On May 13, 2010, at a lavish dinner reception at the Egyptian Embassy, the Institute for Education (IFE) presented its 2010 IFE Leadership Award to Christopher Caine, President and CEO of Mercator XXI, in honor of Mr. Caine’s leadership in every IFE program. Chris was honored one year after President Obama’s historic speech at Cairo University, to recognize the importance of economic and cultural partnerships for leaders from Egypt, the US, and the global community.
In addition to honoring Chris Caine, the evening provided the occasion to announce LearnServe Egypt, IFE’s first-ever LearnServe program in the Middle East. Funds raised from the dinner will enable students in the Washington, DC area to travel to Egypt, partner with Egyptian students, and help build the next generation of social and cultural entrepreneurs. IFE will partner with Mercator XXI to encourage and promote entrepreneurship, innovation, risk-taking and leadership.
His Excellency Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Ambassador of Egypt, opened the evening by welcoming distinguished guests. IFE’s Founder and CEO, Coach Kathy Kemper, echoed Ambassador Shoukry’s sentiments and highlighted the role that initiatives like LearnServe Egypt will play in drawing the United States and Egypt closer together.
After an elegant, multi-course dinner, Coach Kemper introduced IFE Diplomatic Steward His Excellency Jan Matthysen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, and Samuel Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation. Ambassador Matthysen and Chairman Palmisano presented Mr. Caine with the 2010 IFE Leadership Award as well as a prized replica of Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator’s famous globe.
In his acceptance remarks, Chris Caine emphasized the importance of cultural and economic exchanges in the United States and the Arab and Muslim worlds. Such constructive engagement, he noted, will play a critical role in efforts to generate solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
A deserving recipient of the 2010 IFE Leadership Award, Mr. Caine will be working closely with IFE over the next several months to launch LearnServe Egypt.
Please enjoy the videos of the award ceremony below.
