Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University will present its Director’s Award to U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky tonight at Georgetown.  

In recognition of their commitment to increased understanding and appreciation of the peoples and cultures of Eurasia, Russia and East Europe, Kaptur and Dobriansky will be honored at CERES’ 45th Anniversary Gala.  

“CERES contributes significant research, teaching and scholarship to our understanding of a key part of the world,” said Angela Stent, director of CERES and professor of government at Georgetown. “I am pleased to celebrate the anniversary of the Center and honor Rep. Kaptur and Under Secretary Dobriansky with these awards."

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is currently serving her twelfth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the senior-most Democratic woman in Congress and ranks as the senior Democratic woman on the exclusive House Appropriations Committee. In her legislative career she also served on the Budget; Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs; and Veterans Affairs Committees.  

Kaptur participated in a Congressional trip to the Ukraine to push for a free and fair revote in advance of the elections in December. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, she has lead efforts to establish a Congressional-Rada exchange program, including several videoconference meetings each year. She has also spearheaded private charitable efforts for peoples of nations including Ukraine and Vietnam. Additionally, she has been a strong supporter of developmental food aid in support of local development projects in Lebanon, along with supporting privately sponsored schools that serve as alternatives to the Madrasas in Pakistan. She received her B.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. in urban planning from the University of Michigan.  

Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky served as Senior Vice President and Director of the Washington Office of the Council on Foreign Relations where she was the Council’s first George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies. Before that she served as Senior International Affairs and Trade Advisor at the law firm of Hunton & Williams and as Co-Chair of the International TV Council at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  

Among Dr. Dobriansky’s many government appointments she served as Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council. She has lectured and published articles, book chapters and op-ed pieces on foreign affairs-related topics, ranging from U.S. human rights policy to East European foreign and defense policies, public diplomacy, democracy promotion strategies, Russia and Ukraine. Dobriansky received a B.S.F.S. summa cum laude in International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Soviet political/military affairs from Harvard University.  

About the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies

The Masters program at CERES is dedicated to promoting and supporting the multi-disciplinary study of the area from central Europe to the Pacific and the Baltic to the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas. CERES offers a rigorous education in scholarly disciplines focusing on the political, economic, social, cultural, and historical complexity of this vast area, to provide its students with a broad and deep understanding of Eurasian, Russian and East European affairs. Since the year 2000, CERES has served as the home of Georgetown’s Title VI National Resource Center for Eurasia, Russia and Eastern Europe – one of a dozen universities competitively selected by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct teaching, research, and outreach focused on this region of the world. For more information about CERES, visit http://ceres.georgetown.edu/.

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.