Awardee Database

Awardees

Nicole Bayer

As Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Nicole has shown great ingenuity in cultural diplomacy programming that creates lasting mutual respect and understanding between the people of the U.S. and Madagascar. Her innovative programming included a modernized English language learning symposium, a musical education workshop series that brought together local and American artists and a U.S. film festival in which films were dubbed or subtitled in Malagasy. Nicole’s deep understanding of Malagasy culture and current cultural trends and her dedication to creating impactful programming reached previously untapped audiences and made the United States the leading voice in cultural diplomacy across Madagascar.

Zornitsa Hristova

The 2019 Dyankov Translation Award was presented toย Zornitsa Hristovaย for her translation of the novel โ€œThe Bonfire of the Vanitiesโ€ by Tom Wolfe (List, 2019).ย  Born in Dobrich, Zornitsa Hristova graduated from Sofia University โ€œSt. Kliment Ohridskiโ€ with a degree in English Philology, having specialized in post-colonial literature at Oxford, with an emphasis on contemporary Indian literature in English.

In 2014, Zornitsa Hristova won the national โ€œHristo G. Danovโ€ award, which is presented annually by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Plovdiv National Book Center to recognize contributors to Bulgarian literary culture, for her work in childrenโ€™s literature together with the team behind โ€œTasty Geographyโ€.ย  She received the same award in 2015 for โ€œWhen I Want to Be Silentโ€, together with the artist and co-author of the book.ย  In 2010, Zornitsa Hristova received the Literary Translation Award from the Union of Translators in Bulgaria for her translation of the novel โ€œWhite Noiseโ€ by Don DeLilo.

Victor Lopez-Carmen

Victor Lopez-Carmen, of Ithaca College, received our 2018 award to extend his public health research in Australian Indigenous communities to the Lokono-Arawak Tribe in Barbados. Upon his return, he shared the knowledge that he acquired with his Arizona tribe and is working towards becoming a doctor, a public health official and an Indigenous rights advocate and leader of his tribe. One day, he hopes to run for Congress!

Tess McClure

Our 2018 award went to Tess McClure to help support her as she earns her Master’s degree at Columbia’s School of Journalism. An investigative journalist herself, she focused on human and labor rights in supply chains, a relatively new subject in investigative journalism.

Mark Taplin

Mark Taplin received the inaugural Lois Roth Emeritus Award, on August 6, 2018, for his career of service in cultural and educational diplomacy abroad and his tours as a principled and courageous policy leader in the ECA Bureau. Through his willingness to communicate openly with colleagues, flexibility and strategic planning, Mark guided the ECA through existential budget threats, proving that the Bureau’s spirit of innovation, productivity and commitment to excellence can survive, and even thrive, in times of great stress. Now retired, Mark is known among his former colleagues for his profound leadership, sense of humor, elegant writing and speaking and his deep-rooted belief in the power and criticality of international exchange.

Nicholas Stern

The eighth annual Fulbright Legacy Lectures were given by Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics and the Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. He spoke at King’s College London on June 4, followed by Edinburgh University on June 6, and Pembroke College Oxford on June 8, 2018. The theme of his lectures was “The best of centuries or the worst of centuries? Leadership, governance and cohesion in an interdependent world.” He argued that the international economic order, which J. William Fulbright helped to build after WWII, served fairly well for much of the second half of the twentieth century. If we are to avoid the grave we currently face, howeverโ€”including climate change, pandemics and conflictโ€”it must be re-cast for our increasingly interdependent world. Our success in doing this will determine whether the twenty-first century becomes the best or worst of centuries.

Tiffany Viggiano

Tiffany Viggiano (University of California at Riverside) used her grant to focus on disseminating her dissertation research on internationalization policies and global responsibility in higher education to colleagues, practitioners and policy-makers in Finland.

Earl Hodil

The 2018 award went to Earl Hodil (Yale) to help fund his research surrounding the complex political and commercial relationships between Denmark and Russia in the early 17th century, a topic that has been understudied in the current literature on the region. Earl plans to incorporate this research into a larger series of publishable works upon completing his PhD in History at Yale University.

Petya Petkova

Petya Petkova was awarded the first place 2018 Dyankov Translation Award for her translation of the novel “Here I Am” by Jonathan Safran Foer (List, 2018). Born in Sofia in 1979, Petya Petkova graduated from the National Secondary School for Classical Languages and Civilizations and holds a BA in Indian Studies from Sofia University. Between 2010-2015, she worked as an editor at Prozoretz Publishing House. She started working as a freelance translator in 2015 and has translated books by Kurt Vonnegut, Evelyn Waugh, Kiran Desai, Indra Sinha, Ben Okri, Lawrence Norfolk, David Mitchell and Jonathan Safran Foer.

Read an interview with Petya Petkova.

Angel Igov

Angel Igov was awarded the second place Dyankov Translation Award for his translation of the novel “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead (List, 2018). Angel Igov teaches English literature and Translation at Sofia University. He has translated into Bulgarian several novels and poetry and has published three novels and two collections of short stories of his own. Angel has also worked as book reviewer for several print and electronic media. He was the recipient of the primary Dyankov Translation Award in 2016 for his translation of Jeremy Page’s “The Collector of Lost Things”.

Emily Olsen

Emily Olsen, of the Center for Disease Control, conducted timely research into anti-bullying programs with renown experts. She plans to earn her PhD from Finland’s University of Tampere.

Sophia Angelis

Sophia Angelis, of Harvard University, conducted comparative research on the role played by Norway’s prison architecture in creating humane environments that encourage rehabilitation. With her Roth Foundation award, she created an exhibition that illustrates alternatives to US prisons and supports discussion and research on the administration of justice in the United States.

