Letter from the President

January 9, 2008

As I write this letter to you the NCIV staff and Planning Committee, ably chaired by Ambassador Kenton Keith of Meridian International Center, are in the throes of intense preparations for the NCIV National Meeting. It is hard to believe that our biggest training and networking event of the year is less than a month away. I am also serving as chair of the Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy. Along with the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, CCD is sponsoring the second National Summit, which immediately precedes the NCIV conference. An energetic Steering Committee has worked hard to orchestrate an event that brings together such an unprecedented range of organizations and coalitions. All promote and practice citizen diplomacy.

In fact, it is the Global Connections event, featuring renowned choreographer Garth Fagan, which bridges these two distinct yet complementary activities. We anticipate a memorable evening celebrating citizen diplomacy and the arts. Each time I talk to Ruby Lockhart, executive director of Garth Fagan Dance, I get more excited about the opportunity to honor Garth Fagan with the 2008 NCIV Citizen Diplomat Award (the first recipient of NCIV's highest award was Senator J. William Fulbright) and learn more about his remarkable work at home and abroad.

So many of you are familiar with the frenetic pace that is characteristic of the months, weeks, and days before major events. Sometimes it seems as though we are drowning in details. Pieces of the puzzle fall into place (Thank you, Marvin Rosenthal, former NCIV Board member active with the Rochester International Council, for your pivotal role in securing sponsorship from the Xerox Corporation!) while at the same time something else seems to unravel. The “to do” list grows even as you cross off tasks accomplished. Good ideas ricochet as you work to maximize opportunities for as many as possible to play important roles and build participants’ understanding of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and the extraordinary capability of our network. Special thanks to all of you who are working to assure the success of the NCIV National Meeting. Whether you are inviting Congressional staffers to the Breakfast on the Hill, volunteering to escort an ambassador, or getting ready for a presentation, I’m grateful for the care you give to these important assignments.

I look forward to welcoming many of you to Washington next month. Meanwhile you have our admiration and appreciation for the fine work you do all year long. All the best for a productive and rewarding 2008.

Sherry L. Mueller, Ph.D.