Under an agreement recently signed with the Center, Dr. Fesharaki has pledged to donate his full monthly take home EWC salary, which will exceed the $25,000 necessary to establish a scholarship fund. The Fesharaki Scholarship Fund will be used to fund awards of at least $1,000 each year for one or more students, with a preference for (but not limited to) Iranian students from Iran or elsewhere outside the United States. Awards will be granted based on financial need, leadership experience, educational achievement, and funding availability.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to develop my professional career in part through my association with the East-West Center,” Fesharaki said. “I want to contribute back and set an example for others to do so.”
“Dr. Fesharaki has long been a mentor for many of our participants, providing both inspiration and direction,” said EWC Senior Education Specialist Scott Macleod. “With this initiative he has taken his commitment to the EWC community and the Asia Pacific's young leaders to the next level. The Fesharaki Scholarship Fund will open many new windows of opportunity.”
About Fereidun Fesharaki
Born in Iran, Fereidun Fesharaki attended the OPEC Ministerial Conferences in the late 1970s in his capacity as energy adviser to the Prime Minister of Iran. He joined the East-West Center in 1979, and has been an adviser to a wide variety of energy companies and governments in the Middle East, Pacific Basin, and Latin America, as well as the U.S. government. In 1989, Dr. Fesharaki was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Since 1991, he has been a member of the International Advisory Board of Nippon Oil—Japan’s largest oil company. Dr. Fesharaki is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. In 1993, he served as President of the International Association for Energy Economics, the key professional organization representing some 3,000 energy economists in more than 70 countries. In 1995, Dr. Fesharaki was elected as a Senior Fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics for distinguished services in the field of energy economics. In 1998, he joined the Board of Directors of the American-Iranian Council. In 2002, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a member of the National Petroleum Council by the US Secretary of Energy. In 2009, Dr. Fesharaki was appointed a member of Dubai Mercantile Exchange Limited (DME) Board of Directors. Dr. Fesharaki is currently Chairman of FACTS Global Energy, an advisory service with offices in Asia, Europe, and the United States.
About the Asia Pacific Leadership Program
The Asia Pacific Leadership Program is the center of excellence for leadership education in Asia Pacific and a signature program of the East-West Center. The APLP empowers future leaders with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and supportive community needed to successfully navigate personal and regional change in the 21st century.
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The EAST-WEST CENTER promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options.