Today, a celebrated photo exhibit, A Most Beautiful Country, brought to the United States from Russia by the Renova Fort Ross Foundation, will open at Presidio's Golden Gate Club in San Francisco during Fort Ross Dialogue. Since the project’s launch three years ago, some eight million people across Russia and Europe have seen the exhibit, and now the American public will be able to see it for the first time. The remarkable imagery is an array of both winners and frontrunners of Russian Geographical Society’s international competition of 2016. The showing will include 30 images from the following categories Peoples of Russia, Heritage slipping away, Sacred Russia and Animals.

Fort Ross Dialogue, an international forum that gathers US and Russian nonprofits, business and political leaders to discuss the topics of mutual interest in an open and constructive atmosphere, is generously supported by the Renova Fort Ross Foundation among other partners. Timothy Kelly, President of Fort Ross Conservancy, and Matthew Rojansky, Director of Kennan Institute, will lead a conversation at the closing reception about the environment, Fort Ross and its place in bettering the relations between our two countries.

Timothy Kelly has been Fort Ross Conservancy's president since 2016 and director since 2014. He is an attorney, educator and writer who has a deep devotion to the Fort Ross. Ross area where he grew up. He is a graduate of Fort Ross Elementary who has built numerous educational programs for students of all ages. He is passionate about environmental stewardship, cross-cutural exchange programs and outdoor adventures.

Matthew Rojansky is an expert on U.S. relations with the states of the former Soviet Union, he has advised governments, intergovernmental organizations, and major private actors on conflict resolution and efforts to enhance shared security throughout the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region. Rojansky has lectured at colleges and universities throughout the United States, Russia and Europe. He is frequently interviewed on TV and radio, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Foreign Policy.

The Renova Fort Ross Foundation is a public charitable foundation established in 2010 by the Renova Group of Companies, a leading Russian business group, to provide support to California's Fort Ross State Historic Park. The Foundation's mission is to promote preservation and to raise awareness of Fort Ross.