News
NEW YORK – Cultural Vistas is pleased to announce that Adobe, the University of Waterloo, and acclaimed author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon will be among those honored at its inaugural awards gala on September 27, 2018 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan.
Fifty-five years ago, on May 2, 1963, Cultural Vistas was officially founded in New York City as a nonprofit dedicated to promoting international understanding and collaboration through professional exchange programs.
To commemorate this special anniversary, the Cultural Vistas Awards Gala will recognize individuals and institutions for their influence and notable contributions toward advancing global skill-building opportunities for students and young professionals around the world.
The inaugural awardees represent a wide cross-section of stakeholders across the corporate, education, and government sectors.
The 2018 Cultural Vistas Awards Gala Honorees are:
Corporate Leadership Award
Adobe is the inaugural recipient of Cultural Vistas’ Corporate Leadership Award, which was established to recognize the invaluable contributions of the private sector toward the advancement of international internship and work-based training programs.
Since 2010, Adobe has served as a model host organization, providing unparalleled learning opportunities for students and individuals to experience research at a high level, gain hands-on skills, and learn alongside some of the brightest minds in technology.
Its highly-esteemed international internship program has brought a diverse group of close to 200 students and young professionals representing 36 countries to locations across the United States through Cultural Vistas’ exchange program sponsorship.
As part of its efforts to bring more gender diversity to the technology industry, the Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship has extended additional internship opportunities to outstanding undergraduate and masters female students anywhere in the world who are studying computer science.
Jacquie Davidson, Head of Global Mobility & APAC ERC, will accept the award on behalf of Adobe.
Global Partnership Award
The University of Waterloo, Canada’s top innovation university, will receive the inaugural Global Partnership Award, recognizing the institution’s exemplary and longstanding commitment to preparing its students for workforce success through its co-operative education program.
With more than 36,000 students, the University of Waterloo is home to the world’s largest co-operative education system of its kind. Every year, Waterloo works with over 6,900 employers in more than 60 different countries to facilitate nearly 20,000 work terms, with more than 2,900 taking place outside of Canada. Its model of co-operative education has spread to more than 100 colleges and universities across Canada.
2018 marks two decades of Cultural Vistas’ partnership with the University of Waterloo. Since 1998, Cultural Vistas has sponsored and supported more than 10,500 Waterloo students’ U.S. internship and training experiences at more than 800 companies across the United States through its role as a J-1 Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.
Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, a 2001-2002 alumna of the Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program in Germany, has been named the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award winner.
The award is part of a new annual tradition, led by the Cultural Vistas Alumni Council, recognizing outstanding two alumni of Cultural Vistas-managed exchange programs who have attained distinction in their chosen field while making outstanding contributions to foster international understanding and collaboration in their communities and organizations.
In her acclaimed work both as an author and storyteller, Lemmon focuses on the evolving roles of women throughout the world. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Ashley’s War (2015) and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011).
She began writing about entrepreneurship in conflict and post-conflict zones while studying for her MBA at Harvard following a decade covering politics at the ABC News Political Unit. This work from Afghanistan, Rwanda, Liberia, Bosnia and beyond has been published by the World Bank, Harvard Business School, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review and CNN, among others.
Lemmon is currently an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at the technology firm, Shield AI. She is a frequent speaker on national security topics, including at the Aspen Security Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, and TED forums, and has given talks at West Point, the Naval Academy, and the National Infantry Museum. She regularly appears on MSNBC, CNNN, PBS, and National Public Radio.
Lemmon holds an MBA from Harvard, as well as the 2006 Dean’s Award for her work on women’s entrepreneurship. In addition to her Bosch Fellowship in Germany, she served as a Fulbright scholar in Spain. She speaks Spanish, German and French, and is conversant in Dari.
Alumni Impact Award
Bruce Marsh, a 1995-96 alumnus of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, is the recipient of Cultural Vistas’ inaugural Alumni Impact award. Since his year in Germany over 23 years ago, Marsh has epitomized the engaged and successful alumnus.
His CBYX experience, including the language skills it helped him to gain, has been a catalyst for a successful career in the international logistics and delivery sector, where he’s held management positions with Deutsche Post DHL and the U.S. Postal Service, as well as serving in various staff positions in the U.S. Congress.
From diving into issues like trade and immigration as a Congressional staffer to negotiating multilateral agreements at the Universal Postal Union, a UN agency, to his current role as Senior Manager of Corporate Public Policy at Deutsche Post, Marsh understands the value of diplomacy both in the public and private sectors.
Along the way, Marsh has rarely missed an opportunity to advocate for and demonstrate his belief in the immense value of international exchanges. At every turn, he has been a strong ambassador for exchanges, whether advocating for sustained and increased program funding with Members of Congress, to meeting with newly-arriving German students in the U.S. and helping American students prepare for their year abroad, or participating in selection interviews.
Marsh holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and Wake Forest University.
Milestone Anniversary Honorees
In a year of milestones and achievements as Cultural Vistas commemorates the 55th anniversary of its founding, several of its signature exchange programs and partnerships also celebrate anniversary years.
The Cultural Vistas Awards Gala will bestow special honors upon individuals who have been instrumental to the success of these global skill-building initiatives.
The list of milestone honorees includes former seven-term U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent and German Parliament member Dagmar Freitag, who will be jointly recognized as part of the 35th anniversary of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange.
70 Years
International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience
Prof. Bernard Baeyens
President, IAESTE Asbl.
35 Years
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
Hon. Charlie
Dent
Former U.S. Congressman
Sr. Policy Advisor, DLA Piper LLP
Hon. Dagmar Freitag
Member of German Parliament
(copyright: Die Hoffotografen GmbH)
35 Years
Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program
Christian Hänel
Senior Vice President, Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH
10 Years
Korea WEST (Work, English Study, Travel) Exchange Program
Dr. Yong Hak Lee
Director, Korean Education Center in New York
Master of Ceremony
The evening’s festivities will be emceed by Jules Guiang, a Filipino TV host and personality and himself an exchange program alumnus.
The National Museum of the American Indian is home to one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world. Its galleries will remain open during the gala, which will include dinner, live entertainment, open bar, and a VIP reception in the museum’s exclusive Collector’s Office.
To purchase tickets for the event or for more information on the inaugural Cultural Vistas Awards Gala, please visit: culturalvistas.org/gala.