Vice Mayor Heads to Brussels to Talk Affordable Housing Crisis
North Bay Village Vice Mayor Marvin Wilmoth will join 73 leaders from across the U.S. and Europe as a newly inducted Marshall Memorial Fellow. Wilmoth, a first-generation Honduran-American, will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to discuss global issues with leaders from around the world.
MIAMI, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The German Marshall Fund (GMF) recently announced that South Florida community developer Marvin Wilmoth has been selected as a Marshall Memorial Fellow. Wilmoth, a first-generation Honduran-American who was recently appointed as vice mayor of North Bay Village, will travel to Brussels, Belgium, and join 73 other Marshall Memorial Fellows from Europe and the United States.
"I am incredibly honored to have been chosen for the Marshall Memorial Fellowship," said Vice Mayor Wilmoth. "At this moment in our nation's history, it is important that we continue to invest in building our transatlantic relationships."
The Marshall Memorial Fellowship was created to introduce a new generation of European leaders to the United States; the program expanded in 1999 and began sending emerging leaders from the United States to Europe.
"Marvin's selection as a Marshall Memorial Fellow is a natural extension of his work," said Javier Soto, president of the Miami Foundation. In 2015, Vice Mayor Wilmoth was selected as a Miami Foundation Fellow.
"As a coastal metropolis, Miami's leadership is particularly focused on issues of global importance like climate change and gentrification which align perfectly with Marvin's passion for remedying the housing affordability crisis here in Miami and abroad," said Soto.
GMF awards the best and brightest from all sectors, including business, government and civil society. Fellows engage in six months of preparation designed to enhance their understanding of transatlantic relations before embarking on 24 days of policy immersion across the Atlantic.
"I'm so excited to learn more about the solutions our European colleagues are utilizing to address climate change and the affordable housing crisis," said Vice Mayor Wilmoth.
Vice Mayor Wilmoth began his career in finance with global financial giant JPMorgan Chase in New York. He has spent the last 10 years in community development in Florida, Georgia and New York, focused on providing housing opportunities for working individuals such as teachers, civil servants and first responders.
The vice mayor has participated in several leadership development programs including Connect Florida and The University of Miami's Community Scholars in Affordable Housing Cohort. He has also been the recipient of several civic and business awards including the BMe Community Genius Award.
"BMe Genius Marvin Wilmoth is a perfect fit for the Marshall Memorial Fellowship," said Trabian Shorters, founder and CEO of BMe Community, a national network of community builders who work together to build more caring and prosperous communities. "We need more emerging black leaders like him to have the international perspective and networks that this fellowship provides."
GMF selects fellows from all 50 U.S. states and 39 European countries. These fellows join a network that includes notable alumni such as Emmanuel Macron, president of France, and Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Marvin will join the fellows in Washington, D.C., this week and begin his European tour in Brussels next week.
"I look forward to engaging in an exchange of ideas with our European counterparts," said Vice Mayor Wilmoth.
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