Meet our Candidate for Kalon Tripa

Fifty years in exile, a new generation of Tibetans born outside of Tibet needs a leader who is charismatic, seasoned, and competent. We need a leader who can keep our people united and yet respect our differences, who can incorporate change and also respect our rich traditions and customs, who has proven leadership in our community and who can provide and sustain our vision for the future.

Meet our chosen candidate for Kalon Tripa 2011:

TENZIN NAMGYAL TETHONG

POLITICAL CAREER

Tenzin N Tethong began his political career in exile, in 1967, as Secretary and translator for the Department of Education.

● 1973-1986: Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York

● 1980: Headed the Second Delegation of Tibetans to Tibet and China

● 1987-1990: Special Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington DC

● 1990: One of the first Kalons elected

● 1990-1995: Kalon of various portfolios such as Departments of Finance, Home and Information & International Relations

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL AND POLITICAL INITIATIVES:

● 1968: With his brother Tenzin Geyche and friend Sonam Tobgyal started Sheja, the first educational publication and pioneered the first Tibetan non-governmental initiative in India.

● 1970: As one of four conveners of the first Tibetan Youth Conference, which resulted in the formation of the Tibetan Youth Congress, he served in its first leadership executive committee. During this period he also served as Editor of Tibetan Review.

● 1973-1986: He was also instrumental in the formation of several Tibetan initiatives in North America such U.S. Tibet Committee, Tibetan Associations across the U.S., and Tibet House. At this time he also worked with Congressmen Charlie Rose and other senior staff in the U.S. government to secure the first visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the United States in 1979.

● 1987-1990: With the help of dedicated staffers and U.S. Congressional Representatives who support Tibet, he helped to initiate and played a critical role in securing the first 1,000 visas for Tibetans to immigrate the United States, Fulbright scholarship program support for Tibetan students and the creation of Voice of America’s Tibetan language service.

Currently, Tenzin N. Tethong, a Distinguished Fellow at the Tibetan Studies Initiative, Stanford University (a program he played a key role in establishing) is the founding member and President of the Dalai Lama Foundation, and Board Chair of the Committee of 100 for Tibet. In addition to serving as an advisor to the local Tibetan Community Center project, he is co-founder of the Missing Peace art exhibit and recently launched “Tibet in Exile-Fifty Years”, an online documentation effort to commemorate the last fifty years in exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

VOTE FOR EXPERIENCE * INTEGRITY * VISION

VOTE FOR TENZIN NAMGYAL TETHONG