Region Triangle Region hosts Eisenhower Fellows to expand global connections
November 16, 2006
RTRP Report
Research Triangle Region, N.C. – The Research Triangle Region hosted about 20 Eisenhower Fellows from Asia in October to learn more about how the region approaches economic development, education, corporate responsibility and governance.
This week, Eisenhower Fellows from the region travel to Philadelphia for a national fellows event and will serve on panels discussing issues of global competitiveness.
These are two of the latest opportunities the program has provided to help regional business and community leaders expand their global connections.
“The Eisenhower Fellows program is a rare opportunity to connect with people from around the world who can learn more about our region and teach us about theirs,” said Ted Abernathy, chief operating officer for the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) and president of the regional Research Triangle Fellowship Alumni group.
“RTRP views these activities as important components of our overall strategy to brand the region globally,” he said. “By increasing global leaders’ knowledge about our region, we can create better provide opportunities for economic exchange.”
The Research Triangle Region is home to 29 Eisenhower Fellows. The fellowship program, begun in 1953, provides opportunities for individuals from a variety of countries and professional fields to exchange ideas and experiences, build relationships with each other and foster mutual understanding. About 1600 fellows from 106 countries have participated in Eisenhower Fellowships since its founding.
Abernathy, a fellow since 2001, spent his six-week fellowship in Ireland learning more about that country’s economic development strategies. Since then, Abernathy has participated in events worldwide, helping build relationships that support mutually beneficial economic activity.
The region’s alumni group in October hosted 20 fellows from several northeast Asian countries, including Japan and China, in October. Both Japan and China are of interest to regional officials seeking to expand business investment between Asia and the region.
Local Eisenhower Fellows hosted panels to showcase the region’s approach to economic development, education, corporate responsibility and governance. Among them were Jean Davis of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Kathy Higgins, president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, Tony Habit, president of the North Carolina New Schools Project, Joan Myers, president of North Carolina Technology Association, and Anita Brown Graham, recently named director of the Emerging Issues Institute.
Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain and RTRP Past Board Chair Jim Roberson spoke to the group about the cooperation between government, business and higher education.
Abernathy and two other regional fellows are participating this week in Philadelphia in an Eisenhower event focused on “Leadership in Global Competitiveness.” At that event, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will be installed as the new Eisenhower Fellowship board chair.
Abernathy will moderate a panel that includes regional fellows Wendell McCain of Parish Capital Advisors and Beau Mills of the Metropolitan Coalition along with Asian fellows from business and the media. Topics of discussion include the competition for knowledge workers and the growing urban-rural divide that exists in all developed countries.
For more information, contact Abernathy at tabernathy@researchtriangle.org or (919) 840-7372 ext. 14.