BERLIN (May 23, 2012) --  J. Robinson West was elected Co-chair of the Board of Trustees of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, replacing Guido Goldman, who announced his retirement from the Board after 40 years and was named Founder and Chairman Emeritus. The succession was decided at a meeting of the GMF Board on May 21.  

“GMF would not exist if it were not for the efforts of Guido Goldman,” said GMF President Craig Kennedy. “He has been a steadfast guardian of the organization from inception until today. He has been a great mentor to the organization and to me personally. Robin West will continue that guidance well into the future as the organization continues to grow and change.” 

West, who is the founder and chairman of PFC Energy, an energy industry consultancy, has served as a Trustee for 15 years. He served in the Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford administrations as, respectively, an Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Budget and Administration and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Economic Affairs. 

West has been a trustee of several political and non-profit organizations.  He is currently a member of the National Petroleum Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Trustee of the Center for the National Interest, and on the Board of Advisors of the National Interest Magazine.  A patron of the arts, West is the president of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art and a member of the Trustees Council of the National Gallery of Art. 

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Temple University, West was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.  

Goldman’s new title of Founder and Chairman Emeritus reflects his 40-year history with the organization, including his instrumental role in negotiating with the German government for the money to create an independent American foundation as a memorial to Marshall Plan assistance. Goldman, who is also the director of German studies at Harvard University’s Center for European Studies, was instrumental in laying the groundwork for GMF’s formation in the 1970s. 

Goldman is chairman of the First Spring Corporation in New York, chairman and president of the American Foundation for Textile Art, Inc., vice-chairman of the board of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a board member of the American Council on Germany. 

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The German Marshall Fund of the United States is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the North America and Europe. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to the 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, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, Bucharest, and Warsaw.