Media gallery

Fellows in Residence

Dr. George Folsom (center)
President and CEO of the International Republican Institute (IRI)

George A. Folsom, President and CEO of the International Republican Institute (IRI), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide, spoke at Furman University about “The Challenge of Implementing the Forward Strategy for Freedom in Iraq” on  April 29, 2004 in the Watkins Room at Furman University.

Folsom has been a leader in U.S. foreign policy in the public and private sector for more than two decades. He has worked on various political campaigns in the U.S., both as a political advisor and field operative.

During the Bush-Cheney Transition, he served as a member of the Treasury Department Advisory Committee. During President George H.W. Bush’s Administration, Folsom served in the Treasury Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Development, Debt, and Environment Policy where he played a leading role in financial diplomacy with foreign governments and Congress, including the Brady Plan and numerous multilateral negotiations.

He was the chief U.S. negotiator on the financial aspects of President Bush’s Enterprise for the Americas Initiative (EAI), and helped establish the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London. During the Reagan Administration, Folsom worked in international security policy at the Pentagon.

Folsom has a Ph.D. from the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University and a B.A.from American University. He also received a J.D. and M.A.from the University of South Carolina. Folsom is a member of the bar in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina where he practiced law representing European clients investing in the United States.