NYU McSilver Institute Selects Penny Abeywardena as 2024 Fellow-in-Residence
16 Feb 2024
Soft power strategist and APB exclusive speaker Penny Abeywardena has been selected as a 2024 Fellow-in-Residence at the McSilver Institute of Poverty Policy and Research at NYU. Also chosen was Jeffrey Ginsburg, who is the incoming President and CEO of Volunteers of America Greater New York.
The McSilver Institute Fellowship-in-Residence engages nationally recognized social justice scholars and thought leaders across disciplines to conduct research projects, publish books and policy papers, conduct courses and participate in seminars, conferences and workshops.
“We welcome Penny and Jeffrey as our 2024 McSilver Fellows-in-Residence,” said McSilver Executive Director Rose Pierre-Louis. “They are nationally and internationally renowned change agents and are at the forefront of thought leadership in their fields, with extensive track records of accomplishment.
Penny is a contributing columnist at Forbes on leadership strategies. Her writing is focused on identifying strategies of influence and persuasion when there is little or no perceived power. She writes on issues ranging from AI to food security and climate change. She previously served as the Commissioner for International Affairs for the City of New York for eight years, where she led the agency serving the largest diplomatic corps in the world. Before her role in government, Penny was the Director of the Women’s program at the Clinton Global Initiative. A graduate of the University of Southern California, she completed her Master of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
“I’m thrilled to join NYU’s McSilver community to align soft power strategies with issues focused on eradicating poverty both domestically and internationally,” Penny said. “Having NYU’s institutional support over the coming year will create many opportunities for impact and I am grateful.”