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Press Release
Press Release
Vietnam Education Foundation
Mr. Kien Pham to
Lead Vietnam Education Foundation
WASHINGTON - Mr. Herbert M. Allison Jr., Chairman of the Board of the Vietnam
Education Foundation (VEF), announced today that Mr. Kien Duc Trung Pham has
been named Executive Director of the Foundation. The Vietnam Education
Foundation was created by the U.S. Congress as an independent Federal agency
within the Executive Branch. Its mission is to build stronger relations between
the U.S. and Vietnam through scholarships and educational exchange.
Mr. Pham was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1977. After
graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Mr. Pham earned an MBA
and MA from Stanford University. He is the Founding Chairman of the Vietnam
Forum Foundation, an organization created to provide educational and
humanitarian support to Vietnam.
Mr. Pham was a White House Fellow in 1985-86, where he served as Special
Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative. In 1989, he was appointed to the
position of Special Assistant, International Security Affairs, in the Office of
the Secretary of Defense. He later worked for Tenneco Energy where he was Vice
President and General Manager for East Asia and the Pacific. In 2000, Mr. Pham
became the recipient of the White House Fellows Legacy of Leadership Award. Most
recently, Mr. Pham has served as Senior Managing Director of Utility Choice
Electric in Houston.
"Kien Pham brings to the Vietnam Education Foundation a solid record of
leadership and broad experience in the private, government and non-profit
sectors, plus a unique cultural and political understanding of both the United
States and Vietnam," said Mr. Allison. "We are pleased that Kien will bring his
exceptional experience, energy and leadership skills to directing VEF's
important activities."
The Board of the Vietnam Education Foundation consists of six private citizens
appointed by the President, four Members of Congress and three Department Heads.
Current members of the Board include Chairman Herbert Allison of TIAA-CREF;
Robert Bryant of Duke University; Frank Jao of Bridgecreek; Chung Kim of Korea
Institute for Advanced Study; Marilyn Pattillo of University of Texas; Tuan
Joseph Pham of Capitol Development Company; Senator John Kerry; Senator Chuck
Hagel; Congressman Christopher Smith; Congressman George Miller; and the
Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Education.
The Vietnam Education Foundation provides fellowships for Vietnamese nationals
to pursue graduate and post-graduate studies in physical sciences, natural
sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics, technology (including information
technology), and medicine; and for U.S. citizens to teach in those fields in
Vietnam.
Interested individuals, especially Vietnamese nationals who are currently
awaiting acceptance or have been accepted to U.S. universities in the above
fields of study, should contact the Foundation for fellowship consideration, by
email to InfoRequest@vef.gov.
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