony

Looking ahead... Feb. 10

10 February 2012

Here's a look at our upcoming events...

2/11 — LAST DAY to register for HKS/HBS Social Enterprise Conference
2/16 — Conversation with the Rt. Hon. John Bercow
2/25–2/26 — HKS/HBS Social Enterprise Conference
3/2–3/3 — Gleitsman Social Change Film Forum (Save the Date!)
6/23–6/30 — Latino Leadership Initiative, cohort 3

And others of note from around the University and beyond...

2/13 — LAST DAY to enter the Dell Social Innovation Challenge
2/15 — "The Future of the Euro and the Role of Central Banks" (M-RCBG)
2/16 — Public Address by the Hon. Enda Kenny, Prime MInister of Ireland (IOP)
2/16 — "Clinical Trials: Is Corporate Sponsorship Compatible with Credibility?" (Safra)
2/17 — "Civility and American Democracy" (McCormack School at UMass Boston)
2/22 — Joseph Nye on "Presidents and the Transformation of American Foreign Policy" (Princeton)
2/27–3/2 — TED 2012
3/16 — LAST DAY to apply for MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
5/31–6/1 — 3rd Berlin Forum on Innovation in Governance (Technische Universität Berlin)
6/9 — Milken-Penn GSE’s 2nd Annual Education Business Plan Competition
6/11–6/12 — Personal Democracy Forum 2012
10/24–10/27 — 2012 ILA Conference

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Next Week: A Conversation with John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons

09 February 2012

CPL's George Program and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government invite you to:

LEADERSHIP IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT: A conversation with the Rt. Hon. John Bercow, MP
Speaker of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom

Moderated by Patrick Johnson, MPP1

Thursday, February 16th
11:45–1:00 p.m.

Darman Seminar Room, CPL
Harvard Kennedy School

RSVP required by 9 am on Monday, February 13th at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T3SPQVN

John Bercow is a British Member of Parliament and has been Speaker of the House of Commons since 2009, a role which sees him presiding over lively parliamentary debates as a neutral moderator. Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Speaker Bercow had a successful career as Shadow Minister in opposition to the Labour Government of Tony Blair, defying the Conservative leadership on several occasions and ultimately winning an award for Opposition MP of the Year. Speaker Bercow has also taught leadership, campaigning, and communication skills, both in Britain and in the US.

In this brown bag lunch, Speaker Bercow will discuss his thoughts on leadership, including the difficulties of leading debates in the House of Commons from a position of neutrality, and the trials and tribulations of leading from opposition in parliament.

More about the Speaker: The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker Bercow was elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons on 22nd June 2009. He is also President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK Branch), and Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He also serves as chair of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, and the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. The Speaker was elected as Member of Parliament for Buckingham in May 1997, with a majority of 12,386. In May 2005, the Speaker was re-elected with an increased majority of 18,129.The Speaker’s political interests include special educational needs, international development, human rights, and constitutional reform. He follows developments in the United States, Myanmar, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

For more ways to get involved with our center, please visit our HKS Student Resources page.

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TOMORROW: Lunch with Yohanan Plesner

09 February 2012

The HKS Israel Caucus and the Dubin Emerging Leaders Program invite you to:

FROM HARVARD TO THE KNESSET
A Conversation with Knesset Member Yohanan Plesner

Friday, February 10th
12:00–1:30 p.m.

Littauer Building, Room 382
Harvard Kennedy School

Lunch will be served

Harvard Kennedy School graduate and member of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) Yohanan Plesner will talk about his path to politics from the Kennedy School and his experience as the first Secretary General of the Kadima party in Israel.

For more ways to get involved with our center, please visit our HKS Student Resources page.

More about the speaker: Yohanan Plesner was born in 1972 and grew up in Jerusalem. Between 1989 and 1994, he served as a combatant and officer in Sayeret Matkal, the elite reconnaissance unit of the IDF General Staff. After completing his military service, Mr. Plesner attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he enrolled in the prestigious Amirim program for outstanding students and obtained a BA with distinction in Economics. Mr. Plesner then spent several years in the business world, first as a consultant to major financial corporations in the UK, and then as cofounder and manager of an international software company.

