Ukraine Global Scholars and Boston Friends of UGS will hold their third annual event on Nov. 21 with William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, as the keynote speaker.
The event will take place over zoom at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and is expected to gather more than 100 attendees across the U.S,. Canada, and Ukraine. The theme of the event will be “Leadership in the 21st Century,” focusing on several young Ukrainians’ fast-growing entrepreneurial ventures and the leadership skills critical to unlocking value in the 21st century. Attendees will include benefactors, alumni, mentors, and those interested in UGS and its role in helping raise a new generation of Ukrainian leaders through scholarships to the U.S. and global private high schools and colleges.
Taylor has supported the program as an adviser since the spring of 2019. Last year he spoke at the organization’s alumni event in Kyiv, which was organized with the help of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council.
Taylor’s ambassadorship in Ukraine began under the George W. Bush administration in 2006 and continued until 2009, under the Barack Obama administration. At the time, it was the fifth-largest bilateral mission in Europe, with more than 650 employees from nine U.S. government departments and agencies.
After leaving Kyiv in 2009, Taylor was appointed to coordinate aid to Middle Eastern countries in the wake of the Arab Spring, including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria.
Since 2015 he continued implementing peace and development initiatives across the world as vice president at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
In 2019, Taylor returned to Ukraine as the chargé d’affaires, when then-serving U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch was recalled by the Donald J. Trump administration on short notice. During Trump’s impeachment proceedings, Taylor took a strong position against the president’s eight-week withholding of $391 million in security aid to Ukraine.
Taylor takes the same strong position when it comes to helping Ukrainian youth get a world-class education.
“Young people are Ukraine’s greatest resource. Giving them opportunities to study abroad benefits all parties — Ukraine, the individual scholars, and their American counterparts who learn about Ukraine and form lasting ties between our two countries,” said Taylor.
Ukraine Global Scholars is a 501(c)(3) public charity that assists Ukrainian high school students in getting into the world’s best educational institutions. The program is run by a group of young Ukrainian professionals, graduates of top U.S. undergraduate programs, such as Harvard, Brown, Vassar, UPenn, and others.
Since 2015, the scholars’ program has helped about 100 young Ukrainians receive $25 million in full scholarships, covering tuition, room, and board, and often miscellaneous expenses. While enrolled as full-time students, Ukraine Global Scholars all return to Ukraine as summer interns at top Ukraine-based companies, kickstarting their professional careers in Ukraine.
In addition to Taylor’s keynote speech, the event will feature several stories of alumni who through their community projects and startups have generated a positive ripple effect in Ukraine and abroad.
Adrian Slywotzky, a program adviser and investor, will provide closing remarks. Consulting Magazine has named Slywotzky, a partner at Oliver Wyman, one of the top 25 consultants in the US. The Times of London named him one of the top 50 business thinkers in the world. He has written eight books on customer-driven strategy, profitability, and growth, including the bestselling “The Profit Zone.” He teaches a strategy course on asymmetric value creation at the business school of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.
“Traditionally, we have organized such events for UGS alumni and mentors in the U.S., but this year we want to take advantage of the online format. The purpose of the event is twofold – to share our students’ impactful stories of giving back to the organization and Ukraine through their own startups and community projects, and to listen to our keynote speaker, the Honorable Ambassador Taylor to elaborate on the topic of leadership. The Ambassador’s unprecedented support of Ukrainian interests during his tenure provides great inspiration for our students,” says Julia Lemesh, president of Ukraine Global Scholars.
To register for the event “Leadership in the 21st Century,” please visit the Ukraine Global Scholars website www.ukraineglobalscholars.org or e-mail Julia Lemesh at [email protected].
Ambassador’s photo can be taken from here – www.usip.org/people/william-b-taylor