Margot Carrington

Margot’s exceptional Japanese language skills and deep knowledge of Japanese culture and history enabled her remarkable achievements as a Country Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo: fighting for adequate legal protection for trafficked persons; promoting gender equality in the workplace; and even challenging traditional gender roles by performing the lead role in a Kabuki theater performance, a position normally reserved for men. Margot innovated the evaluation of various outreach initiatives, tracking the outcomes of huge funding resources, and creating a new method with the potential for worldwide adoption within the State Department. Her 25-year career exemplified groundbreaking programming paired with mentoring and service to the wider profession.

Robin Solomon

Robin’s ingenious use of art and culture to reach Palestinian youth and women’s groups helped them develop skills help themselves through programs that provided arts management courses, entrepreneurial support, and cultural tourism development. Her collaboration with Palestinian civil society organization and intensive social research enabled her Post to innovate their engagement with Palestinian women. With delicate cultural sensitivity Robin mentored staff, grantees and alumni to build interacting layers of human resources and a strategic framework that will benefit post programs for years to come.

Monica Davis

Monica harnessed her creativity to support public diplomacy in Cambodia amid political turmoil. She engaged with Cambodia’s majority-youth population through programing that addressed themes relevant to them and that emphasized aspects of the U.S. that they admired. She was also integral to the success of her Post’s college fairs and regional youth alumni conference, further highlighting her dedication to youth-oriented programming. Her contacts and colleagues admire her kindness, work-ethic and ability to boost the impact all types of programming, including cultural preservation projects, exhibits on US-Cambodian history, and the inauguration of the New American Center.

Markรฉta Kolรกล™ovรก

Marketa Kolarova, an invaluable advisor to Political Affairs Officers and Ambassadors in Prague, Czech Republic, for 28 years, revitalized US-Czech cultural relations after the Velvet Revolution. With her profound insight and managerial savvy, she midwifed the Fulbright Commission; right-sized American Spaces; and led nationwide teacher tech-training, literature engagement and English language programming, all resulting in a closer US-Czech relationship for decades to come.

Carmen Urcuyo

In her 43 years of service to the U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa, Carmen Urcuyo has trained some fourteen, mostly entry level, Cultural Affairs Officers, many of whom have even requested her mentorship after moving on to new posts. Her legendary networks and extensive program files ensured the right local partners to make every program a success. Carmen’s ability and willingness to adapt in the face of countless challenges have made her one of the Mission’s most valued and effective employees.

Nadia Ouhenia

Louiza “Nadia” Ouhenia, who has worked with U.S. Embassy Algiers for 25 years, is the master of a portfolio that covers the gamut of cultural and educational engagement with Algeria, single handedly managing the Post’s entire professional exchange program. Even during the “Dark Decade,” when she faced real danger just coming to work, Nadia has been a trusted barometer for new initiatives and has proven that even seemingly impossible projects can be achieved through dedication and hard work. Her institutional memory and attention to each grantee and program partner have built bridges between embassy officials and program alumni who have opened doors and multiplied the entire Embassy’s effectiveness.

Felix Mbatalbaye

Felix Mbatalbaye, of U.S. Embassy N’Djamena in Chad, has utilized his interpersonal skills and judicious recruitment of program participants to build a powerful network of contacts in a variety of fields, and his procurement of essential resources and expertise has transformed the US Embassy into the partner of choice for Chadians over the course of his 29-year career. Always a steadfast and trusted leader, Felix ensured programs continued during the evacuation of American staff in 2008 and even drafted the Post’s first Public Diplomacy Implementation Plan during a gap between Public Affairs Officers. Approaching mandatory retirement, Felix Mbatalbaye leaves a profound legacy.

Sana Abed-Kotob

With her cultural insights, inspiring leadership and deep compassion, Sana Abed-Kotob has significantly and substantially advanced US cultural diplomacy. As the chief of ECA’s largest division, the Office of International Visitors, Sana manages projects that impact thousands of people around the world each year. Despite the scope of her position, Sana does not lose sight of individual needs, as she guides, mentors and inspires ECA staff and partners. Sana’s efforts have made operations more efficient, improved inter-agency cooperation and expanded public-private contributions to advancing cultural and educational exchanges. It is no exaggeration to say that every US diplomatic post in the world has benefited from Sana’s expertise in cultural diplomacy programming.

Elizabeth Doe Stone

Elizabeth Doe Stone, of the University of Virginia, explored fin-de-siรจcle artistic and social connections between the US artist John Singer Sargent and Swedish painter Anders Zorn. Her award allowed her to expand her archival research in Sweden and Denmark.

Svea Larsen

Svea Larsen, of Pacific University, conducted research that explores how the return of Swedish immigrants in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries influenced Swedish rural society. Her awarded funded and exhibition on the movement of immigrants between Sweden and the U.S.

Donald Rayfield

Donald Rayfield was awarded an honorable mention for his translation from the Russian of Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Stories, Vol. 1. Kolyma Stories is a collection of short fictional stories based upon the fifteen years that Shalamov spent in a Soviet prison camp. According to Penguin Random House, “[Shalamov’s] stories are at once the biography of a rare survivor, a historical record of the Gulag, and a literary work of unparalleled creative power, insight, and conviction.” Rayfield, a professor of Russian and Georgian at the Queen Mary University of London, is an English author and translator and has written several acclaimed books examining Russian and Georgian history.

*The Prix Coindreau Prize, The Jeanne Varnay Pleasants Prize for Language Teaching, and the CASVA-Henry & Judith Millon Award are currently inactive.