The Junior League’s Ariel Grace Batungbacal Is Named a White House Fellow

Nov. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- New York – Ariel Grace Batungbacal, a Major in the U.S. Air Force, has achieved much so far in her life, but now the Junior League of Washington member has added another honor: a place in the of the 2012-2013 Class of White House Fellows (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/04/white-house-appoints-2012-2013-class-white-house-fellows).

Susan Danish, Executive Director of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc (http://www.ajli.org/)., said, “Ariel follows in the tradition of public service established decades ago by remarkable Junior League women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith and Sandra Day O’Connor. We are pleased and delighted that Ariel believes that her embrace of voluntarism amidst a busy professional life was a factor, among many, in her selection for this prestigious program.”

Major Batungbacal, who joined the Junior League of Los Angeles in 2006 and transferred to the Junior League of Washington in 2010, has served over five years in overseas assignments, supporting military operations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including three deployments supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. More recently, she has served as the Joint Staff J2/Director of Intelligence’s Deputy Executive Assistant and, prior to that, was Branch Chief for Middle East Strategy, leading intelligence efforts for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's policy development.

Speaking of her Junior League experience, Major Batungbacal said, “My mother taught me that it is our job to take care of our corner of the earth, and The Junior League gives us a mechanism to do just that by working inside our local communities. Our communities need civic leaders who are committed to their greatest needs. The Junior League’s model of identifying community needs is effective, and most importantly, impactful.”

A founding board member of The Doolittle Foundation, she was also a member of the award-winning Junior League of Los Angeles Board Fellows program, which intensely trains current and future community leaders to become active, productive and effective members of a nonprofit organization’s board of directors.

As White House Fellows, Major Batungbacal and her 14 classmates will spend their year working as full-time, paid Fellows to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. They will also participate in roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors as well as trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally.  

About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.

Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (http://www.ajli.org/) (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 293 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.  

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