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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Ingalls (laura.ingalls@worldlearning.org) in Washington, 1.202.464.6973

Adam Weinberg Named Next President and CEO of World Learning/SIT

Current Executive Vice President and Provost to Succeed Carol Bellamy on September 1, 2009.

BRATTLEBORO, VT (June 25, 2009) -- Ken Bartels, Chair of the Board of Trustees of World Learning, the non-profit international education and development organization, announced today that, following a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees,  Dr. Adam S. Weinberg has been named the next President and CEO of World Learning and SIT. Dr. Weinberg, who has served as World Learning's Provost since 2005 and Executive Vice President since 2006, will succeed outgoing President and CEO, Carol Bellamy, and become the organization's eighth chief executive on September 1, 2009.

Commenting on the appointment, Bartels stated, "I know I speak on behalf of the trustees, our faculty and staff worldwide in expressing my great delight that Adam has accepted this appointment. A Transition Committee composed of trustees and staff engaged World Learning alumni, friends and staff all over the world. The Committee confirmed that Adam is broadly admired both inside and outside World Learning for his commitment to World Learning's mission, and for his leadership. Adam brings to the Presidency a powerful combination of skills and experiences; the disciplined and enquiring mind of an academic; a long and successful record of managing complex organizations in times of change; and an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to challenges.  I have worked closely with Adam for more than three years. Adam and his wife Anne live the values we try so hard to bring to all we do at World Learning."

Since coming to World Learning in December 2005, Weinberg has helped steward the organization's 77-year-old mission to build a more peaceful world through intercultural exchange and education. He brought increased attention to academic quality and strengthened student affairs in all of World Learning's academic and education programs – The Experiment in International Living, SIT Study Abroad, and SIT Graduate Institute – with an eye toward deepening the quality of the educational experience for students and participants. Soon after joining World Learning, Weinberg led an institution-wide, community-based strategic planning process that set new goals and priorities for the organization. He encouraged synergies and identified operational efficiencies across program areas, and launched new global programs, partnerships, and models for delivering high-quality experiential education. A leading voice on the role of higher education in global civic engagement, Weinberg has published extensively, sits on a number of boards and advisory committees in the field, and has represented World Learning at a variety of convenings of the higher-ed and NGO communities.

"I am deeply honored to have been chosen to be the next President of World Learning," said Weinberg. "This is a truly special organization that is doing some of the most important work in the world. Our programs help people imagine the world not as it is but as it could be, and take steps to make that vision a reality. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to lead an organization that is such a powerful force for change, one that helps us recognize, claim, and honor our common humanity."

Weinberg joined World Learning from Colgate University, where he held a number of faculty positions starting in 1994, including Vice President and Dean of the College from 2002 to 2005. During his 11-year tenure at Colgate, Weinberg applied his background in sociology to both academic leadership and administrative oversight. His work on civic education has garnered national attention from a number of major foundations and he has achieved a considerable record in the area of sustainable development, including micro-enterprise development, poverty reduction programs and educational initiatives. He has also been involved in a national effort directed toward youth political engagement, an activity that began as a project in a course he taught. Weinberg graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College and did work at Cambridge University before receiving his Masters and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He lives with his wife Anne and their three children in Brattleboro, Vermont where he is an active participant in a number of civic and community organizations.

Weinberg will succeed Carol Bellamy, who has been World Learning's President and CEO since May 2005. Although she will be stepping aside as World Learning's Chief Executive on September 1, Bellamy will continue to play an important role at World Learning. She will join a newly-established President's Council, which will convene as a group of internationally recognized members of the World Learning family that will provide support to Weinberg as he seeks to enhance World Learning's global partnerships and reputation. In addition, Bellamy and Weinberg are examining ways to convene an exploration of issues relevant to World Learning's work. 

Said board chair Bartels of Bellamy's tenure, "Carol Bellamy will leave us with an extraordinary and lasting legacy of achievement. Carol's leadership over the past four years has focused on strengthening our administrative systems and capacities, and on knitting together and thereby strengthening our diverse programs.  Through her own high personal standards, her ongoing commitment to excellence and her just plain hard work, Carol has raised the bar for all of us as we work together to make World Learning the best we possibly can be. When she steps down, Carol will bequeath to Adam an organization whose promise never has been greater."