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Mayor Eric Garcetti
City of Los Angeles
Mark Ridley-Thomas
Chair, L.A. County Board of Supervisors
Matthew Olsen
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
Vice Chairs
Mathias Fobi, M.D.
Bariatec Corporation
Michele A. Franchett
Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP
Michael McDowell
Deanne Neiman
Honorary Consul of Botswana
Legal Counsel
Wafa J. Hoballah
WJH Law Group, APC
Laman Alani
Haifa Azawi, M.D.
New Women Medical Care
Kathy Jones Irish
Kathy Jones Irish Consulting, LLC
Jonathan Kaji
Kaji & Associates
Patti MacJennett
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Kristin McCowan
Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
Rima Nashashibi
Nashashibi International Consultants, LLC
Stephen Ozoigbo
International Advisor
Relativity Education
Lourdes Saab
L.A. County Office of Protocol
William Silva
Southern California Edison
David R. Stepp
Bryan Cave LLP
Yael Swerdlow
Women's Empowerment Foundation
Tina Tangalakis
Della
Tim Watkins
Watts Labour Community Action Committee
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In this month's issue you will find:
Quote of the Month
IVCLA Members Reunite with Visitor in the Netherlands
IVLP Alum Becomes U.N. Secretary-General
Event Recap: The Power of Exchange Luncheon
Welcome New Intern!
Welcome New Board Members!
Upcoming Hosting Opportunity
International Opportunities
Upcoming International Visitors in February
I hope you enjoy hearing about the recent goings-on at IVCLA. Please feel free to share your comments with me by sending an email to dkreculj@ivcla.org
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Q: How did your perception(s) of the United States change during/after your visit?
A:
I always thought that the U.S., as a first world country, didn't have so many problems. Even though it is one of the most developed countries, the social problems that it has are very similar to the ones that El Salvador has. But it was also comforting to see that there's people working to change that and are willing to create a better life.
--Jose Gabriel ZURA ZAMORA, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Censura Cero, El Salvador
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IVCLA Members Reunite with Visitor in the Netherlands
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IVCLA alumnus Jacob van der Blom with IVCLA members Garland and
Farrokh Allen in Rotterdam in May 2016.
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IVCLA can help you expand your world by bringing the international community to you, with our events and home hospitality dinners. IVCLA members often form long-lasting friendships with our international visitors, and sometimes they even reunite abroad, in a role-reversal where the host becomes the hosted. The
article below was written by IVCLA member Garland Allen.
Last May and June, Farrokh and I traveled to the Netherlands. Upon arrival, we called a young Dutchman, Jacob van der Blom, whom we had met and talked to at a recent Santa Monica event hosted by the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles. Jacob, director of Rotterdam's beautiful Islamic Center (largest mosque in the Netherlands, with 3000 attendees at big services), not only welcomed our visit, but gave us precious time to get to know him better, as well as a grand tour of Kinderdijk's famous windmills, the Islamic Center, where we met its dynamic new imam, a Dutch Muslim like himself, and the city of Rotterdam itself. While in the city, Jacob also treated us to a visit to City Hall, where we met Alderman Nourdin el Ouali, the charismatic head of the Muslim movement NIDA, which Jacob has helped to create. After that, we invited Jacob to a beautiful, new Afghani restaurant, where we were joined by his wife, Stefanie (a Greek/Dutch Christian who, like her husband, converted to Islam as an adult) and one of their children. This was a one-of-a-kind experience that we'll never forget!
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IVLP Alum Becomes U.N. Secretary-General
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On January 1st
2017, former Portuguese Prime Minister (1995-2002) Antonio Guterres
officially began his role
as the 9th
Secretary-General of the United Nations. This news is especially exciting as Mr. Guterres participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 1978.
When he was selected to participate in the IVLP, Mr. Guterres was a leading Member of Parliament within the Portuguese Assembleia da República
(Assembly of the Republic). He was also acting as both the National Secretary for Research of the Socialist Party of Portugal and the President of the Parliamentary Commission for Economy, Finance, and Planning. His responsibilities in both positions likely contributed to his interest in having "discussions with politicians, academics, and bankers in the area of economic problems and Portuguese-American relations." During his month-long program, Mr. Guterres visited Washington D.C., Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans, Orlando, New York, and Boston.
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Event Recap: The Power of Exchange Luncheon
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In the Mayor's Press Room, City Hall
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Last Tuesday, we celebrated the power of international exchange with a Luncheon at Los Angeles City Hall.
Conrad Turner, Public Diplomat in Residence at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, discussed the continued importance of exchanges to engage the world and build international dialogue. Mr. Turner recently returned from his U.S. Department of State post in Ukraine as Counselor for Public Affairs and prior to that, he headed the Public Affairs section at the U.S. embassy in Iraq. Other Foreign Service assignments have taken him to Serbia, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Austria, Russia, and Belarus.
