Sondra Myers

Sondra Myers "is a Consultant for International, Civic and Cultural Projects.

"In her book, ‘The New Rwanda’, Sondra Meyers, a senior fellow for international, civic, and cultural projects at the University of Scranton, expounds on the journey to attaining a National Conversation in Rwanda—something she believes sets the strongest foundation for a democracy.

"The handbook was created as a resource for discussions under the umbrella of ‘The National Conversation for Prosperity and the Public Good’ in Rwanda’.

"It was the result of a roundtable discussion that took place in Kigali in March 2008 under the theme, “The Role of Universities in Building a Culture of Civic Responsibility, Interdependence and Prosperity.” This meeting brought together key Rwandan educators and a team of international academic leaders.

"Having been endorsed by President Paul Kagame, the roundtable delivered a set of recommendations one of which was to enlarge the public arena by creating several opportunities for Rwandans to discuss the critical ideas and issues affecting their society, to take ownership of these issues and to act responsibly to achieve constructive change."

"Myers co-edited (with Patrice Brodeur) The Pluralist Paradigm: Democracy and Religion in the 21st Century, published in 2006.  She is co-editor of The Interdependence Handbook (2004), and editor of The Democracy Reader (2002) and the Democracy is a Discussion handbooks.  From 2001 to 2005 she served as a senior associate at the University of Maryland’s Democracy Collaborative, organizing and coordinating meetings of The Democracy Collaborative’s International Roundtables in Washington and Berlin and editing reports on their proceedings."

"From 1999 to 2001, Sondra Myers directed the President's Millennium Seminars: The University for a New Democratic Era, a project of The George Washington University. She was the Rapoport Democracy Fellow at the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy at Rutgers University, 2000-2001. From 1996 to 2000, Myers served as senior advisor to the president of Connecticut College. Since 1996 Ms. Myers has presented programs on democracy in Prague, Cracow, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, and in cities throughout the United States. In addition she has organized and moderated symposia on culture and public policy for academic institutions and cultural organizations including Lehigh University, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, The New School for Social Research, and the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

"From 1993 to 1995, Ms. Myers served as special assistant to the chairman at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Prior to joining the NEH staff, she served from 1987 to 1993 as cultural advisor to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey.

"Myers is past chair of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, past president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and founding president of Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania and the State Arts Advocacy League of America. She is former chair of ArtTable, Inc., Washington Chapter, a member of the Public Education Committee of the American Bar Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Centre for Creative Communities in the United Kingdom. Ms. Myers served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1980 to 1985. She has been a member and vice chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Scranton (PA) and a trustee of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is the co-executive producer of The Courage to Care, a documentary film about rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust, nominated for an Academy Award in 1986.

"Consultations include Radio Free Europe, Connecticut College, the municipality of Scottsdale, AZ, the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, CO, and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL.

Ms. Myers holds honorary degrees from Misericordia College and the University of Scranton. In 1994, she received the Connecticut College Medal, the highest honor given to alumni of the college. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa."


 * Advisory Board, Foundation Rwanda
 * Advisory Council, Akilah Institute for Women

Web site: http://www.sondramyers.org