FFI News - Dec 2003

December 9, 2003

A Message from FFI President Susie Smith:

Dear Friends,

Season's Greetings! I hope that you, your family and friends are happy and well as we approach a new year, full of promise for good things ahead. Thank you for being a friend to the people of the world. I trust that your friendships made in 2003 have been rewarding and that they will continue to touch you in beautiful ways throughout your life. 

It is with great excitement that I share with you some happy personal news that will impact my role as President of FFI. Next year I will be getting married and will move to California to be with my future husband. While I am thrilled about my personal news, I remain committed to the well being of this wonderful organization. In order to ensure a smooth transition of FFI leadership, I will continue to serve as President until April 1, 2004 or as soon as the Board of Trustees has elected a new leader. 

We already have made a great deal of progress in strengthening FFI in 2003. I believe this is due to the dedication and enthusiasm of thousands of people like you who participate in Friendship Force throughout the world. I hope that you will continue to work with each other, your club leaders, the FFI Staff and Board to keep our organization moving forward in a positive direction.

The opportunity to serve as President of FFI has been a life-enriching experience. I am grateful to have had this chance to play a small yet meaningful part in the life of our organization. Since I will continue to work with you over the next several months, I will not say goodbye yet. Instead, I look forward to working with you to further friendship and peace in our world as we carry on with our plans for the coming year. 

Happy Holidays!


A Message from the FFI Board of Trustees:

Although we are happy about Susie's personal good news, we are sad that she will be leaving us. We look forward to working with Susie during the next few months while we search for the next person who will lead our organization.

The Executive Committee of the FFI Board of Trustees met on December 8, 2003 and established a Transition Committee composed of five Trustees. The Transition Committee will begin a search for highly qualified candidates to be presented to the entire Board for a final decision and election of a new President.

The Transition Committee will work with Susie and the FFI staff to ensure that our exchange planning and operations will be carried out as normal and that you will receive the support needed for your club. We will continue our commitment to build on the positive changes that have been made during the past year. Our exchange and club policies will remain the same. Over the next few months, we will give you specific information about the transition and update you on our progress in searching for a new President. Meanwhile, you should continue to interact with the FFI staff just as you have in the past.

The Board of Trustees is committed to the long-term growth and health of Friendship Force International, and we will continue our commitment to build on the positive changes that have been made during the past year. We appreciate the work that each club is doing to help break down the barriers that separate people around the world. 

FFI Announcement

March 26, 2004

A Special Announcement from Maureen Takacs, Chairperson of FFI Board of Trustees and Susie Smith, FFI President

Dear Friends,

1. Special Announcement: At the regular meeting of the FFI Board of Trustees on March 19, 2004, George Brown was elected the next President of Friendship Force International. Many of you know George well, as he served in various capacities at the FFI office in the past. For those of you who do not know George, he brings a wide range of international experience to the position. He knows FFI well, but having worked for other international exchange organizations, he has a diverse background to draw upon as he takes over as FFI's next president.

George will begin serving as President of FFI on April 1, 2004, but for the first two months he will be in transition from his current job as Executive Director of the Georgia Council for International Visitors, whose offices, conveniently, are located in the same building as those of FFI. Even during the transition phase, however, he will be participating fully in the life of FFI by attending the European and Japanese leadership meetings in May.

If you wish to welcome George Brown as our new president, he can be reached via e-mail at gbrown@friendshipforce.org. However, please keep in mind that George will be in transition during the next month.

2. Fond Farewell from Susie Smith: You will be hearing more about George and from him in the weeks ahead. For now, I just want to let you know that George and I have had frequent conversations over the past few months regarding the future of FFI. While I will miss being at FFI and working with all of you on a daily basis, I am confident that the organization is in good hands and has a very bright future.

Thank you for joining together with the FFI staff and board during this past year as we worked through many challenges facing our world and our organization. As a result of our dedicated efforts, we believe that we are on stronger ground in 2004 and we can expect great things in the near future. It has been my sincere pleasure to serve as president of FFI. Best wishes to all of you and I hope to see you somewhere in the world on a Friendship Force exchange!

New FFI President

At the March 19, 2004 meeting of the FFI Board of Trustees, George Brown was elected the next President of Friendship Force International. Many of you know George well, as he served in various capacities at the FFI office in the past. 

For those of you who do not know George, he brings a wide range of international experience to the position. He knows FFI well, but having worked for other international exchange organizations, he has a diverse background to draw upon as he takes over as FFI's next president. George began serving as President of FFI on April 1, 2004, but for the first two months he will be in transition from his current job as Executive Director of the Georgia Council for International Visitors (whose offices, conveniently, are located in the same building as FFI's). Even during the transition phase, however, he will be participating fully in the life of FFI by attending the European and Japanese leadership meetings in May. 

If you wish to welcome George Brown as our new president, you can send him an e-mail at gbrown@friendshipforce.org. However, please keep in mind that George will be in transition during the next month.