By Tania Jazynka, NCIV National Meeting Assistant
January 2012

Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies at the U.S. Department of State; Lee Satterfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges; and Dr. Cornelius Kerwin, President of American University, were among the distinguished speakers and guests at the annual NCIV National Programmers Workshop. Hosted at American University in partnership with the Key Executive Leadership Program, the National Programmers Workshop provided National Program Agency (NPA) and U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors staff an opportunity to learn the latest trends affecting their work, share best practices for programming, and develop avenues for improved inter-organization communication.

Focusing on professional development, the Programmers Workshop gives participants an opportunity to learn about programming, cooperative agreement management, strategic communications, and advocacy. Another important focus of the concurrent sessions was a workshop on interacting with gatekeepers. Helping programmers to work more effectively with agencies, one goal of the workshop is to make sure future projects run more smoothly. Gatekeepers also benefited from learning how to better promote the IVLP within the agencies.

In addition to providing professional development and networking opportunities, the Programmers Workshop is an opportunity to learn about trends and policies affecting exchange programs. Addressing participants at the opening ceremony, Satterfield outlined the goals for the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She told the audience, "Our overall mission is to expand people to people relationships by engaging civil society, domestically and internationally, through innovative programs and tools." Noting the critical importance of the NCIV network in achieving this mission, she also said the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) will target three critical audiences in the coming year: current and emerging leaders; women and girls; and youth. The key concepts behind 2012 IVLP projects will be American values; democracy and human rights; as well as global stability.

In a keynote presentation at the luncheon Dr. Tillemann, reminded participants of the important role the IVLP and exchange programs play in the civil societies of developing nations and in realizing the Department of State's foreign policy objectives.

At the Resource Appreciation Luncheon NCIV Board member Thea Richards, Program Manager in the International Institute of the Graduate School, presented Dr. Kerwin with the "coveted" NCIV Gold Star. After receiving this token of NCIV's appreciation, Dr. Kerwin spoke about the importance of citizen diplomacy. "If we can get human to human interaction developed at a higher level," he said, "some of the discord, some of the tragedy, we see in the world around us could be abated."