Thursday, December 8, 2011
Dinner with the Sri Lankan Eisenhower Fellows!
On
Monday night after a LONG day of meetings, the Eisenhower Fellows of Sri Lanka
got together and hosted me to a dinner so that I could meet everyone and they
could meet me. It was a lovely affair.
The head of the Sri Lanka Eisenhower Fellows is HD Gunawardena. Mr. Gunawardena
traveled as an Eisenhower Fellow in †he 1970s and remains one of the carriers
of the legacy and primary liasion between EF and SL. Mr. Gunawardena used to run and own a well
established shipping company in Sri Lanka. He currently owns and operates a
leading travel agency in SL called Helvanka Travels. After first meeting Mr. Gunawardena I could instantly
tell he why he was a prominent figure in Sri Lanka and the leader of the EF
group. He is a no-nonsense but very affable
man has clearly reached a level of high repute in SL circles and is now
enjoying his well deserved retirement but takes a passionate and serious stance
when it comes to matters of Eisenhower Fellowship. 
One
of the main topics of the evening was centered around the Eisenhower Fellowship
Conference to be held next September. I
found out that night that the SL Fellows have proposed to hold the Eisenhower
Fellowship Conference in Sri Lanka for 2012. “Wow”, I thought. “This could be
huge”. Should an event like this happen, this would be
amazing, Not only for what it will say
about Sri Lanka, its relationship with EF, and the increase in tourism beyond
Europe and Asia, that will inevitably occur by hosting a conference of this
magnitude, but if done well and supported, it will show that not only is the
Country truly serious about its bright and shinning future, but so is the South
East Asian region and the US. 
From
my knowledge, conferences take planning, coordination, partnerships,
sponsorships, etc… There are many moving pieces, organization is key, a good strong team of workers, planners, and
executors, makes all the difference. So
when I found out about this proposed plan of SL to lead the charge and step out front, I began
to believe that “yes, this is exactly what Sri Lanka needs at this
moment.” By hosting the conference this
could potentially hasten the national transition process, in of course a niched
way, but definitely will help to bring and usher in new partners or
perspectives to the table in its redevelopment.
Of
course, when I heard that this was the goal….I immediately set my mind to be of
help in any way possible. Of course, my attendance will be a given, however,
ideas that are fresh, collaborative, and progressive, are in order to make this
conference a roaring success! “This is right alley”…I thought………ideas are
brimming galore. Excited!
Alright
then…..let’s go 2012!
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