Direct Relief International's Chief Operating Officer Annie Maxwell has been named by the German Marshall
Fund of the United States as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow for 2007, joining an elite group of 56 other emerging American leaders."We're obviously biased about the selection, but we
think the German Marshall Fund made a brilliant choice in picking Annie Maxwell for this prestigious honor," said Direct Relief CEO and President Thomas Tighe. "The important role of the
German Marshall Fellows will be well served by Ms. Maxwells exceptional talent, character, and leadership qualities."As part of the fellowship, Maxwell will spend 23 days in Europe visiting
institutions, societies, and cultures and learning about economic, political, and social issues facing the United States and Europe.American Marshall Memorial Fellows are selected through a
competitive nationwide process and come from politics, government, media, business, and the nonprofit sector. The international MMF program began in 1982, when the inaugural group of German MMFs
visited the United States. Fellows come from across the United States and from 21 European countries.Maxwell joined Direct Relief in 2002 as the chief policy analyst and subsequently led the
organization's strategic planning and communications efforts as chief of staff. She now serves oversees the day-to-day activities of the organization as the Chief Operating Officer.From August
2005 to October 2006, Maxwell served as the Partnerships and Outreach Officer for the United Nation's Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, led by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, where
she focused on environmental issues and the role of non-governmental organizations in the recovery effort.Maxwell is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of University of Michigan, which
she attended on a full athletic scholarship. She also earned her Master's degree in public policy from Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy while still captaining the University of
Michigan's women's Division I volleyball team.Maxwell serves on the Alumni Board of Governors at the Ford School and is a member of the founding Board of Directors for Wizzy Digital, a nonprofit
aimed at expanding the reach of the web in developing countries.
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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
