Colleagues and friends of former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss have now exceeded the goal of $1 million for the Chambliss Leadership Forum endowment at the University of Georgia. The fourth fundraising dinner for the program was held earlier this week at the Altria office in Washington, D.C. Chambliss and his wife, Julianne, attended along with UGA President Jere W. Morehead, current UGA student interns and members of the U.S. Congress.

“One of the components of the Chambliss Leadership Forum is a unique experiential learning opportunity for students to live and work in our nation’s capital while continuing their pursuit of an academic degree,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “This is an exceptional experience and the University of Georgia is grateful to Senator and Mrs. Chambliss and the many contributors who are supporting the Chambliss Fellowship Program.”

Current Chambliss Fellows Tyler Ashe, Lindsay Moore and Nada Elrhalami attended the dinner. Ashe, a fourth-year student from Loganville, Georgia, majoring in international affairs and minoring in Arabic and statistics, is interning for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Moore, a fourth-year student from Decatur, Georgia, is double majoring in international affairs and Spanish, both of which she has put to use this semester during her time as an intern for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Elrhalami, a fourth-year student and international affairs and political science double major from Columbus, Georgia, is an intern for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations this semester.

“Julianne and I are grateful for the support of so many friends and former colleagues,” said Chambliss. “The Chambliss Leadership Forum at UGA is close to our hearts, and we are grateful that so many folks from both sides of the aisle see the value in providing bright students, regardless of economic background, the opportunity to live and work in our nation’s capital. I believe strongly these internship opportunities are valuable not just to the students, but to the university, our state, and ultimately those public institutions where they serve.”

Attending the event were Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Angus King (I-ME), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), Rep. Karen Handel (R-GA) and Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) were also in attendance.  

“Thanks to the generosity of Senator and Mrs. Chambliss, my semester in D.C. has furthered my education more than I could imagine,” said Elrhalami. “I am inspired by the gracious support of so many who have chosen to invest in my future and whose support will grow generations of future leaders.”  

In addition to the current Fellows, inaugural Chambliss Fellows Ishana Ratan and Eleanor Traynham attended the event. Ratan interned for the Center for American Progress during her time as a Chambliss Fellow and now works as an international trade project assistant at Wiley Rein LLC in Washington. Traynham, who worked as an intern in the office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, also chose to stay in D.C. following her tenure as a Chambliss Fellow. She now works as a scheduler for U.S. Rep. Sean P. Duffy (R-WI).  

Presenting sponsors were Altria Group, General Dynamics, Georgia Crown, The Home Depot, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Gates, Northrop Grumman, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Jeter, Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Jeter, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Mobley, and Mr. and Mrs. David Tyndall.