What a whirlwind 50th year for Global Ties Alabama (GTA), formerly the International Services Council of Alabama (ISC). In addition to the record number of visitors and a diversified portfolio of DC based program partners, it is the unique experiential interactions with the international delegations we host that differentiate our organization throughout Alabama. In fact, this month’s Foreign Service Journal calls it “Soft Power, High Impact”.

Yes, the international exchange programs that we have hosted under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s 75 year old International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) inspired the careers of over 340 Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world. In 2009 we launched the ePAL relationships adopted by the students studying French, German, Russian and Spanish at the Academy for Science and Foreign Language. Since 2011 we’ve been orchestrating youth programming with high school students in Morocco, Kosovo, the UK, Central America and Pakistan. Their personal updates of letters and emails document their collegiate successes and we anticipate career success stories to follow.

Post visit interactions especially given contemporary virtual tools have addressed the topics of business ethics and anticorruption with our Open World colleagues in Kazakhstan and this month we look forward to ASFL students meeting students in Pakistan during a SKYPE conference call initiated by one of our recent Pakistani Legislative Fellows.

Active and constructive communications broaden understanding across borders, diverse cultures, languages, religions and professional disciplines. GTA is a proud connector and change agent with a mission to promote and strengthen our State’s relationships locally, nationally and globally through citizen diplomacy while enriching AL’s education, commerce and global awareness.

As we reflect on how Global Ties Alabama SOARed in 2015, we extend our sincere appreciation to the contributions of our founders, Board of Directors, Advisory Council and Diplomatic Corps members and our public private strategic partners in Washington, DC and throughout Alabama.

Jacqui Shipe

IN THIS ISSUE Volume 5, Issue 4, Year 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Dec 5-10Slovokia/Czech Republic“Political Action for CivilRights”Montgomery

Jan 2016Japan“Government-Government”Mobile

Jan 2016Regional“American Language” Montgomery

Jan. 28-Feb 2Regional“Municipalities” Huntsville

March 8-15Central AmericaCAYAHuntsville

June 10-18 Ukraine“Open World - Accountable Governance”Huntsville

October 21-29 Kazakhstan“Open World-Building Capacity in Civil Society Huntsville

✦ GTA Fall Recap✦ Harvest Luncheon✦ Photo Album: GTA in

Action Annual Meeting,Holiday Open House

Chief Executive Officer’s Message

This fall Global Ties Alabama’s delegations enriched communities throughout the State. We were honored to work with two delegations from the Western Hemisphere. One delegation studied, “Minority Participation in the Political Process” in Montgomery and Selma and the other Western Hemisphere group studied “Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Prosperity” in Mobile. Although a familiar theme to be implemented in Huntsville, this was the first time we used resources in South Alabama for the topic relating to entrepreneurship. Feedback from DC indicated that for many of the delegates that Mobile was their favorite city stop. They identified with the challenges faced by the city as it works to expand and modernize. They also appreciated seeing its accomplishments and advancements. It "reminded them of home."

Given the success of the Legislative Fellows program during May, GTA was assigned another project. Pakistani Legislative Fellows, Waqar Shams and Syed Rehman were in the Huntsville community for the month of October and had a chance to attend Global Ties Alabama’s Annual Meeting and Citizen Diplomacy Luncheon in Montgomery.

During November, Global Ties Alabama conducted its first Eisenhower Fellows program for two delegates with programming in Montgomery, Auburn and Birmingham. Eisenhower Fellow, Kuda Chitsike from Zimbabwe, studied leadership for women and the program for Alissa Wahid, from Indonesia concentrated on interfaith dialogue and tolerance. Alissa’s father was the late Indonesian President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.

We will conclude 2015 with a small delegation from the Czech Republic and Slovokia studying “Political Action for Civil Rights”.

Wishing all of you joy in the holidays and blessings in 2016.

Annette Philpo’t GTA Program Consultant

Global Ties Alabama Fall Recapby Annette Philpo't, GTA Program Consultant

The Annual International Harvest Luncheon was held on November 19, 2015 as part of the Farm-City Month by one of our strategic partners, Extension.

5th graders from Madison County Public Schools entered a poster contest and were invited to the luncheon. The students were learning about agriculture and where our food comes from. Not only did the students learn about our local food production, but they also learned about international food and agriculture. Four countries around the world were represented:

China, represented by Feng Nan Importance of rice in China Panama, represented byFlora Johnson and Maritz Holland Importance of bananas in their native country Philippines, represented by Gloria Vergara Significance of fish and seafood in her home country consisting of innumerable islands Germany, represented by Julia Ott Importance and history of the pretzel in Germany

All four speakers talked about the differences and similarities for students in their home country compared to the United States. The students learned about schools, students, culture and traditions in China, Panama, the Philippines and Germany. Every student was provided with a passport, comparable to a real passport, containing information about the countries. The representations of the host nation, the United States of America, and the 4 other countries were accompanied by a taste of the individual country; fried rice for China, bananas for Panama, spring rolls for the Philippines and Bratwurst for Germany were served. The event was rounded up by the award presentation to the winners of the poster drawing contest and by a taste of fried chicken for the United States of America.

