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Thunderbird honors past
Colombian president
news & notes
Thunderbird recognized
former Colombian
President
Álvaro Uribe Vélez
with an honorary Doctor
of International Law during
winter commencement on
Dec. 14, 2012.
Uribe, who served as
Colombian president from
2002 to 2010, spoke briefly
to graduates about successful
leadership.
“In moments of difficulty,
the leader should be the
only one accountable,” he
said. “In moments of happiness,
the leader should
share the honor with
honors.”
Several other civic leaders
have visited Thunderbird in
recent months.
Recently retired U.S. Sen.
Jon Kyl toured campus Oct.
23, 2012, near the end of his
third and final Senate term.
Japan’s ambassador to the
United States, Ichiro Fujisaki,
visited campus Oct. 31,
2012, and U.S. Ambassadorat-Large
for Global Women’s
Issues Melanne Verveer,
came on Oct. 26, 2012.
U.S. Ambassador Betty
E. King also hosted Thunderbird
Executive MBA
students on Jan. 29, 2013,
during their field seminar in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez speaks during
commencement on Dec. 14, 2012.
TIM CLARKE
American Express invests in social sector leaders
High-potential emerging
leaders from 10 international
social sector organizations
and NGOs will develop new
skills May 6-10, 2013, during
the American Express Leadership
Academy at Thunderbird.
The annual program
launched in 2009 through a
partnership with American
Express, has served more
than 100 managers from 39
organizations during its first
four years.
“My deputy director and I
came back from the intensive
weeklong program brimming
with new ideas,” said
2009 participant Michael
McDonald, executive director
of Habitat for Humanity in
Tucson, Arizona.
“One of the philanthropic
goals of American Express is
to focus on the development
of social sector leaders,”
DARYL JAMES
said Thunderbird Professor
Mary Teagarden, Ph.D., the
program’s academic director.
“These participants are
on their way to positions of
senior leadership.”
The curriculum of the
American Express Leadership
Academy at Thunderbird
focuses on building
the personal, business and
leadership skills needed to
manage and lead a successful
nonprofit organization. The
Academy is tailored to fit cultural
nuances and different
nonprofit niche needs with
the following core elements
being consistent: A focus
on high-potential emerging
leaders, a curriculum blending
personal leadership skills
with business skills, and an
assessment-based approach,
American Express CEO Ken Chenault, pictured on screen, speaks
via satellite to 2011 participants of the American Express Leadership
Academy at Thunderbird.
including one-on-one coaching,
and formal follow-up
activities.
The Global Mindset
Inventory assessment is used
as a pre- and post-program
assessment to measure the
global mindset profile of
the participants. Post-program
evaluations show the
American Express Leadership
Academy gets top scores from
the emerging leaders who
attend.
Participants report that
the impact of this experience
increases leadership skills
and global mindset, and better
strategic thinking about
the future of their organization
and their leadership.
Participants also say they
have increased their strategic
thinking responsiveness and
problem-solving skills.
For more information, visit
www.thunderbird.edu/amex.
thunderbird magazine 17