Derek Kilmer (Marshall Scholar 1996) AwardedHonorary OBE for Services to UK–US Relations
The UK government announced that Derek Kilmer, a Marshall Scholar from the class of 1996 and former U.S. Congressman for the 6th district of Washington state, was awarded an honorary OBE by His Majesty King Charles III for services to UK–US relations. The honour was approved in 2025.
Kilmer served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he co-chaired the bipartisan Congressional UK Caucus. He also chaired the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. He is now Senior Vice President for U.S. Program and Policy at The Rockefeller Foundation, leading work to expand economic opportunity and overseeing its domestic and global policy teams.
“Derek’s honour recognizes a commitment to the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States that he put into practice throughout his time in Congress,” said Dr. Nell Breyer, Executive Director of the Association of Marshall Scholars. “His work as co-chair of the Congressional UK Caucus reflects the spirit of the Marshall Scholarship: building lasting connections between our two countries.”
Kilmer joins 15 other Marshall Scholars who have received British honours. Alumni named Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) include John Jay Iselin (Marshall 1956), William Roger Louis (Marshall 1960), Edward Victor (Marshall 1961), William Janeway (Marshall 1965) and Reid Hoffman (Marshall 1990). Those named Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) include Ray Dolby (Marshall 1957), James Shapiro (Marshall 1964), Linn Hobbs (Marshall 1966), Ernest Edwards (Marshall 1968), Robert Gray (Marshall 1971), Thomas Friedman (Marshall 1975), Theodore Leinbaugh (Marshall 1975), Jeff Waage (Marshall 1975), Cynthia Sughrue (Marshall 1985) and Kenneth Bacon (Marshall 1976).
“Across generations and fields, Marshall Scholars have helped strengthen the ties between Britain and the United States,” said Scott Grinsell, Board President of the Association of Marshall Scholars. “Derek’s honour is a recognition of the role he has played in that relationship through public service.”
As a Marshall Scholar, Kilmer studied at the University of Oxford, where he earned a doctorate.
About the Association of Marshall Scholars
The Association of Marshall Scholars works to strengthen US-UK ties and also the Marshall Scholarship. The transatlantic alliance has historically served as a lynchpin for liberal democracy, prosperity, and global peace. A valuable thread of this relationship has been the Marshall Scholarship, an educational program strengthening international exchange and advancement in nearly every field of human endeavor.