User:Sjgallivan/sandbox/Douglas E. Morris

Douglas E Morris (born January 31, 1961) is a Lithuanian-American entrepreneur and published author.

Early life and education
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Mr. Morris’ family moved to Toronto, Canada when he was 6 years old. From there his father’s career with Eli Lilly and Company took them to London, England, Florence, Italy, Rome, Italy, Copenhagen, Denmark, Seoul, Korea, Beijing, China, and Hong Kong.

Morris returned to the U.S. in 1979 when he enrolled in The George Washington Universityin Washington, DC. While attending The George Washington University, Morris was on the varsity soccer team, founded both the GW Olympics and GW Volleyball Club, and starred in GW productions of The Zoo Story and Moonchildren. Morris graduated with a Bachelor's of Business Administration with a focus in Marketing in 1983.

Later that year Morris founded his first business importing leather goods from Korea and also enrolled in a Master's program. He graduated with a Master's of Business Administration with a focus in International Finance in 1985.

Career
Morris initiated a number of small business ventures after his import business. One venture, XXXXX, earned him the FUNEP 500 Award from the United Nations. Morris worked in the technology industry for ten years.

In 1996, Morris published his first book, Italy Guide. Since then he has written 14 books, penned a travel column in Primo magazine for over 10 years, has written scores of articles for numerous magazines.

In 2005 Morris published It's a Sprawl Wold After All. Focusing on the issue, Morris has written a series of editorials explaining suburban sprawl’s negative impact on American society. Morris appeared on a C-SPAN discussion panel to discuss sprawl in March of 2006.

Social Entrepreneurial Activity (A Sample) • In Tbilisi Georgia, Mr. Morris is working with Gela Kvashilava, a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Alliance for Road Safety (www.roadsafetyngos.org/about/about-us/team/gela-kvashilava/) to create a Safe Cycling in Tbilisi network and accompanying map that will allow cyclists to ride through Tbilisi safely. • Mr. Morris co-founded Books for Kosovo, a non-profit that collects English language books and donates them to the City Library in Pristina, Kosovo. Visit the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BooksForKosovo) for more information. • While in Prishtina, Mr. Morris also co-founding Clothes for Kosovo, a successful non-profit that collected clothes for The Ideas Partnership, an organization that works with the Roma/Ashkali population in Kosovo; and helped The Ideas Partnership in Kosovo to put together a comprehensive marketing plan to enhance the business opportunities associated with a variety of small product development projects under the umbrella name Sa-Pune to benefit the Roma/Ashkali population in Kosovo. • Mr. Morris worked as a business consultant for Books for America in Washington DC streamlining resource and inventory management, and played an integral role in the opening of the organization’s first non-profit bookstore. • Mr. Morris is particularly proud of the work he did with the Supreme Committee of Lithuania to create print ads that were placed in newspapers around the U.S. to galvanize support for Mr. Morris’s ancestral homeland, Lithuania, gain its freedom from Soviet tyranny.

My Morris is currently collaborating with Matt Dillon to develop a screenplay called The Daily American about an enterprising American reporter who heads to Rome during the upheaval of the 1970s to work for an English-language newspaper, The Daily American, staying one step ahead of the danger that pursues him while he uncovers the truth about the CIA’s involvement in the paper and its support for right-wing terrorism in Italy. A story of love, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. Based on actual events.

Awards & praise
In 1983, Morris received the GW Award in from The George Washington University.

In 1990, Morris was included in Who’s Who Among Rising Young Americans.

In 1990, Morris received the FUNEP 500 Award from the United Nations.

In 2010, Morris received the Meritorious Honor Award from the US State Department for his work with the Brussels Weekly, the weekly newsmagazine for the US Tri-Mission in Belgium.

In November 2017, Morris received a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Embassy in Rome for transforming the Veneto Views into a dynamic weekly news source.

Other activities
• Performed in a Dutch reality TV show in 2010. • Tried out for the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots as a placekicker in the summer of 1986. Film Industry Activity

Mr. Morris worked with the producer and director of Time Borrowed, Blerim Gjoci, as a “script doctor” to refine and polish the script prior to filming in LA. He also worked with Blerim Gjoci, in his role as the organizer of the 9-11 Dedication Film Festival in Pristina, Kosovo as a “script doctor” to refine and polish eight short film scripts being prepared for the 10th edition of the film festival in 2013. Mr. Morris served on the Jury Panel for the 9th edition of the 9-11 Dedication Film Festival in Pristina, Kosovo; which featured short films by local Kosovar directors about a variety of subjects relating to life in Kosovo.

In 2013 Morris appeared in the movie Ushi Must Marry in an uncredited role.

Mr. Morris has also penned articles for Smoke, Conscious Choice, Transitions Abroad, Dollar Stretcher, Foreign Service Journal, State, and Pathways magazines, was a columnist for over 10 years for the bi-monthly Primo magazine, and has written editorials and articles for a number of newspapers all over the United States.

Personal Life
After leaving Washington, DC in 1999, where he spent over 20 years, Mr. Morris has lived in Ankara, Turkey, Viterbo, Italy, Brussels, Belgium, Pristina, Kosovo, Rome, Italy, Naples, Italy. He is currently living in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Morris is updating his Made Easy series of travel guides for Italy, is seeking an agent for his memoir – La Dolce Vita, continuing his collaboration with Matt Dillon on a screenplay – The Daily American, and developing an app for discovering the Aurelian Wall in Rome.

Morris is also working with a local Georgian non-profit and the city government to develop the Safe Cycling Network in Tbilisi, is working as a voluntary business consultant D.O.G. (Dog Organization Georgia) expand their operations helping get street dogs adopted, and has partnered with Stray Animals Project Georgia to help them get the quality shipping crates from U.S. Embassy Tbilisi employees so that they can continue to build dog and cat homes for stray animals all around Georgia.