NEWS RELEASE

February 7, 2007  for Immediate Release  

      Contact: Nichet Smith, 202.736.2239

www.thesullivanfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. - The Leon Sullivan Foundation announced today that Howard F. Jeter, a former State Department Career Minister, will be the new President and CEO of the Leon Sullivan Foundation beginning February 19th.  For the past two years, he has served as Executive Vice President for GoodWorks International.

Ambassador Jeter brings rich experience and background from working for nearly three decades in Africa.  His last diplomatic posting was as U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria where he supported the country’s transition to democratic rule.  He served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Namibia and Lesotho respectively. Ambassador Jeter has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Director of West African Affairs, and Special Presidential Envoy for Liberia, where he focused on promoting peace and reconciliation in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ambassador Jeter served with distinction as U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, and has also held various political, economic, commercial and consular positions in U.S. embassies in Mozambique and Tanzania and Temporary Liaison Office in Windhoek, Namibia.

Ambassador Jeter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Morehouse College, a Masters in International Relations and Comparative Politics from Columbia University and a Masters degree in African Area Studies from UCLA. His languages include Portuguese, Swahili and French.

Hope Masters, who is stepping down as President began working with her father, the late Reverend Leon H. Sullivan on Africa related issues almost 30 years ago as a teenager. She has a strong personal commitment to promoting the legacy of her father’s work and plans to allocate much of her time to fundraising for the organization while serving as a Member of the Board of Directors. Not only has she has been elected to serve as a member, but has also been given the special appointment of Counselor to the Board.

“I think that Ambassador Jeter is the perfect person to represent the Sullivan Foundation,” said Masters.  “He was a personal friend of my father’s and I know he will absolutely do what’s best for the organization. I’m very pleased that he has accepted this post.”

The Leon Sullivan Foundation was established in 2001 to carry on the spirit and legacy of Reverend Leon Sullivan, the great African American international humanitarian, by leveraging the commitments and resources of the African Diaspora and Friends of Africa for positive change in the world. The work of the Sullivan Foundation is guided by the principles that Rev. Sullivan championed: self-help, social responsibility, economic empowerment and human rights.

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