FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2008

Contact: Caitlin Jacobs
Phone: 202-546-1299

WASHINGTON (June 30, 2008) - The Faith & Politics Institute announces today that Robert G. Liberatore was elected to the Institute’s Board of Directors on June 10, 2008.

Liberatore, recently retired from the Chrysler Corporation, has dedicated himself to a lifetime of service in both the public and private sectors of Washington. Prior to joining Chrysler in 1985, he served on Capitol Hill for ten years, including four years as Staff Director for Senator Robert C. Byrd.

Liberatore began his relationship with The Faith & Politics Institute while working with the DaimlerChrysler Corporation in the 1990s, and he continues his steadfast support of the Institute’s mission and goals in his current position as the Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

“We are thrilled to have such a long-time supporter of the Institute joining our Board of Directors,” said Institute President, Rev. J. Cletus Kiley. “Rob truly understands what the Institute is about and will continue to be a tremendous asset in his new role on our Board.”

Liberatore journeyed with The Faith & Politics Institute in 2003 on its Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama, led by Congressman and civil rights luminary John Lewis. Liberatore immediately understood the importance of the Institute’s work, and returned to Alabama on the 2007 pilgrimage. “The Institute helps us remember and learn from the struggle for equality in our society,” he said. “I particularly admire John Lewis’s role as a teacher of the lessons of this important history. Let us not forget how far we have come, and how far we have to go.”

Liberatore was also influential in organizing the Institute’s 2003 pilgrimage to South Africa, and in the production of a documentary film by Robin Smith entitled Come Walk in My Shoes. The film tells the story of Congressman John Lewis through the lens of The Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimages, allowing a broader audience to experience the power of those journeys.

On July 16, The Faith & Politics Institute will honor Liberatore with the 2nd Lewis-Houghton Leadership Award, which recognizes leaders who have exhibited qualities of conscience, courage, and compassion in their roles as public servants. The Faith & Politics Institute gladly welcomes Robert G. Liberatore as its newest board member.

Envisioning a world where all political leaders draw upon their faith to strengthen their leadership, The Faith & Politics Institute is a nonpartisan, interfaith organization, founded in 1991 to help public officials stay in touch with their deeper calling to public service.

###