Returning to school, Mr. Plesner went to Harvard, where he obtained an MA in political economy and security studies from Harvard Kennedy School, and spoke regularly on behalf of Israel. Upon his return to Israel, Mr. Plesner assumed the position of Head of Special Projects in the Prime Minister's Office under then PM Ariel Sharon. When the Kadima Party was founded in early 2006, Mr. Plesner was appointed the first Secretary-General of the nascent party, and led the formation of its organizational infrastructure.

A Member of Knesset since 2007, Mr. Plesner is currently Deputy Chairman of the Kadima Faction. He is a member of both the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and of the Defense and Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Plesner serves as Chairman of the Israel-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association in the Knesset. He also founded the European Forum of the Knesset, a parliamentary group dedicated to improving relations between the Knesset and European legislators, and chairs the Knesset's permanent delegation to the Council of Europe. During his time in the Knesset, Mr. Plesner has spoken out on issues ranging from national security and electoral reform to preservation of the environment and excellence in education. He lives in Hod Hasharon with his wife Shimrit and his two daughters, Michaela and Ayala.

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Join One of the Winning Leadership Service Seminars

06 February 2012

Conversations that began a year ago to explore the creation of more experiential leadership opportunities for HKS students have led a pilot initiative called a Leadership Service Seminar. Two student-designed and -led projects were recently selected from a field of eight. Comprising an on-campus study group followed by a weeklong trip, and accommodating roughly a dozen students each, these two Leadership Services Seminars described below will take place this semester.

Health and Education in Rural New Mexico. Led by MPP1 students Lara Rosner and Mark Truman, this project will involve travel to several towns and Native American reservations in rural New Mexico to document the services provided by local schools, GEAR UP (a nonprofit that works to increase "postsecondary awareness and preparations among parents and students"), and the Indian Health Services. After interviewing key governmental and nonprofit leaders, participants will develop a policy guide that makes recommendations for improving the lives of rural families by creating greater synergies between existing educational and healthcare services.

The U.S.-Mexico Border: Policy Challenges and Responses. Led by MPP1 students Octavio González and Anya Malkov, this project will focus on the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region as a means of investigating a tangle of densely interwoven and politically divisive issues: immigration policy, globalization and international trade, domestic security and immigration enforcement, America's deportation and civil detention system, drug and human trafficking, federal and state coordination, as well as the challenges that local government and community leaders face in the border context.

Information session and online application

Both trips will be take place in May, between final exams and Commencement (May 11–May 20). Trip leaders will hold back-to-back information sessions for students interested in participating in either experience. Details below:

Thursday, February 9
Session 1: 12:00pm to 1:00pm, CPL Darman Seminar Room
Session 2: 1:00pm to 2:00pm, Littauer 280.

Background on the Leadership Service Seminar

Over the last six months, CPL's Student Advisory Board (SAB) has been working with the CPL, the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the Academic Dean to develop a pilot experiential public service leadership program for HKS. Similar to the Alternative Spring Break programs at many colleges throughout the U.S., including at Harvard, the Leadership Service Seminar idea adds a study group component: not only do student leaders design, build, and lead a one-week policy and service trip, they also work with faculty sponsors to equip participating students with new knowledge, skills, and networks within and outside HKS. Participating students build subject matter expertise in a U.S.-based policy issue while performing direct public service. The addition of such opportunities improves the life of the school by helping build community around the idea of service.

"Congratulations to Anya, Lara, Mark, and Octavio, and thank you everyone who submitted a proposal for a Leadership Service Seminar pilot," said SAB member Caroline Adler, one of the architects of the initiative. "We received eight excellent proposals—far more good ideas than we could accommodate in this first pilot year. Applicants didn’t enter into this selection process lightly: each proposal required significant time and careful thinking. I think this is a powerful testament to the vitality of our student body and its commitment to building experiential leadership and learning opportunities at HKS."

Chris Fortunato, Dean of Students, added: "This pilot initiative is a terrific example of the Kennedy School leveraging the talents and resources across our community (students, faculty, and staff within Degree Programs and in our centers) to advance important experiential learning opportunities for our students."

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