Inaugural TRACE Scholars Named

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TRACE International, the globally recognized anti-bribery association committed to advancing commercial transparency, has announced the inaugural recipients of the TRACE Scholar Program, fully-funded scholarships for two international LLM students from developing countries who will be pursuing studies aimed at increasing transparency and reducing corruption.

"Response to the call for applications was overwhelming," said Alexandra Wrage, President of TRACE. "Hundreds of professionals submitted their credentials. It's a clear indication that individuals and organizations increasingly recognize the inherent value in ethical, compliant business practices and want to implement those values in their business dealings and home countries."

Applicants from countries including India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Brazil, Congo, Ecuador, Nepal, Thailand, Venezuela, Zambia, Nepal, Malawi, China and Nigeria applied for the opportunity to receive full tuition, lodging and travel from their home country to the U.S. where they will each spend a full academic year studying anti-corruption, business ethics, governance and related issues. The University of Washington and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law will each host one TRACE Scholar starting August 2014. An additional scholarship will be offered at King's College, Cambridge University for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Following their academic studies, the TRACE Scholars will have a paid internship at TRACE headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland.

The two TRACE Scholars for 2014-2015 are Ernesto Alejandro Valasco Granda of Ecuador, who will attend the Maryland Carey School of Law, and Chitra Nair of India, who will conduct her studies at University of Washington School of Law.  

Ernesto Granda is a lawyer from Quito, Ecuador. Mr. Granda is a former advisor to the Ecuadorian Minister of Transportation and Public Works where he worked to bring greater transparency to the governmental bidding process.

Chitra Nair is a lawyer and research officer for the Global Compact Network India, where she works on a project focused on corporate reporting and transparency processes. 

"Ernesto and Chitra are emerging leaders in the anti-corruption, compliance and transparency effort," Alexandra Wrage said. "We're delighted to have such quality candidates for our first two TRACE Scholars."

About TRACE

TRACE International is a non-profit membership association that pools resources to provide practical and cost-effective anti-bribery compliance solutions for multinational companies and their commercial intermediaries. TRACE Membership offers a cost-effective alternative to increasingly expensive and time-consuming corporate compliance. Founded in 2001, TRACE International is now one of the world's leading non-profit organizations dedicated to anti-bribery compliance with hundreds of Corporate Members and thousands of Intermediary Members around the world. TRACE International works with TRACE Incorporated to offer both members and non-members customizable risk-based due diligence, training and advisory services. With a shared mission to advance commercial transparency, TRACE International and TRACE Incorporated provide companies with one complete anti-bribery and third party compliance solution.

For more information, visit www.TRACEinternational.org.

SOURCE TRACE