Film Screening: “The KF: A Century of Impact” and a Talk on Tadeusz Kosciuszko by Elizabeth M. Zechenter, Ph.D.
The KF Washington DC Center
2025 O Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036
Join us for an evening featuring a premier screening of a new documentary film:
The Kosciuszko Foundation: A Century of Impact
with a special guest: Elizabeth M. Zechenter, Ph.D.,
who will talk about our patron, Tadeusz Kosciuszko
SATURDAY, February 21 | 5:00 PM
The KF Washington DC Center
2025 O Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036
Refreshments will be served.
The event is FREE and open to the public. Any donations are greatly appreciated.
RSVP is required to KFDC@thekf.org
The event is sponsored by The Sylvian and Eugenia Bobinski Fund.
The Kosciuszko Foundation: A Century of Impact
Produced to commemorate the centennial of the Kosciuszko Foundation, this new documentary highlights the Foundation’s role in advancing academic and cultural exchange between the United States and Poland. The film also showcases the KF’s vital place in the Polish-American community and its lasting influence on shaping Poland’s image in the U.S. and around the world.
Narrated by the leadership of the Kosciuszko Foundation, the film guides viewers through the Foundation’s rich history—from its founding by Stephen Mizwa, through pivotal historical moments, to its contemporary programs and initiatives. It is a story of education, opportunity, and empowerment across generations.
Each year, the Kosciuszko Foundation awards up to $2 million in support of educational programs for Polish and American scholars, students, and artists. The documentary features compelling testimonials from distinguished former grantees and programs’ participants, including Professor Leszek Balcerowicz, Dr. Marek Brzeziński, and pianist Brian Ganz, illustrating the Foundation’s profound and lasting impact.
As 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of Polish-American relations, this film is especially timely, underscoring how a century of the Kosciuszko Foundation’s mission has helped build and strengthen these enduring ties.
The documentary film project was partially financed by the Department for Cooperation with Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Elizabeth M. Zechenter, Ph.D., J.D.
Elizabeth M. Zechenter, Ph.D., J.D. is a social scientist, international attorney, and legal scholar whose work bridges history, anthropology, archaeology, and international law. A published author and frequent speaker, moderator, and lecturer, she is currently a Visiting Scholar in the Department of History at Emory University (since 2020). Dr. Zechenter holds an M.A. in History, a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Archaeology, and a J.D. in International Law, bringing a rigorously multidisciplinary perspective to questions of social change, law, and human rights.
Dr. Zechenter has taught widely across leading institutions, including social science courses at UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University, as well as international law and human rights law at Georgetown University and the University of Warsaw. Her scholarship and teaching focus on the evolution of social complexity, the uses of international law, and the protection of human rights—expertise that provides a rich lens for examining historical figures such as Tadeusz Kosciuszko and the transnational ideals of liberty, equality, and the rule of law that shaped his life and legacy.
Beyond academia, she has managed diverse legal teams within a major multinational corporation and worked extensively with courts, legal and business organizations, and non-profits across the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. She has directed and participated in major international research initiatives, including the multi-year Proyecto PARAISO in Peru, and is currently involved in projects addressing human rights violations, support for minority and vulnerable populations, free elections, judicial independence, and the rule of law.
Dr. Zechenter’s contributions have been widely recognized. She was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundationin 2023—an honor limited to one percent of lawyers in each jurisdiction—and has been recognized by the American Bar Foundation, the American Bar Association, Hogan & Hartson LLP, and the New York City Bar for her legal expertise, integrity, and pro bono service. She is also a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for advocacy and humanitarian work on behalf of the human rights of women and disadvantaged populations, presented at the Third Annual International Law Conference on the Status of Women, co-sponsored by the NYC Bar, ABA, and NYSBA.
Celebrate the beginning of the Kosciuszko Foundation’s new century by becoming a KF member!
The first 10 guests who purchase a KF membership at the door will receive a special gift bag (water bottle and the KF calendar).
