The Steve Menzies Global Foundation plays key role in release of Brittney Griner

Founder, Steve Menzies, praises Governor Bill Richardson’s efforts in release of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner, after 294-day detention in Russian penal institution

New York, New York -- Monday, December 12, 2022 -- The release of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was hailed as a success by Steve Menzies, Founder and Chairman of the Steve Menzies Global Foundation. Mr. Menzies, whose Foundation played a key role in providing the critical funding and direct logistical and operational support towards realizing Ms. Griner’s release on December 8th from a Russian penal institution, praised Gov. Bill Richardson for his efforts: “Governor Richardson’s persistence and success in helping so many Americans in need over the years is truly remarkable. His diplomatic acumen and tireless and steadfast mediation efforts have ultimately resulted in the release of so many, including Ms. Griner.”

Gov. Richardson responded, adding: “Our increasingly complex missions, to places such as Moscow or Caracas, would not be possible without the essential support, operational readiness and capabilities of Steve’s Foundation. Together, Steve and I have been able to do a lot of good in the world.”

Mr. Menzies elaborated: “My Foundation provides financial, operational, and technical advisory support for Americans unfairly held captive or trapped abroad and often victimized or exploited by a foreign government or organization. We consider cases once we receive a bona fide request from either the family or the government, or both. The Foundation typically gets involved in engagements which are more operationally complex and that could last for months or even years.”

Mr. Menzies continued, “In some particularly difficult negotiations, I will personally be involved in the face-to-face negotiations as I was in Venezuela and Russia. This past year, we have done some really good work. The Foundation took on twenty-nine separate cases, fourteen of which involved families of six on average. Now, with the release of Brittney Griner, sixteen of the cases have been successfully resolved in 2022, including all fourteen of the families, with all returning safely home to the US. The other thirteen cases remain open with ongoing operations—three involve intergovernmental diplomatic mediation, the remaining are kept confidential involving terrorist-related organizations.”

Mr. Menzies concluded: “Our goal is simply to bring home—whenever, and as quickly as we can—the many Americans in distress around the globe, lost in a tangle of national politics and ideology, bureaucratic interests, and convoluted governmental decision making and inaction. This requires our unwavering dedication and persistence to advocate for the hostage. Our role is not to judge nor to prioritize the sociopolitical merit of an individual hostage, nor the merit of some ultimate agreement between governments. We begin with the proposition that all Americans are equal and entitled to due process, and to the pursuit of a good life, liberty, and happiness, regardless of their personal opinions or associations. We know that every success we achieve, big or small, makes the next case that much easier, and, in getting governments to agree on something, perhaps, even if ever so slightly, work has been done to ease global geopolitical tensions.”

For further information contact:
Ryan Gerding, Public Relations, at +1 (913) 602-8531 or at press@boldthinkers.org.

About the Steve Menzies Global Foundation (www.boldthinkers.org)
The Steve Menzies Global Foundation is a non-profit organization that takes a creative, constructive view to solving grand scale problems related to societal issues, economic issues and intellectual advancement. The Foundation engages Bold Thinkers from its worldwide network of individuals willing to apply and generously share their energy, intellect and resources to solve complex problems that risk going unsolved.