Our community consists largely of individuals in the United States, and the Czech and Slovak Republics. We want to contribute to a strong partnership among our countries. We are motivated by the desire to see the Czech and Slovak Republics returned to their place among the most advanced industrialized countries; just as it was during the presidency of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk. This is why we support aspiring young leaders.

Henry Kallan, President, leads the transformation of the Fund. One of the most generous sponsors, he owns and operates several luxury hotels in New York City and is developing projects throughout the United States and the European Union. See http://www.hkhotels.com.

Joseph Balaz, Secretary, owns and operates a construction company specializing in high-end residential development in New York City. He is one of the most generous sponsors of the Fund.

Edward Chlanda, Treasurer, former president of EAC Brokerage, co-author of several specialized books on insurance issues, active member of NYC Sokol. See http://www.eacbrokerage.com.

Jiří Kejval, Vice President, Member of the Czech Olympic Committee, founder of Techo, a leading supplier of office furniture and commercial interiors in Europe. See http://www.techo.com and http://www.olympic.cz.

Jiří Zlatuška, Vice President, Former Czech senator (independent), President Emeritus of Masaryk University (MU) in Brno. Former Eisenhower Fellow, professor of informatics, he was instrumental in the $165 million modernization and expansion of the university campus. See http://www.zlatuska.cz.

Birgitte Rasine, producer and Chief Executive Officer of a socially responsible design, media and communications company. See http://www.lucita.net.

Freddie Botur, Owner and operator of one the finest and largest semi-private tennis facilities located just minutes from Manhattan across the East River in Queens. See http://www.tennisport.com.

Martin Herman, international consultant with over 30 years of experience in business and economic development in Central and Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia, and the United States. Asked by the Board of Directors, Mr. Herman has formulated, implemented, and is currently running the Young Leaders Program. Contact mherman@afcsls.org.

Jan Hladký, attorney in Prague specializing corporate and commercial law, advising on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, bankruptcy, litigation, arbitration, state aid, and public procurement, and laws of the European Union.

Tomáš Kára, Founder of the International Center for Clinical Research (ICRC) in Brno, a collaborative project between the Mayo Clinic and St. Anne Faculty Hospital. ICRC is the European Union's largest platform for medical research to be opened in 2009.

Pavel Paleček, author of several Czech history books, epilogues, scientific and popular artciles. Former journalist for Lidove Noviny and a PhD candidate at Masaryk University.

Juraj L. Slávik, program officer of Meridian House International, Czechoslovak activist.

Michael J. Storek, Scientist and project manager working on biochemical research projects for Monsanto, graduate of Charles University, Prague, School of Natural Sciences, and Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Jan Vilcek, researcher and philanthropist, donated $105 million to New York University School of Medicine, the largest monetary contribution in NYU history. See http://www.vilcek.org.

The American Fund for Czech and Slovak Leadership Studies is a successor to the American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees (AFCR) founded in 1948 to help Czechs and Slovaks escape communism and settle in the United States. The founders included Dr. Jan Papanek, Czechoslovak Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Valuchek, a publisher of Czech and Slovak newspapers in New York, and other brave and highly accomplished personalities that refused to accept communist rule and continued their fight against it from the United States.

The Fund received generous support from many distinguished Americans including Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt and the US government. After the collapse of communism in 1989, the Fund has participated through a number of projects in the restoration of democratic traditions and institutions in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

You may be interested in learning more about the Fund's early years in: American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees Inc., 1948-1980. A detail account of the history of the American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees Fund since its establishment and its transformation in the early 1990s is described in "Czechoslovak Refugees during the Cold War - the History of the American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees" a book by Vojtech Jerabek, Stilus Press, Brno, 2005 (in Czech only).