Muskie Alumnus Promoted in Georgian Cabinet

David Tkeshelashvili, a Muskie alum and graduate of Emory University, was recently appointed Minister of Labour, Healthcare and Social Affairs. Following his participation in the Muskie program in 2005-2006, Mr. Tkeshelashvili was tapped by Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili to hold the post of  Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Tkeshelashvili, a former member of parliament in Georgia, has been an active alumnus since his return to Georgia and has assisted with and participated in a number of alumni and Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) events.

As a Muskie fellow at Emory University, Mr. Tkeshelashvili concentrated on International Law, taking courses in International Human Rights law, Law of International Institutions, and Law of Democracy. He was also extremely active in his community, engaging in projects that created partnerships between Georgians and Americans. These activities included working with the Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister City Partnership to organize a visit of the Tbilisi City council to Atlanta, and collaborating with Emory faculty on joint projects with the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, and Health of Georgia.

Established by the US Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and democratic growth in Eurasia, the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, and administered by IREX. The program provides opportunities for graduate students and professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan for one-year non-degree, one-year degree or two-year degree study in the United States. The Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) is funded by USAID and implemented by IREX.