As we begin a new year full of uncertainty, IVCLA remains dedicated to our mission of creating international understanding and cooperation between the Los Angeles region and the rest of the world.
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We are pleased to welcome our Spring 2017 Communications and Events Intern, Hannah Cohen! Hannah is a senior at Occidental College studying Diplomacy & World Affairs with a minor in Chinese Studies. Hannah grew up in Washington, D.C. and has served as an intern at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Chief of Protocol. She also worked at the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress as an international programs intern. These internships have given Hannah the opportunity to see diplomacy in action. Hannah also studied in China and Italy, which allowed her to gain an understanding of different cultures. Her passion for international diplomacy and events sparked her interest in working for IVCLA as a Communications and Events Intern.
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Welcome New Board Members!
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IVCLA President Janet Elliott introducing new Board Members
Kathy Jones Irish and Laman Alani
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Laman Alani spent the last 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as the Chief Operations Officer at Avrio Biopharma. She has a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas and dozens of patents under her belt.
Kathy Jones Irish is President of Kathy Jones Irish Consulting, LLC. She has over 30 years of public and private sector professional experience in program management, project and personnel management in the fields of transportation, engineering, local government and corporate philanthropy.
Laman and Kathy look forward to serving on the IVCLA Board and taking an active role in citizen diplomacy.
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IVCLA invites you to participate in a very special Home Hospitality opportunity. IVCLA is arranging Home Hospitality for 90 Fulbright Scholars from around the world who are gathering in L.A. for a summit. The Fulbright Scholars are international professors who have received Fulbright Scholarships and teach in universities throughout the U.S.
On the evening of
Thursday, March 9th, you can open your home to a small group of these fascinating Fulbright Scholars. The goal of the home hospitality experience is to make friends while shattering any preconceived notions about people from different backgrounds. This is an exciting opportunity to share the welcoming spirit of Angelinos with the Fulbright Scholars.
If you're interested, contact Cameron Campbell: ccampbell@ivcla.org, or (213) 388-1428 ext 26.
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There are elections happening throughout LA County this March, and your vote is needed! Democracy starts with awareness, and it continues with actually casting your vote!
Only 15 to 20 percent of voters turn out for city and county elections in LA, compared to about 70 percent for presidential elections. This results in elected leadership and ballot initiatives that don't always reflect the values of our communities. If we want leadership that lives up to our hopes and expectations, we need to support them where they get their start, here in our local communities.
Eight councilmembers and the mayor are up for election in the City of Los Angeles. If you live in the City of LA, you can find out which council district you live in here. Dozens of cities also have councilmembers and school board seats up for election. You can find a full list of elections here.
The last day to register to vote is February 20th!
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International Opportunities
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Join USC's Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS) on March 3rd for a discussion on the impact and agency of cities in a connected world. An
interactive day of voices and dialogue, the APDS Conference will explore the emerging field of city diplomacy, and its increasing relevance in global governance and world politics.
Panel topics will include City Networks, City Branding and Diplomacy in cities. The conference will be hosted at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the Wallis Annenberg Hall Auditorium. The program will run from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
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Founded in 1925,
ICWA is one of the oldest global Fellowship programs in the world. The Institute identifies highly promising young professionals and sends them on two-year fellowships in a country to study a globally important issue. The ICWA fellowship has transformed the lives and careers of academics, attorneys, activists and diplomats in the fields of journalism, public policy and activism -- just to name a few. Candidates must be
under 36 years of age at the time of the due date for the initial letter of interest.
To be considered for the next fellowship in June 2017, Letters of Interest are due on March 1, 2017.
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Upcoming International Visitors
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The following are among the arriving guests of the
U.S. government whose professional appointments in
Los Angeles will be arranged by the
International Visitors Council of Los Angeles.
February 2017
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Costa Rica
Egypt
Ethiopia
Jordan
Malaysia
Mongolia
New Zealand
People's Republic of China
Peru
Russia
United Kingdom
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Our Planet - Urban Sustainability: Resilient Cities
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Feb 6 - 11
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Chile
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Equity and Diversity in Admissions Policies to Higher Education Institutions
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Feb 9 - 11
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Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Denmark
Finland
Ireland
Italy
Montenegro
Netherlands
Slovak Republic
United Kingdom
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Countering Violent Extremism
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Feb 15 - 21
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Qatar
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Crisis Management
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Feb 20 - 23
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Austria
Jordan
Pakistan
Portugal
Turkey
Venezuela
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Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management
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Feb 25 -
March 1
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Bolivia
Chile
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Mexico
Morocco
Nicaragua
Panama
Uruguay
Venezuela
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Minority Participation in the Political Process
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Feb 28 -
March 4
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Editor: Danica Kreculj
Projects Coordinator
(213) 388-1428
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