Upcoming Programs 

Teaching English as a Second Language - A Multi-Regional Project

March 12-19
15 Visitors

U.S. Justice System - A Project for Francophone Africa 

March 15-18

7 Visitors

Law Enforcement - A Project for Poland

March 16-19
5 Visitors

Women as Political Leaders - A Regional Project for Africa

  Secretary of State Addresses NCIV Reception 

On February 17 U.S. Secretary of State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered remarks at the National Council for International Visitors 50^th Anniversary reception at the State Department. She praised the NCIV network and the International Visitor Leadership Program noting the IVLP has brought over 200,000 international visitors to the U.S. over the past 70 years for professional and cultural exchanges. Secretary Clinton stressed the importance of visitors experiencing America firsthand by visiting U.S. institutions ranging from "the Library of Congress to Wal-Mart."  She also stressed the IVLP's role in providing Americans with the opportunity to learn more about other cultures by building lasting relationships with the visitors.  Secretary Clinton expressed gratitude to those who volunteer their time to meet with the international visitors and thanked all involved for their commitment to promoting greater understanding and peace.  NOCDC President Machelle Lee Hall, Executive Director Susannah Coolidge, and Program Coordinator Ines Sigel represented the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council at the reception. A link to the video  of Secretary Clinton's remarks can viewed at http://www.nciv.org.

IVLP Groups visit Louisiana Supreme Court

South African visitors meet with Hon. Greg Guidry, Justice. 

On February 15, four South African visitors studying Skills and Youth Development visited the Louisiana Supreme Court and dined with the Honorable Greg G. Guidry, Justice. The day before the South Africans' visit, seven visitors from West Africa studying transparency and good governance visited the Louisiana Supreme Court. Ms. Valerie S. Willard, Deputy Judicial Administrator, coordinated the group's visit to the court, which provided them with an opportunity to learn about ethics in the American judiciary. Following the meeting, the visitors toured the court and viewed the historic documents on display.  

Indonesian Filmmakers visit New Orleans

Filmmakers from Indonesia meet with Director Alistair Banks Griffin.

From January 19-22 three filmmakers from Indonesia visited New Orleans through the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program. The group met with the following local resources: professor and documentary filmmaker Laszlo Fulop of the University of New Orleans Film Program; Brian Hammell, Director of the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts; Jolene Pinder, Director of the New Orleans Film Society; and Filmmaker Alistair Banks Griffin, whose "Two Gates of Sleep" set and shot in Louisiana,  premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.   During their U.S. visit, the group also travelled to New York City, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City.

Latin American Educators tour International School of Louisiana 

Mrs. Maria Paulina Jordan of Chile works with an ISL student.

On February 3, nine visitors from Latin America studying primary and secondary education visited the International School of Louisiana at 1400 Camp Street in New Orleans. Head of School Sean Wilson and Director of Institutional Advancement Pamela Stewart provided an overview of the ISL, which offers students the choice of a French or Spanish curriculum. The visitors split into groups to observe various levels of Spanish-immersion classes and participate in class lessons. The educators were very impressed with the ease at which the students spoke to them in Spanish, and they emphasized the importance of language immersion as the most effective way to teach language. The educators selected for this visit were chosen by the U.S. Embassies in their respective countries, and the trip was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.

 Thank you to our professional resources who met with our international guests from January to February, 2011.

Baptist Crossroads Foundation - Mr. Bob Brian, Executive Director; Mr. Jared Pryer, Volunteer Coordinator; Mr. Andrew Crosby, Community Liaison

Beacon of Hope - Ms. Tina Marquardt, Executive Director

Bureau of Governmental Research - Mr. Peter Reichard, Projects Manager

Café Reconcile - Sister Mary Lou Specha, Executive Director

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans - Ms. Eva Hurst, Public Safety Coordinator

Common Ground - Mr. Thom Pepper, Operations Director

The Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives - Ms. Shannon Couhig, Executive Director

Cyrus International, Inc. - Ms. Amanda Ferguson 

Delgado Community College - Mr. Warren R. Puneky, Jr., Dean, Business & Technology Division

Delgado Community College Service Learning - Ms. Angela Lorenzo, Service Learning Coordinator; Ms. Amy Schlegel, Service Learning Coordinator/VISTA; Mr. Matt Sweeney, Service Learning Coordinator, Community Care Initiative Coordinator; Ms. Lynn Robertson, Faculty Team Coordinator; Brett Heintz, Faculty Team Coordinator; Jenny Louis, Faculty Team Coordinator

Department of Justice - Katherine K. Green, Assistant Attorney General 

Ethics Review Board of New Orleans Office of Inspector General - Edouardo Quatrevaux, Inspector General

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Mr. Joe Threat, Acting Executive Director; Mr. Gerry Stolar, Deputy Director; Mr. Andre Cadogan, Deputy Director; Ms. Nora Huete, Individual Assistance Section Chief; Mr. Eddie Williams, Public Assistance Division Supervisor; Mr. Mike Hunnicutt, Mitigation Deputy Section Chief; Ms. Andrea Davis, External Affairs Director; Ms. Amy Webbeking, External Affairs Outreach Lead; Ms. Kristy Christiansen, Public Affairs Specialist

