Marshall Memorial Fellowship for Board Member Zithri Ahmed Saleem

| By: Committee for Children

Zithri Ahmed Saleem has been a member of Committee for Children's board of directors for three years, a natural role given his work in preparing underserved U.S. students of color for success in college and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)-related fields.

So when a colleague told him about and then nominated him for the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF), Saleem was intrigued: “More than ever, we live in a complex world where just about everything we consume or experience is the result of globalization. The MMF fellowship interested me primarily as a means to deepen my understanding of how the United States and Europe are connected in that regard, and specifically, how those connections are informed by policy.”

In early April, Saleem learned he would be one of the 76 Americans and Europeans to join the 2015 MMF cohort – out of over 700 nominations. He's excited about meeting the other members of his diverse cohort and learning with them, which will involve six months of preparation for 24 days of policy immersion in Europe.

“Much of my current work focuses on opportunities in STEM-related fields. These markets are increasingly global in reach, including Europe as a major player and marketplace within the emergent innovation economy,” Saleem says. “Over the next five to seven years, as my work focuses more on policy and research at the intersection(s) of educational equity, technology, and entrepreneurship, the MMF fellowship will support a broader understanding of, and connection to, human and information networks to effect change domestically and in Europe.”

And because one intention of the MMF fellowship is to promote transatlantic dialogue about policy issues that have global relevance, Saleem predicts it will all tie together. “I expect that my experience as a Committee for Children board member will inform my perspective on policy issues as the insights gained through the MMF fellowship will inform my work here.”

All of us at Committee for Children wish Saleem the very best as he embarks on this new adventure.