WASHINGTON (March 19, 2008) - The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) announces today that Robert G. Liberatore will join GMF this summer as a Senior Transatlantic Fellow. At GMF, Liberatore will work on issues surrounding the transatlantic business relationship and the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

"Rob's experience on Capitol Hill and as a leader in transatlantic corporate relations will be a tremendous asset," said Craig Kennedy, GMF president. "He will bring a practical, solution-oriented focus to GMF."

"I have worked closely with the GMF from the private sector, and I am pleased to be joining this great team of public policy professionals," Liberatore said.

As the Group Senior Vice President and Head of Global External Affairs and Public Policy at Daimler AG, Liberatore has been responsible for relations with governments and societies around the world and reports directly to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche.

Liberatore joined Chrysler Corporation in 1985 after working on Capitol Hill for ten years, including four years as staff director for Senate Leader Robert C. Byrd. He was elected an Officer of the Chrysler Corporation in 1993.

Liberatore is a Board member of the National Democratic Institute; The Atlantic Council of the United States; The Council for Excellence in Government; the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies; and the National Italian American Foundation. He serves on the Advisory Council for The Brookings Institution Center on the United States and Europe. He has been honored by The American Jewish Committee with their "Civic Achievement Award," The Bryce Harlow Foundation with its Business-Government Relations Award, and The Faith and Politics Institute with the 2nd Lewis-Houghton Award. Additionally, Liberatore is Vice President of the Federal City Council and Chair of its Government Relations Committee. He served as the Vice Chair of the NATO 50th Anniversary Summit Host Committee in 1999, and President of the NATO Support Committee for the Riga Summit in 2006.

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The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes, and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can address a variety of global policy challenges. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest.

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