Alumni Relations

Dear GMF Alumni and Partners, 

At a time of rapid change in the transatlantic sphere, the importance of connection, collaboration, and shared leadership has never been clearer. GMF’s 4,000-strong alumni community stands as a testament to the power of networks in strengthening democratic values, advancing cohesion across borders, and driving innovation at the local, national, and international levels. 

Today, we are pleased to invite you to join the relaunch of GMF’s Alumni Leadership Council (ALC), a platform designed to connect alumni across sectors, generations, and borders to engage in timely conversations, exchange ideas, and collaborate on solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the transatlantic relationship. Through this membership, you will gain exclusive opportunities to stay connected to GMF’s work, access insights from leading experts, and participate in virtual and in-person convenings that foster dialogue, learning, and action. 

As part of this relaunch, we are delighted to announce the return of GMF’s in-person alumni convenings, beginning with the 2025 Marshall Seminar in Detroit, Michigan, taking place October 9–11. This alumni-led seminar brings together past participants from all GMF leadership programs and is proudly supported by our long-standing partner, The Kresge Foundation. Attendees will explore pressing transatlantic themes, engage with thought leaders, and forge new pathways for collaboration. 

Only 100 seats are available—be among the first to reserve yours. By joining the Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) at any membership level, you’ll receive exclusive early-bird access to register between June 1 and July 14, 2025, ahead of the general alumni community.  

JOIN THE ALUMNI LEADERSHIP COUNCIL TODAY 

The ALC builds on a proud tradition of alumni giving back to the fellowship programs that shaped their leadership journeys. All funds collected through ALC will support current fellowship programs and expansion of alumni engagement efforts. GMF is working toward expanding alumni-led initiatives, such as grants and projects, but this relaunch focuses on reconnecting the network through meaningful engagement, virtually and in person. 

My Leadership Program colleagues and I invite you to participate in this next chapter of alumni engagement. Together, we can strengthen the transatlantic relationship, champion democratic values, and inspire the next generation of leaders. 

I hope you will join us in this effort today. 

In partnership, 
Sarah Jones 
Managing Director, GMF Leadership Programs 

GMF alumni from the Eastern Partnership region (EaP), the EU, and the United States gathered on November 22 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The event aimed to highlight the diversity and transformational effect that 42 years of GMF’s leadership programs have had on emerging leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. This forum was also a moment to celebrate the EaP community of leaders that GMF has fostered over the last seven years and honor the German government’s support, through the KfW development bank, that made these programs possible.

Discussions throughout the event were structured around panels that addressed pressing regional issues and their implications for the transatlantic partnership. Distinguished speakers at the forum included Member of the European Parliament and Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Delegation Chair Sergey Lagodinsky (online), KfW South Caucasus Regional Office Director Birgit Holderied-Kreß, and Leadership Programs Deputy Managing Director Laura Hope Gammell-Ibañez. 

The opening panel, “The Euro-Atlantic Aspirations of the EaP Region”, featured insights from German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski, and US Ambassador to Georgia Robin L. Dunnigan. Policy Designers Network (PDN) alumnus George Melashvili (PDN’20) moderated the session. 

Two other panels, comprising GMF alumni from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, represented programs including the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF), the PDN, the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network (TILN), and Transatlantic Information Media Program (TIMP).

Viktorya Muradyan (PDN’24) moderated a discussion in which Olha Konsevych (TILN’19), Narek Minasyan (PDN’24), Catalina Plinschi (PDN’23), and Salome Ugulava (TIMP[AC1] ’19) explored the topic “Regional Narratives and Disinformation: Creators, Consumers, and Implications”. Another conversation, moderated by Ani Tsintsadze (PDN’23), featured Aspram Krpeyan (PDN’24), Yulian Kritsak (TILN’24), Tako Jobava (PDN’21), and Vasile Rotaru (MMF’20), who discussed “Quo Vadis? EaP Future Regional Perspectives”. 

Participants also represented other programs such as the Manfred Wörner Seminar, the Leadership Lab, the ReThink.CEE Fellowship, and the Transatlantic Forum on Migration and Integration.

A big thanks to Hanna Kovhan, Berlin-based senior program coordinator, for organizing the event.