FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2012
Contact: Janie Guyton Shields
(662) 329-7119
jshields@pa.muw.edu

MUW student body president attends Pro-Israel Conference

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Leander Williams Jr., Mississippi University for Women’s Student Government Association president, recently attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

The three-day annual event, held at the Washington Convention Center, brings more than 10,000 attendees together to learn, meet with the nation’s top leaders and do their part to strengthen the United States and Israel relationship.

Williams said, “I had the opportunity to lobby, along with fellow SGA presidents from Mississippi, as well as representatives from the state including Congressmen Alan Nunnelee, Gregg Harper and Senator Roger Wicker. We discussed the issues that the state of Mississippi is facing and what steps should be taken in order for us to move forward.” 

Some of the guest speakers included President Barack Obama, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum.

The founder and chief executive officer of Geller & Company LLC, Martin Geller, funded the 217 SGA presidents who attended the conference. AIPAC believes the key to securing the U.S.-Israel alliance in the future is to educate student leaders today and Geller wanted to provide students with that experience, Williams explained. 

AIPAC’s mission is to strengthen the ties between the United States and its ally Israel to the mutual benefit of both nations. AIPAC and its members have successfully worked with members of Congress to promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, exchange expertise and equipment for homeland security, defense and counterterrorism, and ensure the Jewish state has the means to defend itself.

When asked the most important thing he gained from the trip, Williams said, “Having the opportunity to leave an everlasting impression on the conference attendees by sharing the amazing things that Mississippi University for Women has to offer through networking.”

He plans to share the experience with students on campus. “We are indeed the future and in order for us to be effective in it we must first take-part in decisions being made that can affect the outcome.”