The Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Visitorship has been endowed since 2005. It was initiated in light of the tenth anniversary of the Berlin Brigade’s departure from a unified Berlin by honoring the American Academy’s founder and chairman, Richard C. Holbrooke. From 1993 to 1994, Holbrooke was the US Ambassador to Germany, an occasion he used to announce the idea of the American Academy in Berlin, an institution that still abides by his commanding spirit and vision. By establishing the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Visitorship, the American Academy sought to fund short-term fellowships for leading US policy experts, providing opportunities for crucial dialogue on questions of special importance to both countries.

The Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Visitorship is supported by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Axel Springer AG, BASF AG, Bayer AG, Michael Blumenthal, The Broad Art Foundation, Tom Brokaw, Gahl Hodges Burt, Tom Cruise, Daimler AG, Deutsche Telekom AG, Julie Finley, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Gruner + Jahr AG, Marisa & Carl Hahn, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Mary Ellen & Karl M. von der Heyden, Josef Joffe, Maxine & James A. Johnson, Körber AG, Morgan Stanley, Guna & Robert H. Mundheim, Otto GmbH & Co. KG, Susan & Alan Patricof, Peter G. Peterson, Geryl T. & Frank H. Pearl, Robert Pozen, Elizabeth & Robert Z. Pozen, Ringier AG, Siemens AG, Fritz Stern, Maureen White & Steven Rattner, Texas Pacific Group, Kurt F. Viermetz, Volkswagen AG, WestLB AG, and Mortimer Zuckerman.