In 1952, Vermont native Warren Austin, a former U.S. Senator and the first U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, founded the Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA) to promote awareness and understanding for world affairs through education and engagement.
For almost 70 years, VCWA has managed to welcome visitors from 75 countries and through these programs have contributed over $1 million in economic impact to Vermont’s economy.
In conversation with VCWA’s Executive Director, Patricia Preston (on left), PDx interviewer and SMPA graduate student Victoria Makanjuola learns more about how these public diplomacy programs build Vermont’s global reputation and enhances US interests by building relationships with leaders and communities overseas.
VCWA was also the recipient of a grant given to honor Sen. Patrick Leahy, the 2019 recipient of the IPDGC Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy. The grant of $5000 was used for a “reverse-exchange” program to Tanzania. Here are some of Patricia’s photos and recollections from that memorable program: 2019 Changemakers Summit in Dar Es Salaam.
2019 Changemakers Summit in Tanzania
To find out more about the Vermont Council of World Affairs and its programs, go to https://www.vcwa.org/
Enjoy the latest PDx podcast with Patricia Preston and the Vermont Council on World Affairs: Connecting the World to Vermont
Senator honored by George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication
WASHINGTON (Jan. 27, 2021) – U.S. Senator John Boozman, Arkansas’s senior senator and the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, on Wednesday received the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication’s (IPDGC) annual Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy. IPDGC director Janet Steele also announced a $5,000 grant from the Walter Roberts Endowment to Global Ties Arkansas, which will be used to support a competition to bring select International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni back to Arkansas for follow-up projects with American mentors.
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Matthew Lussenhop, Global Ties Arkansas Executive Director Toni Carr, Global Ties Arkansas board chair Vernon Markham also spoke at the virtual event about the importance of American public diplomacy.
“We can be proud of the initiatives developed and advanced by the United States to aid and uplift people around the world. I’ve seen first-hand how our investments in diplomacy have had positive impacts on the economic, education, health and nutrition needs of individuals across the international community. I appreciate this recognition from the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. By working together, we can continue to share our American values globally,” U.S. Senator John Boozman said.
“We can be proud of the initiatives developed and advanced by the United States to aid and uplift people around the world. I’ve seen first-hand how our investments in diplomacy have had positive impacts on the economic, education, health and nutrition needs of individuals across the international community. I appreciate this recognition from the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. By working together, we can continue to share our American values globally,” U.S. Senator John Boozman said.
“The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication created this award for congressional leadership in public diplomacy because we wanted to highlight the importance of something that for many Americans is largely invisible,” said Janet Steele, director of GW’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. “As a staunch supporter of the Fulbright program and other kinds of educational and cultural exchanges, Senator Boozman has been a tireless advocate for the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.”
Boozman has been a U.S. Senator for Arkansas since 2011. He previously represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2010 where he was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Boozman continues to advocate for investments abroad. The senator serves on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly referred to as the Helsinki Commission. He is a member of the Congressional Study Group on Europe (CSGE), a bipartisan organization dedicated to frank and candid dialogue between American lawmakers and their peers in European capitals and Brussels, and is a leader of the Senate Delegation to the British-American Interparliamentary Group. In the 117th Congress Boozman will serve as the ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
The grant to Global Ties Arkansas will be used to invite alumni of three international exchange programs to submit proposals either to expand their original projects or create new ones with the help of American mentors. Former IVLP grantees will be invited to submit proposals either to expand their original projects or create new ones with the help of American mentors.
For more media information, contact: Maralee Csellar (GW) at 202-994-6460 or gwmedia@gwu.edu. Sara Lasure (Boozman) at 202-224-2420 Toni Carr (Global Ties Arkansas) at 501-940-9743
