Announcing the 27th Class of Mansfield Fellows
NEWS RELEASE
August 9, 2022
(Washington, DC) The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is pleased to announce the twenty-seventh class of Mansfield Fellows, ten federal employees who will be working and living in Japan in 2023-2024.
The Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program was established by Congress in 1994 to build a corps of U.S. government officials with substantial Japan expertise. This group will join a total of more than 175 previous Fellows, representing nearly 30 federal agencies, commissions, and the U.S. Congress.
The Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.
Members of the twenty-seventh group of Mansfield Fellows include:
- Captain Antoinio Arnold – Outreach and Integrations Officer, 8th Intelligence Squadron, U.S. Air Force
- Martha C. Engstrom – Supervisory Health Scientist and Evaluation Branch Chief, Office of Science, Center for Tobacco Products, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Dr. Lance Garrison – Physical Scientist, Office of Radiological Security, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
- Michael Lee – Chief, Office of Strategy and Innovation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security
- Captain Jamie Leonheart – Director of Staff/RQ-4 Evaluator Pilot, 348 Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S. Air Force
- Angelina Loverde – Management Analyst, Office of Management and Budget, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy
- Dr. Nkemjika Ofodile-Carruthers – Policy and Program Advisor, Grants Policy Office, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education
- Lieutenant Commander Andrew Lee Orchard – Officer in Charge, Joint Reserve Intelligence Center New Orleans, U.S. Navy
- Brian A. Vasel – Director of Operations, Global Monitoring Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
- Beth Weinstein – Observatory Manager, PACE Mission, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mansfield Fellows participate in twelve months of professional, cultural, and language training in the United States, followed by a seven-week intensive Japanese language program in Ishikawa Prefecture and ten months of placements, primarily in Japanese government agencies in Tokyo. By working side-by-side with their counterparts in Japan’s ministries and agencies, National Diet, and non-governmental organizations, the Fellows will deepen their understanding of Japan’s government and policymaking process. This experience—and the contacts the Fellows make in the Japanese government and in the business, professional, and academic communities—will contribute to their work on Japan and Asia-related programs and policies when they return to federal government service.
“We are thrilled to unveil this twenty-seventh class of fellows, and look forward to their arrival in Japan next year,” said Frank Jannuzi, President and CEO of the Mansfield Foundation. “We will use the time ahead of their deployment to prepare this class for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ambassador Mansfield’s legacy of promoting mutual understanding between our two countries is well-served by this class, which features experts on trade, security, energy, and technological cooperation. The twenty-seventh class will use their fellowship experience to deepen cooperation between Washington and Tokyo, and bring their new understanding of the U.S.-Japan partnership back to their home agencies.”
“Ambassador Mansfield championed the U.S.-Japan relationship as ‘the most important bilateral relationship in the world – bar none,’” added Benjamin Self, Vice President of the Mansfield Foundation and Director of the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program. “The new class of Fellows joins experts across dozens of fields, and we look forward to their contributions to areas of mutual interest and management of the overall relationship”
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes understanding and cooperation in U.S.-Asia relations. It was established in 1983 to honor Mike Mansfield (1903-2001), a revered public servant, statesman, and diplomat who played a pivotal role in many of the key domestic and international issues of the 20th century as U.S. congressman from Montana, Senate majority leader and finally as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s values, ideals and vision for U.S.-Asia relations continue through the Foundation’s exchanges, dialogues, research and educational programs, which create networks among U.S. and Asian leaders, explore the underlying issues influencing public policies, and increase awareness about the nations and peoples of Asia. The Foundation has offices in Washington, DC; Tokyo; and Missoula, Montana.
