HIF NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Anna Smith Lacey
ANNA SMITH LACEY has been appointed Executive Director of the Hungary Foundation. She will provide strategic leadership for the foundation and be responsible for overall management of HIF’s grants and educational initiatives, reporting directly to the Board of Trustees. “Anna’s impressive background, experience and personal commitment to Hungarian-American issues made her the perfect choice for HIF. She will bring new momentum and energy to the foundation. I’m glad to have her on board,” said April Foley, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
“I look forward to reaching out to a new and dynamic generation of Hungarians and Americans by building lasting new transatlantic bridges, as well as engaging long-time leaders of the Hungarian American community who have invested so much in the preservation of Hungarian cultural heritage,” Anna said. “From the Founding Fathers to the Fall of Communism there is much to learn from each other on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Prior to her appointment, Anna has worked as an advisor at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Previously she served in the Hungarian Foreign Ministry as U.S. Desk officer and at the Hungarian Embassy as political attaché responsible for congressional relations and outreach to the Hungarian diaspora in the US. She authored, translated and edited several English and Hungarian language publications on U.S. and Hungarian democracy issues and constitutionalism and is a monthly contributor at Heti Válasz, a leading Hungarian weekly magazine. She is a Vice President of the Common Sense Society of Budapest and serves on the board of the Foreign Policy Initiatives’ Future Leaders Network. FULL BIO AND CONTACT
THREE MEMBERS JOIN HIF’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HIF is also pleased to welcome three members to its Board of Trustees whose expertise and personal leadership will contribute to the exponential growth and unique mission of the Foundation. George Pataki, Kurt Volker and János Csák join current board members Edith Lauer, Tamás Fellegi and April Foley, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
GEORGE PATAKI
George Pataki
“I want the next generation of Hungarian-Americans who might not even be aware of their Hungarian roots to experience Hungary and come back to be ambassadors of Hungarian culture.”
George Pataki is a three-term governor of New York, lawyer and businessman. His paternal grandparents, János and Erzsébet Pataki were immigrants from Hungary. He is currently president of his own small business, The Pataki-Cahill Group, that works in energy, infrastructure, and clean-tech and a Counsel with Chadbourne and Parke LLC, where his practice focuses on energy, environmental and corporate matters. Pataki is the Patron of the ReConnect Hungary Program. FULL BIO
KURT VOLKER
Kurt Volker
“Ever since I served in Hungary as a diplomat, I have wanted to strengthen the people-to-people and cultural ties between the two countries. HIF is designed to do exactly that – at a time when it is sorely needed.”
Kurt Volker is a leading expert in U.S. foreign and national security policy with some 30 years of experience in a variety of government, academic, and private sector capacities. He currently serves as Executive Director of the McCain Institute for International Leadership, a part of Arizona State University based in Washington, DC. He served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in 2008-2009. FULL BIO
JÁNOS CSÁK
János Csák
“Attachment is the most important need for human beings. Our loved ones, families, friends and communities define who we are and where we belong. HIF is an endeavour that assists those who want to nurture our common cultural heritage so that nothing important gets lost in translation.”
János Csák is an economist, sociologist, Ambassador, management and strategic consultant. Currently he is Managing Director of his management consulting company Mobilnet Ltd. and serves on the board of Gedeon Richter Plc. and Bank of China (Hungaria) Ltd. as non-executive director. His advisory work includes corporate strategy and finance, organisational development and leadership. Ambassador Csák is a member of the faculty at SEED, a business school based in Budapest. FULL BIO