ABOUT

Created in 1992 in Washington, D.C., the Cultural Exchange Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to foster greater understanding and appreciation of differing cultures and peoples. This includes promoting themes of freedom, civil liberties and cultural diversity while speaking out against anti-Semitism, racism, religious and ethnic prejudice. The Foundation’s projects have been seen by audiences in the United States, Hungary, Israel, Germany, France, Japan and Taiwan. Services include development and presentation of international art exhibitions, fundraising, film and theatrical productions, cultural events, concerts and book publishing.

OFFICERS

Anita Semjen, Founder and President

Hungarian-born Anita Semjen, a former psychologist, developed and led research projects for the Hungarian Mass Communication Research Center and the London School of Economics, worked as a consultant on Hungarian documentaries dealing with social and political issues, co-hosted a Hungarian television show on family matters, served as Director of Public Relations for MAFILM (Hungarian National Film Studios) and currently works as an international arts consultant in Washington, D.C., New York and Budapest. She was honored in the U.S. Congressional Record for “Victims and Perpetrators,” her exhibition on the Holocaust. Semjen served as executive producer on several films and received Hungary’s highest award for outstanding achievement in the arts and humanities, which was presented to her by President Árpád Göncz.

Lesley Israel, Vice President

Lesley Israel is a public relations and fundraising consultant and strategist. She is active in the field of international democracy and elections, and serves as Treasurer and Director of IFES, an organization involved in the development of civil society, elections, the rule of law and governance in emerging democracies throughout the world. She is President of NCSJ, an organization which advocates for Jewish communities and provides skill training for their leaders in the 15 countries of the former Soviet Union. Lesley is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Anti-Defamation League.

Deno Seder, Secretary/Treasurer, Creative Director

Deno Seder is a writer, producer and director who produced most of the films and videos for the Foundation. He is the author of five books and is currently working on the Foundation’s production and filming of a stage play, 72 Hours, based on his book, Miracle at Zakynthos, The Only Greek Jewish Community Saved In Its Entirety From Annihilation. Seder’s work has been selected for screening at the Paris Art Film Biennale, Berlin Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival, Taipei Film Festival, and won Gold and Silver Medals at the Chicago Film Festival and ”Best of Show” at the Houston WorldFest Film Festival.

ADVISORY BOARD

Anne Abramson

Anne Abramson is an arts consultant in Washington D.C. She has also served as Director, Cultural Outreach, OVATION-The Arts Network; Publisher/Owner of Museum & Arts Washington Magazine; and is a Founding Member, James Renwick Collector's Alliance.

Ambassador Gyorgy Bánlaki

Ambassador Gyorgy Bánlaki, served as Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, was co-founder and President of Sawyer-Miller Group Hungary, a strategic communications consulting firm and is currently President of BG International, a corporate communications firm.

Tom L. Freudenheim

Tom Freudenheim is a museum consultant, writer and lecturer. He is the former Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and has served in executive positions at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C. and The Jewish Museum, New York.

Gabrielle J. L. Korab

Gabrielle J. L. Korab is President of Korab & Partners, a global marketing and management consulting firm. She served as Vice President, J. Walter Thompson; Vice President/General Manager, Kraft Foods; and Senior Vice President, World Wide Director, Young and Rubicam.

Kornelia Nagy-Koppany

Kornelia Nagy-Koppany is the managing partner of the Budapest office of K & P Attorneys at Law. She has served as a clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and has been associated with U.S. law firms since 1989.

Jeorge Seder

Jeorge Seder is a Clio Award-winning independent film producer/director/editor in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the owner of Canal Street Pictures and co-founder of Monkey Boy Pictures, both in Washington, DC. Seder has worked with the Foundation on several film and video projects, most recently as editor of a filmed stage play, 72 Hours.

Linda Vadasz

Linda Vadasz is an English copy editor of museum catalogs and ephemera, including Miró Exhibition, Sixteenth Century Northern Italian Drawings, Anti-Semitic Discourse in Hungary and others. She was Coordinator of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences & Humanities, lecturer and mentor at the International Business School in Budapest, Executive Director of the Cultural Assembly of greater Worcester and Manager of the Worcester Historical Museum.

Mary R. Yakaitis

Mary R. Yakaitis is a marketing and program development consultant specializing in identifying and using pubic and private sources of funds to obtain grants and contracts. She served as a Vice President at Northrop Grumman Health Information Solutions group and currently serves as a consultant to the Gallup Organization.