[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20147-20148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING CHRISTOPER GRESHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 18, 2017

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Christopher Gresham for his 
participation in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange.
  The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the U.S. 
government's Young African Leadership Initiative, helps to develop the 
next generation of African leaders across government, business and 
civil society. The fellows build strategic partnerships and lasting 
connections through training and networking opportunities at leading 
institutions of higher education.
  The Reciprocal Exchange Component, for which Christopher has been 
competitively selected, provides U.S. experts and leaders a chance to 
expand their work in partnership with Mandela Washington Fellowship 
alumni in Africa. Past participants have included a wide range of 
experts, from entrepreneurs to disability rights advocates, who have 
contributed meaningfully to efforts such as promoting peace, stability 
and economic prosperity in the region. The program provides important 
contributions to U.S. diplomacy efforts.
  A native Washingtonian, Christopher has dedicated his career to 
breaking down barriers

[[Page 20148]]

and promoting diversity in entrepreneurship. He graduated from The 
George Washington University and went on to obtain a Master's from 
Thunderbird School for Global Management. He then became the Vice 
President of Communities at SEED SPOT, where he works to increase 
startup activity and economic growth with a focus on entrepreneurs 
developing sustainable solutions to address some of the world's most 
pressing problems. In addition, Christopher founded Swillings Coffee, 
an impact-driven venture that works directly with small family-owned 
farms in rural Colombia to apply sustainable growing techniques and 
employ women in the local community. As part of the Mandela Washington 
Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange, Christopher empowered hundreds of 
Beninese entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship training, educated its 
largest university on sustainable economic development programs and 
promoted cooperative trade with the U.S. and multiple institutional 
stakeholders.
  Therefore, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
recognizing Christopher Gresham for his accomplishments and for his 
participation in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange.

                          ____________________