The City of Monroe proudly hosted seven members of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship program today, Oct. 25, at Monroe City Hall. The seven European fellows included Anna Ingrisch Krasnik (Denmark), Dumitru Svinarenco (Moldova), Kalli Giannelos (France), Mihnea Samoila (Romania), Nikos Kakavoulis (Greece), Raphael Chevrier (France), and Sara Pietryszyk (Poland).
Mayor Marion L. Holloway, Jr. welcomed the fellows with some opening remarks before a presentation by City staff. City Attorney S. Mujeeb Shah-Khan, who is a 2008 alumnus of the program, gave an overview of the City of Monroe and how the City has handled recent exponential growth. That was followed by a panel discussion on Monroe’s growth with Chris Platé, Executive Director of the Union County Economic Development Commission, and Lisa Stiwinter, Planning Director for City of Monroe. Rob Miller, Energy Services Director, then gave a presentation on Monroe’s success in delivering energy to its citizens.
“It was an honor to host these leaders, all from diverse European nations, and exchange ideas in our proud city. The conversations we had today were very meaningful, enlightening and productive. I’d like to thank the staff who organized this visit and came well prepared to answer all kinds of questions about the City. We are so grateful for this unique opportunity,” Mayor Marion L. Holloway, Jr. said.
The City of Monroe invited special guests from Union County Public Schools to speak about academic programming and partnerships. Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan, Assistant Superintendent of Communications and Community Relations Tahira Stalberte and General Counsel Michele Morris held a round-table discussion on public education, safety and accountability. That was followed by presentations on Monroe’s success in delivering water/sewer to its citizens by Scott Clark, Water Resources Director; Rich Riser, Water Resources Engineering Manager; Amy Cook, Water Resources System Engineer; and Kyle Ketchum, Wastewater Treatment Superintendent.
The fellows were then treated to a working lunch accompanied by more discussion about the differences between the United States and Europe. Mayor Holloway invited them to take a group picture in the City Council Chambers, where they surprised the mayor with a gift. Fellow Raphael Chevrier presented the mayor with a hat from his company, Arianespace, based in Caen, France.
The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) is The German Marshall Fund’s (GMF) flagship leadership development program created in 1982 to introduce a new generation of European leaders to the United States, and it now includes leaders from the U.S. traveling to Europe. The program relies on six months of distance learning and 24 days of first-hand experience to facilitate knowledge and network development for effective transatlantic engagement. The MMF alumni network numbers more than 2,500 leaders. Their transatlantic engagement continues throughout their careers with GMF alumni projects, seminars and major events.