May 2022 at WorldBoston



May at WorldBoston

Dear Friends,

Do you think international affairs are driven by states? Global forces? Key individuals? Or maybe it’s ordinary people, in their trade, movements, and behavior?

At WorldBoston, of course, we look through all these lenses, all the time. For example, tomorrow night we host Ambassador Martin Indyk discussing his book, Master of the Game about Henry Kissinger, clearly one of the key statesmen of the modern era.

And next week we’ll look at Russia and the U.S. with Alexandra Vacroux. The Russia-Ukraine war represents a convergence of all kinds of national and global forces as well as a clash of two key individuals, Vladimir Putin and newly-minted superstar statesman, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Equally important at WorldBoston is our citizen diplomacy work, which features those ordinary people mentioned above, meeting professional counterparts — once again in person as well as online. Rather than global and international matters, these visitors’ concerns are usually mainly their own occupations and efforts. 

We start our newsletter this month with some individuals who are critical right here, in the world of WorldBoston. We’re thrilled to welcome three (three — in one month!) excellent new board members. And we recognize the contributions of a fine outgoing intern as we prepare to onboard new staff members for the summer.

All of us in the world of WorldBoston hope to see you soon.
Mary P. Yntema
President & CEO
Help WorldBoston bring the world to you! 

As a non-profit organization, WorldBoston relies on the generosity and support of members, donors, and sponsors to accomplish our mission: foster engagement in international affairs and cooperation between people of all nations.
Updates From the Office
WorldBoston is delighted to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors: Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Executive Director of LabCentral Ignite; James De Vellis, Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP; and Gaetan Kashala, Engagement Director at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
Gretchen Cook-Andersonis an award-winning marketing executive with 25+ years of experience promoting biotechnology careers, global education, space and Earth science discoveries for NASA, Mars candy, entertainers, political candidates, and a host of household products. In her role as inaugural executive director of Ignite, she leads efforts at the first-and-only-of-its-kind platform to address systemic racial, gender and other underrepresentation across life sciences and the biotech industry.
James De Vellis is a partner and intellectual property lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, with a particular focus on patent portfolio development, related counseling, and post-grant practice, including inter partes reviews. James is also the chair of the Intellectual Property Department at Foley’s Boston office. James has experience in foreign jurisdictions and previously worked as a U.S. patent lawyer in Europe for an Italian firm.
Gaetan Kashala is engagement director at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, where he works with local members to address business priorities and challenges, as well as to advance their interests in Massachusetts. Gaetan has also worked extensively in international education and global partnerships, forging connections abroad for organizations such as law firms, universities, and tech startups to increase economic mobility and to develop their workforces.
This month we bid farewell to Custom Visitor Programs Intern, Rafal Fryc. Rafal joined WorldBoston in September and will graduate from Suffolk University in December. We thank Rafal for his hard work, and we wish him well in his future endeavors!

Thursday, May 5th, 6-7:30 PM ET
Hybrid Event at Foley & Lardner LLP

Join us for a hybrid Chat & Chowder event featuring Martin Indyk in discussion of his recent book Master of the Game. Martin Indyk is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and was formerly U.S. ambassador to Israel and special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2013. His remarks will offer insight into previous attempts to broker peace agreements between Israelis and Palestinians, many of which he experienced firsthand. 

Wednesday, May 11th, 6-7:30 pm ET
Hybrid Event at the Boston Public Library

All eyes are on Russia as it wages war in Ukraine. Countries across the globe have mounted a swift and significant response to the war by sanctioning Russia and providing aid to Ukraine. Among these countries, the United States has played a large role. What steps can the U.S. take to mitigate the war without further provoking Russia? Join us for this hybrid Great Decisions program featuring Dr. Alexandra Vacroux. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
SAVE THE DATE
We will host our annual State of the State Department program on June 23rd.

Our What in the World? weekly quiz is a collection of 10 questions designed to test your knowledge of international affairs and current events. Every Monday, a new quiz is posted on our Twitter, Facebook, andInstagram stories. If you would like to receive the quiz by email, please contact Natalie Mase to be added to our What in the World? mailing list. The quiz can also always be found in WorldBoston Recommends, our weekly Friday newsletter.


