1. HUMPHREY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Fact Sheet
The Humphrey Fellowship Program was created to assist mid-career professionals from
other countries to begin a program of professional development on American campuses.
The program, a ten-month professional sabbatical, was named for the late Senator Hubert
H. Humphrey, an American statesman who fought tirelessly for the ideals of democracy,
social justice and the desire to assist the developing nations of the world. President
Jimmy Carter announced the creation of the program in March 1978 during a visit to
Venezuela. However, it was Robert A. Pastor, President Carter's National Security
Council Director of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs who tumed the idea into a
reality.
o The program is funded by the US Information Agency and is included under the
Fulbright Exchange activities. The presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright
Foreign Scholarship Board awards the fellowships.
o The Institute of International Education has administered the program since it
began in1979.
o Fellows are nominated by US Information Service field posts, US Embassies or
Fulbright Commissions and are chosen for their potential for national leadership.
. Since its inception,2,500 mid-careerprofessionals from over 120 countries have
taken part in this program.
r Over 40 US universities and institutions with specially designed programs of
academic work and professional development have hosted Fellows.
o The first class of Fellows consisted of 27 professionals from24 countries. This
number peaked at 187 in I 993. It is currently at 1 3 1 .
o The average age of the Fellow has risen from under 30 to 39.
o During the first years of the program, Fellows consisted mainly of govemment
employees. This percentage has decreased to 40%o, with many working for
non- govemmental organizations.
o The 1998-99 class boasts expertise in 15 fields, including banking/finance,
communications/journalism, drug abuse, law and human rights
o During the first years of the program, the largest regional group was South
Americans, comprising26% of the total. Today, the largest group is Africans,
comprising 34Yo of thetotal.

2. 7
HT]MPHREY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Protiles
Mr. Antonio Martins da Cunha Filho of Brazil (1995-96) spent his ten-month
professional sabbatical at Boston University and has since been promoted to Deputy
Director of Extemal Banking at the Central Bank of Brazil. Recently, he traveled to New
York to complete the sale of a private bank to international investors and reported that the
Humphrey Program gave him the skills to contribute in such a significant way to the
economic health of his country.
Ms. Alexandra Petrescu of Romania (1994-95) spent her fellowship at the University
of Minnesota. Following the experience, she became a key player in the effort to utilize
non-govemmental organizations to educate the people of Romania about their civil rights
and responsibilities leading up to the 1996 elections. As a result, Petrescu was selected to
serve in the office of the President as Advisor for Non-Govemmental Organization
Affairs.
Dr. Miklos Persanyi of Hungary (1990-91) spent his professional sabbatical at Cornell
University and, later, assumed the position of Director General of the Budapest Zoo and
Botanical Garden. In addition to emphasizing conservation, he initiated successful
media, public relations and private fund-raising campaigns to restore the cultural
institution. Persanyi also leads Hungarian support for the breeding of endangered species
in collaboration with a worldwide network of zoos and, in January 1997, was elected
Vice Chairman of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria(EAzlt).
Ms. Leticia Herrera-Davila of El Salvador (1995-96) studied at Tulane University
during her fellowship. She is now Chief-of-Party for the USAID and Medical Service
Corporation International, El Salvador, heading a program that targets the estimated
13,000 Salvadoran children who are working and/or living on the street. This program
focuses on the prevention and support of children through education, vocational training,
recreation, health, leadership development, conflict resolution and decision making.
Nadia Jamel of Tunisia (1985-86), after studying the link between nutrition and
childhood diabetes at Columbia University, focused on the impact that traditional
Tunisian grains had on diabetic children in her own country. As a result, Jamel
introduced an alternative diet that continues to be followed. In September 7996, Jamel
took on a new challenge in the field of pediatric medicine. After attending the annual
meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunoallergy in
Washington, DC, she was asked to open a center for research on allergic diseases in
Tunisia.