Contact: James Spiegelman
VP/Communications and Public Affairs
The Aspen Institute
202-736-3849
NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP LAUNCHES AT ASPEN INSTITUTE
The Aspen Institute, with support from the and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
promotes the next generation of global development leaders
WASHINGTON, DC, February 7, 2013 – The Aspen Institute today announced the creation of the New Voices Fellowship, a ground-breaking partnership focused on identifying the next generation of global development champions focused on issues affecting the developing world. Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the new $2.6 million initiative will be part of the Aspen Institute’s Global Health and Development (GHD) portfolio and will include specialized support, training, and technical assistance to elevate the stories, research and insights of fellows on global development issues on a variety of communications platforms.
“All too frequently the most powerful leaders and practitioners in the developing world do not have access to global communications platforms to tell their stories in their own words,” said GHD executive director Peggy Clark, who is also vice president of policy programs at the Aspen Institute. “These unsung heroes can bring “ground truth” to our development efforts and guide us to ever greater effectiveness and impact. Over the next few years donors and governments will make decisions to fund, or not fund, major investments in research, global health and sustainability. The New Voices fellows will give us insights into the most critical programs, solutions and innovations based on their own experiences and research. ”
The 12 Fellows selected each year will be experts in fields relating to global development, including global health and food security. Over the course of a year, the Fellowship will prepare and support Fellows to become recognized thought leaders, helping amplify their insights and ideas rooted in uncommon experience on the ground. They will be given training and support to speak at major events; write conversation-starting op-eds and think pieces for major outlets; and create catalytic social media platforms. The New Voices Fellowship initiative will produce a cohort of go-to, sought-after, new voices that, together, will articulate a fresh, collective vision for the future of the developing world.
The Aspen Institute is pleased to announce Andrew Quinn as the director of the New Voices Fellowship. Quinn comes to the Aspen Institute from Reuters where he served as the US foreign policy correspondent for Reuters and the lead at the State Department covering Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. Previously at Reuters, Quinn was political editor, Johannesburg Bureau Chief, and China correspondent. He was a global health fellow for the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. Quinn studied at Harvard University, the University of California, and Columbia University.
“Andrew brings nearly two decades of experience in global issues as a media leader, and a truly global network of contacts in media and development,” said Clark, “We are honored to have him join us to lead this important effort.”
Andrew Quinn added, “Fellows from the developing world will bring both their professional expertise and their personal stories to the conversation about global development, which will have a powerful impact. I am thrilled to be joining Aspen in helping to identify and amplify these important voices.”
Application to the Fellowship is by invitation only. The 2013-2014 Fellows will be announced in spring 2013.
The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
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