Healing Place Church - Ms. Alliece Cole, Federal HT Rescue & Restore Campaign

International Project for Non-Profit Leadership - Ms. Pat Evans, Director

International School of Louisiana (ISL) - Mr. Sean Wilson, Head of School; Ms. Pamela Stewart, Director of Institutional Advancement

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office - Ms. Sue-Ellen Monfra, Warden, Jefferson Parish Correctional Center; Mr. William R. Hare; Mr. Steven E. LaChute, Deputy Chief Commander, Technical Services Bureau

Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) - Mr. John Williams, Staff Attorney

LA Green Corps - Ms. Suzy Mason, Program Director

Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement - Mr. Robert Mehrtens

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources - Mr. Jim Welsh, Commissioner of Conservation; Mr. Laurence Bland, Assistant Director, Injecting and Mining Division; Mr. Brent Campbell, Director, Pipeline Division; Mr. Bill Delmar, Assistant Director, Technology Assessment

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections - Ms. Susan Lindsey, Region 3 Director

Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association - Mr. Chris John, President; Mr. Mike Lyons, General Counsel

Louisiana Senate District 2 - Senator Cynthia Willard-Lewis; Ms. Joann McKay, Legislative Assistant 

Louisiana's Sheriff's Association - Mr. Bobby Gaston; Mr. Michael Ranatza; Mr. Hal Turner

Louisiana Supreme Court - Honorable Greg G. Guidry, Justice; Ms. Valerie S. Willard, Deputy Judicial Administrator; Ms. Wendy McCrossen, Secretary 

Lowernine.org - Ms. Laura Paul, Director of Development

Loyola University Department of Criminal Justice - Dr. Vincenzo Sainato, Assistant Professor and Department Director

Loyola University School of Law - Mr. Walter Wolf, Adjunct Professor

Mayor's Office of Health Policy (OHP) & AIDS Funding - Ms. Fran Lawless, Director of Office of Health Policy

Metropolitan Center for Women and Children - Mr. Wayne Barnes, Community Educator

Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) - Mr. Anthony Radosti, Vice President

National Wildlife Federation - Mr. David Muth, Louisiana State Director

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity - Mr. Casey Adams, Real Estate and Planning Coordinator

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) - Mr. Brian Hammell, Director of Communications

New Orleans Film Society - Ms. Jolene Pinder, Executive Director

New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) - Sgt. Michael LeVasseur, Commander of Crime Prevention Section; Officer Janssen Valencia, Hispanic Liaison for Human Trafficking Division

New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center - Mr. Jesse Lapierre, Commercial Officer

NO/AIDS Task Force - Mr. Enrique Moresco, Director of Operations; Ms. Sarah Ramteke, CAN Volunteer Coordinator,

National AIDS Fund Americorps Member

Our School at Blair Grocery - Mr. Nat Turner, Founder

Recovery School District - Mr. Ramsey Green, Chief Operating Officer

Southern Food and Beverage Museum - Ms. Elizabeth Williams, President

Strategic Petroleum Reserve - Mr. Suresh Sevak; Mr. Washington

Total Sentencing Alternatives - Mr. Dwight Richards, Vice President

Treme - Mr. Alistair Banks Griffin, Assisting Director

Tulane University - Ms. Alla Rosca, Professor

Tulane University Center for Public Service - Ms. Amanda Buberger, Assistant Director, Campus Community Partnerships

United Houma Nation - Mrs. Brenda Dardar-Robichaux, Principal Chief

UNO Department of Film Theatre and Communication Arts - Mr. Lazlo Fulop, Instructor

University of New Orleans Dept. of Planning and Urban Studies - Dr. Michelle Thompson, Assistant Professor

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Mr. Mark Spillers, Protocol Specialist; Ms. Carol Wittkamp, Executive Assistant 

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana - Ms. Jan Mann, 1st Asst.  US Attorney

Thank you to our Hosts! 

Thank you to all who welcomed visitors with home hospitality from January to February, 2011.
 

Dr. Marie-Francoise Crouch hosted visitors from West Africa for dinner.  

The Honorable Greg G. Guidry hosted four South African visitors studying Skills and Youth Development for dinner at the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Ms. Machelle Lee Hall and Mr. Keith Hall hosted three visitors from South Asia studying Volunteerism for dinner.

Ms. Joel Myers hosted four visitors from South Asia studying Volunteerism for lunch.

Ms. Jana Napoli hosted three visitors from South Asia studying Volunteerism for lunch.

Dr. Mohammad and Dr. Tasneim Suleman hosted four visitors from South Asia studying Volunteerism for dinner.

Mr. Walter Wolf and Ms. Alexandra Mora hosted Ms. Airelle Emilie Louise Henriette Niepce of France studying Criminal Matters for dinner.