Trivia Trail-Blazers
Congratulations to the top scorers in April! They got nearly every question right on all quizzes. Our high scorers are:

  1. Peter Sharadin
  2. Corena Pincham
  3. Jonathan Dorfman
  4. Jonathan Daube
  5. Tom Ebling
  6. Nancy Graham
  7. Dain Perry
Monthly Prize Winner
When you take What in the World?, you are automatically entered into a raffle to win exclusive prizes. The more questions you get right, the better your odds are of winning. This month’s prize winner is:

Susan Glovsky

Miss Something?
If you missed a quiz or would like to retake one, click on the links below.

To learn more about Global Engagement, contact Natalie Mase, Manager of Operations and Global Engagement Programs.
The World is coming back to Boston in full force, and our Citizen Diplomacy team is busy preparing for numerous groups visiting in May. In addition to hosting several in-person IVLP groups, we look forward to welcoming a group of four business leaders from Uzbekistan for a special, U.S. Department of State-sponsored fellowship program.
The U.S. Department of State has recently begun welcoming visitors back in-person. This month, we host five in-person delegations as part of Citizen Diplomacy Programs at WorldBoston. Here’s who is visiting in May:
As we return to in-person delegations, we welcome your thoughts and ideas for in-person programming. If you have any, please contact our Vice President for Citizen Diplomacy, Sarah Sibley.

On May 6th WorldBoston will welcome four visitors as part of the State Department-sponsored Uzbekistan Business Leaders Program. WorldBoston is delighted to serve as the local partner for the fellowship, which entails finding meaningful short-term fellowship placements, as well as orienting the fellows to the Greater Boston region. We have placed each participant in a tailored three-week fellowship with an excellent local organization to support its work and learn about U.S. business practices and norms. Many thanks to Dress for Success, Sound and Vision Media, Maverick Landing Community Services, and Carbon Capital Advisors for hosting a fellow!
 
The Uzbekistan Business Leaders Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by American Councils for International Education, and WorldBoston.
Are you considering a virtual or in-person international exchange program? We do Custom Visitor Exchange programming to meet the objectives of various clients — whether government or private. Contact Josh Bruno, Manager of Citizen Diplomacy Programs, to learn more.

In April, WorldBoston hosted three exciting programs for the Fulbright Visiting Scholars: first, a special in-person panel discussion with four representatives from the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators; second, a virtual visit with senior leadership at Bunker Hill Community College; and third, a volunteer beach cleanup with Maverick Landing Community Services and The Harborkeepers. Take a look at some pictures of the scholars enjoying the panel discussion at the UMass Club! 
This month, most Fulbright Scholars will wrap up their research and return home, while a few will stay through the summer and fall. To celebrate the scholars’ work, we will host a special farewell to recognize their accomplishments and experiences while in Boston. An annual highlight, this program includes a Boston Harbor tour, a luncheon, and a visit to the New England Aquarium. 

This Fulbright Enrichment activity is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE), and WorldBoston.
Welcome to last month’s new and returning WorldBoston members: John Archibald, Jeri Bayer, Valy Bayer, Stephen Jeffries, Katherine Judge, Vanessa Lorden, and John Regan. Thank you, we appreciate your support! 
Check your inbox every Friday for WorldBoston Recommends – our staff picks for high-quality virtual programs on global topics in the coming week. 
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for updates!
Thank you to our partners at GBH Forum Network, who edit and publish many of WorldBoston’s recordings. Be sure to check out their YouTube Channel and video archives!
You are able to contribute to WorldBoston at no additional cost to you! If you shop at Amazon through this link or the AmazonSmile logo to the right, a portion of your purchase will be donated to WorldBoston. Bookmark our page today.
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Learn more here about how to join these sponsors in supporting the WorldBoston mission.
Wait, Did You Miss Something?

Don’t forget to check our News section for announcements and past newsletters. 
And for the latest, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program and WorldBoston’s main citizen diplomacy partner. Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. These visits reflect the International Visitors’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States.

The U.S. Department of State’s bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the IVLP. In doing so, the bureau enters cooperative agreements with National Program Agencies, a group of private, not-for-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C., that design and implement national IVLP itineraries. In addition to the National Program Agencies, the IVLP relies on the commitment and skills of local community organizations across the U.S., known as Community Based Members (CBMs). Under the professional association of Global Ties U.S., local CBM members develop professional programs, arrange cultural activities, and provide home hospitality for international visitors.

WorldBoston is part of the Global Ties Network of more than 90 CBMs in 45 states.

WorldBoston is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America, 
a network of more than 90 independent Councils in more than 40 states.


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