The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) operates under authority of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Fulbright-Hays Act). The emphasis of the program is to increase mutual understanding through communication at the personal and professional levels.

The International Visitor Leadership Program brings over 4,500 participants to the United States from all over the world each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. firsthand.

Through these encounters, they gain a greater understanding of the cultural and political influences in U.S. society and enjoy a firsthand experience of the U.S., its people and its culture. Visitors, who are current or potential leaders in government, politics, the media, education, non-governmental organizations, the arts, public health, international security, business and trade, and other fields, are selected by U.S. embassies overseas. More than 200 current and former Heads of State, 1,500 cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished world leaders in government and the private sector have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.

The IVL Program includes both individual and group projects. Individual Projects are tailored for the visitor’s professional interests. Group Projects are designed before the visitors arrive in the United States and focus on the common professional interests of the group. Whenever a group travels throughout the United States it is accompanied by professional escort-interpreters. All International Visitor projects are designed to present diverse experiences and discussion topics for their participants. U.S. Department of State desires participation in this program to be a lively and stimulating learning experience. The emphasis is not only on professionally-oriented meetings. It is an important aspect of the program for the visitors to gain an appreciation not only of the geographic size and variety of the U.S., but also its ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity.

Click here to contact the Northern Nevada International Center’s IVLP program staff members.

Please also be sure to check our News & Events page, where we regularly update announcements and more information on current and upcoming IVLP visits and initiatives!

We are currently looking for a Graduate Assistant International Visitor Leadership Program Coordinator; please see our Join the NNIC Team page for more information and to apply.

Projects for Individuals

Individual Projects are designed taking into account the participant’s suggestions which are sent to Washington D.C. before he/she leaves his/her country. These suggestions are discussed among those responsible for developing the participant’s program, and a preliminary plan is developed. After the participant arrives in the U.S., this plan is discussed with the participant and final arrangements are made.

Projects for Groups

For each Multi-Regional and Regional Group Project, an outline is prepared summarizing the goals of the project, characteristics of the foreign participants, the project themes and the types of activities that may be helpful in meeting the major goals of the project. The summaries are sent to programming institutions and the U.S. embassies abroad. The programming agencies use the outlines as the basis for preparing their project proposals. The embassies use them to assist in determining their nominees for the project.

NATIONWIDE NETWORK

The NNIC is part of an extensive network of 95 community-based organizations and supporters throughout the United States, called the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV). Through this network, we assist with programs that span across the entire Unites States. It is commitment and skills of this council that permit the International Visitor Leadership program to achieve its goals. The NNIC regularly participates in events and meetings organized by the NCIV; for example, see a photo taken during such a recent event.

STAFF

The staff for this program includes 3 programmers (and a myriad of interns) who design and implement each of our individual professional visitor programs. Their expertise stems from professional and academic preparation, as well as extensive on-the-job training. Each program is specifically tailored to fit the needs of the visitor and the select criteria of the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

CONTACT US:

Jenny Bishop, Program Coordinator - jbishop [Email address: jbishop #AT# nnic.org - replace #AT# with @ ]
Whitney Myer, Program Coordinator - wmyer [Email address: wmyer #AT# nnic.org - replace #AT# with @ ]
Karolina Damron, Program Coordinator - kdamron [Email address: kdamron #AT# nnic.org - replace #AT# with @ ]
Joaquin Roces, Program Coordinator - jroces [Email address: jroces #AT# nnic.org - replace #AT# with @ ]

c/o Northern Nevada International Center
821 North Center Street
Reno, Nevada 89501
Tel.: (775) 784-7515
Fax: (775) 337-1939

OR CONTACT THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM DIRECTLY, AT:

Community Relations Branch
Office of International Visitors
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
U.S. Department of State, SA-44
301 4th Street, S.W., Room 255
Washington, D.C. 20547
Tel.: (202) 619-5220
Fax: (202) 619-4655