HARTFORD – State Senator Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen), Deputy Minority Leader Pro-Tempore and Minority Caucus Chairman of the Connecticut State Senate, will travel to Asia Saturday for a seven-day seminar hosted by the Aspen-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership Program.

Roraback will be in Beijing, China from July 29 through August 1, and in New Dehli, India from August 2 through August 4. He will meet with government officials, business leaders and diplomats from both countries and tour several cultural and historical sites in the region, including the Taj Mahal.

“I feel honored and humbled to have been chosen to spend time with this extraordinary group of leaders,” said Senator Roraback. “That which unites members of this Fellowship is our commitment to rejecting blind partisan politics and instead to champion civil debate, cooperation and compromise as the most effective tools for solving the serious policy challenges facing our nation and respective states.”

Senator Roraback was one of 24 public officials (12 Republicans and 12 Democrats) from across the country selected for the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship following an eight-month search involving input from more than 1,400 business, political, and civic leaders. (Attached, please find a list of the 20 Fellows attending the Seminar in China and India.)

Former Congressman Mickey Edwards, the program's director, said the new fellowship class "represents the true promise of America––an outstanding group of young leaders with a clear commitment to putting the nation's interest ahead of partisan considerations." Edwards said the selection process involved looking for young officials who had not only earned reputations for thoughtfulness and intelligence, but who had also been recognized for "their willingness to cross party lines and their ability to remain focused on the ideals that had led them into public service in the first place.”

Congressman Edwards described the program's goals as twofold: "in a political world in which partisanship has become increasingly bitter and public decision-making has become increasingly polarized, we're working to help a new generation of public leaders build lasting relationships across party lines, and at the same time, we're trying to sharpen the focus of the political conversation on our common goals as members of a diverse democracy."

Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson said the Rodel Fellows "represent the best hope for America's future—upcoming leaders committed to working together for the common good."

The Fellowship is funded entirely by the Rodel Charitable Foundation. For additional information concerning the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership, please contact the program’s assistant director, Ms. Gia Regan, at 202-736-2525 or at gia.regan@aspeninstitute.org. More information on Rodel Fellows and the program can be found at www.aspeninstitute.org/rodel.

The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, and New Delhi, and leadership programs in Africa and Central America.

Senator Andrew Roraback is serving his fourth term in the Senate representing the 30th District communities of Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington and Winsted. Prior to his election to the State Senate, Senator Roraback served the people of the 64th Assembly District in the CT House of Representatives from 1994 through 2000.