The feeling is mutual, Mr. Ambassador

The American Ambassador to Romania, Mark Gitenstein, took the time to offer this comment on my Huffington Post article about the Restart Romania project (see here, here, here, and here on this blog):

The Restart Romania project has been one of the highlights of my tenure in Bucharest and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with TechSoup Romania. The creative ideas and civic activism generated by this project have been nothing short of inspiratio­nal. It is important now to continue our support of these dynamic young leaders as they translate their ideas into action.

We haven’t done this on our own. The Austrian, British, Canadian, German, and Spanish embassies in Bucharest have been our invaluable partners throughout the process. I would also like to recognize the generous support of corporate and foundation partners such as the Erste Foundation, Microsoft, Cisco, and the French American Charitable Trust. Additional­ly, the project has enjoyed the support of more than 30 private sector partners large and small including Google, Zitec, PRAS Consulting­, and NextRoot. Restart Romania’s success demonstrat­es what can be achieved through a State Department democracy grant with strong community backing and public diplomacy behind it.

- Ambassador Mark Gitenstein

On a personal note, my first assumption about how the U.S. State Department is going to impact a socially transformative project in a foreign country is, to be charitable, pessimistic. When Chris Worman first told me that the American ambassador in Romania was supportive of Restart Romania, I thought it would be a two-edged sword, conferring respectability but limiting impact.

Well, it turned out to be a one-edged sword which the Ambassador wielded steadfastly, consistently and imaginatively on behalf of the project’s most transformative aspects. I expect Chris might jump in with a comment or two, but I’ll just mention that my original Huffington Post draft had Chris coming up with the idea and the Ambassador being entranced with it. Actually, Chris said, it was more the other way around. So thanks, Mr. Gitenstein, for not only support but real leadership.