YFU USA WELCOMES FOUR NEW TRUSTEES

 Newly elected leaders bring diversity of experience, wide-ranging philanthropic knowledge to role as stewards of intercultural understanding

 

Bethesda, MD (February 20, 2014) – Youth For Understanding USA (YFU) has announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Trustees.

Learn more about the new trustees below and visit http://yfuusa.org/about-yfu/leadership.php to view the bios of YFU USA’s entire Board.
 

Ambassador Laurie S. Fulton – Laurie Fulton is a Partner at Williams & Connolly LLP, having re-joined the firm after serving as US Ambassador to Denmark (2009 to 2013). She represents clients in civil litigation, government investigations, and white-collar criminal defense. As Ambassador, she co-founded Green Partnerships for Growth, a public-private network of Danish and US businesses in the sustainable energy and green technology sectors. Ambassador Fulton organized and co-hosted the Conference on the Role of Women in Global Security for the US and Nordic-Baltic countries in October 2010. She was a Member of the Board of Directors of the US Institute of Peace (2000-2004).  She earned a JD from Georgetown Law and a BA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Among other awards, she is the recipient of the Pioneering Peace Builder Award by the National Peace Foundation (2002) and the Grand Cross of the Danish Royal Order of Dannebrog (2013).
 

Jennifer N. Sigler – Jennifer Sigler is the Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer at the GlobalGiving Foundation, a nonprofit providing charitable support equivalent to that of a $600M-endowed foundation, with partners across 140 countries. Sigler is responsible for the overall functioning and efficiency of the organization, including oversight of finance, human resources, business intelligence and governance. Previously, Sigler served as the Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of a youth entrepreneurship nonprofit, BUILD, helping students from under-resourced communities start their own small businesses and gain acceptance into college. Sigler’s other professional experience includes work in the private sector as a Marketing Analyst/Programer at Time Warner, Inc. and Management Consulting for IBM. She holds an MBA and M.Ed from Stanford and a BS from James Madison University. She is a YFU alumnus and one of 12 people selected nationwide as a 2012 American Express/Independent Sector Next Generation Leadership Fellow.

James E. Waslawski – James Waslawski has dedicated nearly 20 years to educating young minds. In 2010, he was selected from among 1,300+ principals in New York to serve as a Representative of the New York City Department of Education to the NY State Board of Regents Special Committee on Teacher and Principal Evaluations. Waslawski spent 8 years as the Principal for Captain Manuel Rivera Jr. School in the Bronx and in fall 2013 opened New Directions Secondary School, New York City’s first 6th to 12th grade program designed for over-aged learners seeking a new opportunity to complete high school. Outside of the NYC school system, he has also served as a Community Organizer and as a Peace Corps Teaching Fellow, in Detroit, Michigan, as well as a Peace Corps Volunteer to the Central African Republic. Waslawski holds an MA in Education from the University of Michigan and a BA in Economics from Kalamazoo College.

Ambassador Laurence Wohlers – Laurence Wohlers served as the US Ambassador to the Central African Republic from August 2010 through August 2013. Prior to that appointment, he was the Senior Advisor for International Activities at The Smithsonian Institution, Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Mission to the European Union and Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Moscow. Wohlers received an MS from the National War College and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis.

“YFU is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of Trustees to provide oversight and leadership to our mission,” said Michael E. Hill, President & CEO of YFU. “The addition of Ambassadors Fuller and Wohler, Jen Sigler and James Waslawski bring key strengths in international relations, strategic planning, educational leadership and civic engagement to an already outstanding Board of Trustees. We are grateful for their willingness to serve in this important capacity as YFU launches a dynamic vision for its future.”

Photos Available:

• Ambassador Laurie S. Fulton
• Jennifer N. Sigler
• James E. Waslawski
• Ambassador Laurence Wohlers