HARVEST LUNCHEONA Taste of Nations by Julia Ott

Global Ties Alabama promotes international relationships

through citizen diplomacy and enriches Alabama’s education,

commerce and global awareness.

Volume 5 Issue 4 Year 2015

globaltiesalabama.org | �3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ChairJohn Hamilton

Chair ElectDr. Drew Reynolds

Vice Chair for FundraisingNicole Harper, Ed.D

TreasurerJim Diehl

Secretary Mary Grace Evans

Rhonda BroylesRev. Wanda Gail Campbell, Ph.D.Honorable Mark JacksonElena Olariu LeitnerDelois SmithCaptain Kelvin TroughtonGloria Vergara

EX OFFICIO MEMBERSHonorable Dale StrongChairman, Madison County CommissionHonorable Tommy BattleMayor, City of Huntsville

ADVISORY COUNCILEd AdamsRena AndersonAniceto Llanga BagleyBee BentleyDr. David Billings  Deitra Crawley Bryant, Esq.Taylor Brooks, Esq.  Rev. Frank BroylesAnne W. BurkettNoriko EllisFrank FlemingDr. Edith FraserFrances Gates-Moore Donny GapasinMargaret GoldsmithEthan HadleyCarrie HightowerLamar Jackson, Jr.Pat JohnsHanu KarlapalemMarianne LunaJill MartinStan MillerDr. John PottengerGertrude PowellFarid RafieeJudy S. RyalsTim Tyson

GTA IN ACTION PHOTOSO

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Chair of Global Ties AL, John Hamilton, accepting the Nexus Energy 2015 Champion of Energy Award from Ruchi Singhal, CEO of Nexus Energy, for GTA's weatherization project of its headquarters, the Humphreys Rodgers House

Nexus Energy Award

Volume 5 Issue 4 Year 2015

globaltiesalabama.org | �4

FOUNDERS

SPONSORS

GTA TEAMJacquelyn Shipe

Chief Executive Officer Alesea Dikoko-Woodgett

Operations Associate Mariana Stovall

University Associate Janice UseltonOffice Assistant

Annette Philpo’t Program Consultant

Ghada Almahdi Amanda Harrell

UAH Graduate Interns

Connect With Us!

Humphreys-Rodgers House102 Gates Avenue SouthwestHuntsville, Alabama 35801

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright Hays Act of 1961

Huntsville

Montgomery East Chase

GTA ANNUAL MEETING/CITIZEN DIPLOMACY LUNCHEON HOSTED BY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

RECOGNITION SCROLL

2015 LEGISLATIVE AWARD

Senator Hank Sanders

SPIRIT OF DIPLOMACY

AWARDColonel Michael

PetersonNancy Worley

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

AWARDRichard Cohen, CEO,

Southern Poverty Center

2015 GL OBAL TIES AL BOARD

MEMBER OF THE YEAR

Nicole Harper, PHD

2015 GLOBAL PARTNERS

AWARDSRonnie Smith, AIDT Shay Farley, Appleseed

Foundation Carol Williams, Alabama State

UniversityStephen Woerner,

Bridge BuildersChristy Cain, Children

FirstDaryl Bailey,

Montgomery County District Attorney

Department of Commerce & Trade

Equal Justice InitiativeJoseph Holley, Hampton Inn

EastchaseKaren Peterson, Hudson Alpha

Jessica White-Battler, Huntsville Historic

Commission

Major John Bowman, Montgomery Police

DepartmentGwendolyn Boyd,

National Center for Civil Rights

Kristen Pepper, Nexus Energy

Oakwood University Agape Day

Redstone Federal Credit Union

Rotary Cub of Greater Huntsville

Salvation Army, Belle Street

Joyce Brown, Seth Johnson Elementary

SchoolLecia Brooks,

Southern Poverty Law Center

2015 DIPLOMATIC CORPS MEMBERS OF DISTINCTION

Ghada AlmahdiDr. Terre Holmes

ArnoldDr. David BerkowitzJohn and Jane DavisJulie Edwards (Young

Professional of the Year)Jim Ellis

Neil FoulgerJaved Haider

Amanda HarrellDr. Baber Khan

William and Shirley Leonard

William Love, ESQFoster PerryOliver ShipeWally TerryMike Tilley

Dr. Janice WatsonLoretta Wimberly

Will SellersJanet Waldo

GTA’S HOLIDAY

OPEN HOUSE