Two Graduate School alumni named to
Time Magazine’s 2010 100 Most Influential list

AUSTIN, Texas—May 17, 2010—Two graduate alumni from The University of Texas at Austin were named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2010.  Salam Fayyad, PhD, ’86 and Kathleen Merrigan, MPA, ’87 are listed among notable figures from Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to Ben Stiller and Lady Gaga.

Fayyad, winner of the 2009 Outstanding Graduate Alumnus Award from the Graduate School and named one of the Texas Exes 2008 Distinguished Alumni, is the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority.

In an essay by Tony Blair for the magazine, Fayyad is described as, “a passionate advocate of the Palestinian cause with a clear vision of the unequivocal, nonviolent path to statehood and peace with Israel. In his three years in office, he has greatly strengthened the capacity of Palestinian government ministries and the security services despite both physical and political constraints. His reforms have led to dramatic improvements in security and the economy in the West Bank: Palestinians can move around more freely, jobs have been created, civil servants receive a regular salary, and people generally feel safer.“

Merrigan, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is listed as one of the top “thinkers” on the list.  An advocate of both local farmer’s markets and conventional farmers, Merrigan wrote the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act.  Dan Barber, chef-owner of Blue Hill, a New York restaurant devoted to sustainable food says, “If you've ever wondered who in government shoulders the complexities of moving an agenda forward in a fractured time and pushes on without getting soaked, here is your answer.”

The 2010 Time 100 list names the people who most affect our world and is divide into Leaders, Heroes, Artists and Thinkers and includes an essay about each person written by a peer.

Photos above from TexasExes blog.