Global Ties Sacramento

Delegates representing colleges and universities from around the world visited Sacramento State this week, examining diversity in U.S. higher education. They met with President J. Luke Wood, PhD to discuss exploring educational opportunities between their schools and Sac State. The 23 delegates are part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), a U.S. Department of State exchange program for civic leaders and professionals. In the capital region, the program is implemented by Global Ties Sacramento, a division of the World Trade Center Northern California. Global Ties International program coordinator Claudia Ramirez said delegates wanted to study the inclusion of marginalized communities in higher education and chose to visit Sac State because it is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and is recognized by the California State Assembly as a Black-Serving Institution. 🌎👏

🇦🇿 🇺🇲 Sizə salam! Recently we were honored to welcome delegates from Azerbaijan, participating in the Congressional Office for International Leadership Open World Program, one of the most impactful U.S. exchange programs for post-Soviet countries. The Open World program is a ten-day professional exchange that connects international delegates with members of congress and professional counterparts to share expertise and establish lasting partnerships.   The delegation, focused on Strengthening Political Think Tanks, consisted of young leaders from various Azerbaijani think tanks. Thank you, Global Ties Sacramento for making the connection!

With the president of California State University at Sacramento today! #ivlp #worldleaning #ku #kusoed #usembassytonepal J. Luke Wood, PhD

It’s always a blessing to be able to spend personal time with international delegates who visit NorCal for meetings and cultural experiences. My wife, Sheila, and I spent Sunday touring ‘the gold country’ with a delegation from the country of Azerbaijan; we enjoyed showing them the beauty of the foothills and hearing their personal stories and diplomatic perspectives. This morning, back at the Capitol, I presented to the group a primer on the legislative process and our system of government. Thanks, once again, to Global Ties Sacramento, for the opportunity to share personal and professional fellowship that makes the world feel a little smaller. 🇦🇿🌏🇺🇸

For the past several years, my mentor, colleague, and dear friend, Brian Green and I have given presentations to groups of students, journalists, future journalists, and other communications professionals about our work in the State Legislature. Today was particularly engaging because we had the opportunity to speak to a brilliant group of 17 international journalists visiting Sacramento (and California) for the very first time, thanks to a fellowship provided from the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists: Research and Investigation II, through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the U.S. Department of State. As former reporters-turned-government employees representing the California State Assembly and California State Senate, respectively, we enjoyed sharing our personal career trajectories which led us to work at the State Capitol. We also discussed with the group themes surrounding California’s politics, newsroom diversity, best communications practices, and answered questions on how interactions between government and reporters intersect and have evolved in the last few decades✨ ➡️ 📝📇📰🗞️✉️💻📲 ⬅️ I am excited to learn what stories these journalists pursue in their respective countries, and hope we were able to give them some insight into California politics and communications work overall✨ #CALeg #Journalism

In March, I had the privilege of attending the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting as part of the Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leaders Program. During the meeting, I interacted with leaders and peers involved in diplomacy. Such interaction fostered my appreciation of the area and motivated me to continue participating in diplomacy. Engaging in the Emerging Leaders Program has been transformative for me; collaborating with diverse people has broadened my perspective and increased my interest in international matters. The connections I cultivated within this program have provided invaluable support in the navigation of my career, giving me an understanding and worldview that I need to be an effective diplomat. The Emerging Leaders Program is entirely funded by donations, and I want to pay it forward so that the next cohort of Emerging Leaders can have this experience. If you can, I hope you'll consider donating to our fundraising campaign, which ends September 30th. https://gties.us/3xiIf8Q Thank you for considering this important cause! Also a big shoutout to the Global Ties Sacramento and Global Ties San Francisco crew as well as Courtney Wade!!!!!