McLarty Family Announces 2015 McLarty Global Fellows

Four graduates of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service have been granted fellowships with Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) as part of The McLarty Global Fellows program.

Vital Voices and the GIWPS are both based in Washington, D.C. and work on women’s issues internationally.

The four fellowship winners include: Michelle Perez, Jennifer Guzman, Anna Applebaum and Mara D’Amico.

The focus of the fellowships will include research, communications and support of women’s entrepreneurship.

The McLarty Global Fellows program was established by Donna and Mack McLarty, along with their sons Mark and Franklin, their daughter-in-law Gabriela and their granddaughter Brianna.

“My family and I are so pleased to welcome Michelle, Jennifer, Anna and Mara as the 2015 McLarty Global Fellows,” Donna McLarty said. “We are confident that their work will enhance the very important missions of Vital Voices and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, in addition to being personally and professionally rewarding. Both organizations are working to transform the lives of women throughout the world and empowering women to reach their full potential.”

Mack McLarty noted, “We are very proud that the McLarty Global Fellows program is going strong and continues to connect students studying in Arkansas with the professional and public service endeavors we have experienced over many years in Washington, D.C. and around the world.”

Other McLarty Global Fellows include students and alumni from the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, who have studied abroad in Brazil, Argentina and Spain, as well as students from the University of Arkansas J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences who travel to Washington, D.C. every year to attend a one-week workshop at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress.

The McLarty Global Fellows program was announced in October 2014. The program is a philanthropic endeavor established to provide college and graduate students at the University of Arkansas and the William J. Clinton School of Public Service with the opportunity to engage in substantive international work in the areas of economic empowerment, human rights, and political participation.

Here are bios provided by The McLarty Global Fellows program:

Michelle Perez
Michelle Perez is a student at the Clinton School of Public Service. Originally from Venezuela, Michelle received a B.A. in Business Administration and Political Science at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where she graduated summa cum laude. Michelle has significant international experience, and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian and Japanese. Michelle will be working with Vital Voices Global Programs on a “mentoring deep dive” with the organization’s business mentoring programs, including the Global Ambassadors Program, Fortune Mentoring and VVGrow Mentoring programs.

Jennifer Guzman
Jennifer Guzman is a student at the Clinton School of Public Service and a native Arkansan. After attending Central High School in Little Rock, Jennifer received a B.A. in International Studies and French from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is proficient in both Spanish and French. In March, President Clinton presented Jennifer with the B.A. Rudolph Scholarship during a visit to the Clinton School. At Vital Voices, Jennifer will work with the Human Rights department on assessing the effectiveness of the Institute Model, which brings law enforcement, judges, government officials and nonprofits together for training related to reducing gender-based violence in their countries.

Anna Applebaum
Anna Applebaum is a graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated summa cum laude. Anna was one of the McLarty Global Fellows at Vital Voices in 2014, and after her fellowship, she continued to work at Vital Voices as a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the VVLead Fellowship Program. Anna has been selected as the 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton Research Fellow at GIWPS, which was announced by Hillary Clinton, co-founder of Vital Voices, and is headed by the former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, who served under Secretary Clinton.

Mara D’Amico
Mara D’Amico is a 2014 graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service. Mara is originally from Michigan and attended the Central Michigan University, where she received a B.S. in Business Administration, International Business and Spanish. Mara has been selected as the 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton Communications Fellow at GIWPS, which was announced by Hillary Clinton, co-founder of Vital Voices, and is headed by the former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, who served under Secretary Clinton.