International Visitor Leadership Program

Paul serves as Senior Director at Cultural Vistas. He is responsible for the operations, strategic planning, program administration, and financial management of the Exchange Visitor and Grant Program Department (including the International Visitor Leadership Program [IVLP]) and the Global Programs for Young Professionals Department (such as the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange [CBYX]).

Paul was a Program Officer with IVLP from 2014-2018 and initially arrived at Cultural Vistas as an Assistant Program Officer with the Train USA Department, where he helped provide J-1 Visa sponsorship for international interns and trainees coming to the United States to develop their professional skills and experience American culture. He additionally served as a Social Events Coordinator and organized cultural activities for J-1 participants across the country. Prior to this, Paul was an Assistant Language Teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program for three years in rural Wakayama Prefecture. There, he taught English at primary and secondary schools and acted as an international exchange representative for a number of professional groups including the Rotary Club Foundation, Lion’s Club, and Bambous Noirs et Pommiers Blancs Sister City Exchange. He also volunteered with local groups to provide disaster relief in Rikuzentakata-shi, a town that was hit hard by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Paul earned a MA in French Cultural Studies from Columbia University in Paris, France where he explored issues of European identity and multilingualism. He earned his BA in French studies from Davidson College in North Carolina and studied abroad in Tours, France. He is fluent in French and proficient in Japanese.

Rachel serves as a Senior Program Officer designing, planning, and implementing a variety of short-term professional exchange projects for IVLP.  In this role, she liaises with both Cultural Vistas and State Department colleagues to coordinate project goals and objectives. She also implements specialized professional exchange programs overseas on behalf of U.S. embassies abroad, foreign governments, and other private funders. She has led domestic exchanges from Charlotte, NC to Anchorage, AK, as well as exchanges overseas, including Japan, Germany, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, ASEAN and the UAE.

Before joining IVLP, Rachel was a Senior Program Development Officer, creating and implementing innovative exchange programs, from 2015-2020. She specialized in developing programming for the U.S. Embassy Tokyo and in leading TechCamp Workshops in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State. She has worked on topics such as the prevention of transnational crime, social entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, and developing an Indo-Pacific identity. She previously oversaw the Japan Internship for the Development of Young Leaders (IDYL) Program from 2015-2018, connecting Japanese university students to host organizations in the United States for internships. She also collaborated closely with the Cultural Vistas Berlin Office to implement the Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange (WCTE) Program from 2016-2018, a reciprocal exchange program between the US and Germany for integration practitioners working with immigrant and refugee communities.

Rachel is an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and is an expert in J-1 Visa Regulations for the intern and trainee categories. She has served on the Cultural Vistas Intercultural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (ICDEI) since 2018 and the Alumni Engagement Taskforce since its formation in 2020. Prior to joining Cultural Vistas, Rachel lived in Akita, Japan for three years (2010-2013) and worked as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. She is the President of the JET Alumni Association of Washington DC and serves on the JET Program Review Committee. Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College with a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies and is proficient in Japanese.

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Jake joined Cultural Vistas as a Program Officer in 2022. In this role, he designs, plans, and implements a variety of short-term professional exchange projects for IVLP. Prior to working at Cultural Vistas, he was a Program Assistant at the Global Ties KC where he also worked on program development for IVLP projects. Previously, Jake taught History and Introduction to Russian Language at Miami University and The Ohio State University.

Jake earned an MA in History from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and in Eastern European Languages and Cultures from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In pursuit of these degrees, he explored Russian Imperial history, the history of the Russian language, and concepts of Russian national identity. He earned his BA in History and Philosophy from Northwest Missouri State University and studied abroad in Tallinn, Estonia. He is proficient in Russian.

Margaret joined Cultural Vistas as a Program Officer in July 2022. In this role, she designs, plans, and implements short-term professional exchange projects for IVLP. Before coming to Cultural Vistas, she worked as an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) on a number of J-1 visa categories, including three Fulbright programs, at the Institute of International Education.

Margaret has a MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a BA in International Studies from Boston College. During her master’s, she served as a Transatlantic Ambassador Intern in Mainz, Germany, where she worked on German-American relations at the Atlantic Academy, the State Chancellery, and the US Forces Liaison Office Rheinland-Pfalz. After her undergraduate studies, she received a Fulbright U.S. Student Award to teach English at a high school in Hameln, Germany. She also has experience studying abroad in France and living in Switzerland. Margaret is proficient in German and has studied French.

Sarah joined Cultural Vistas as a Program Officer in 2022. Prior to working at Cultural Vistas, she was a Project Assistant and Programs Coordinator at the East-West Center in Washington (EWCW), the Washington, DC office of the Honolulu-headquartered East-West Center, for a combined eight years. In this role she managed the entire conference and events portfolio of EWCW and ran several prestigious fellowships that connected visitors from throughout the Indo-Pacific with their American counterparts. She also served as a founding member of the Center’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group (2020) and a founding co-chair of the Center’s DEI Committee (2021).

Sarah has a MA in Asian Studies from Georgetown University and a BA in International Relations from the University of Delaware with minors in Asian Studies and Mandarin Chinese, including a winter semester abroad at Beijing Normal University. She is proficient in Mandarin.

Sarah’s passion for international exchange began in high school with trips during the summer with the People-to-People International program to Australia (2005) and Japan (2007). In addition to her study abroad program at the University of Delaware, Sarah has also traveled to China and Japan several more times, South Korea, and Taiwan. Through her role at Cultural Vistas she hopes to continue advocating for increased equitable access to study abroad and exchange opportunities for all.

Lilayali Garcia joined Cultural Vistas as an Assistant Program Officer in May 2022. Prior to working at Cultural Vistas, she worked as a Program Coordinator with Global Ties Miami in 2019 where she first gained experience in the logistical planning and implementation of IVLP programs.

Lilayali earned a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs with a concentration in Political Science and a Master in Public Administration, both from Florida State University. She is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She is fluent in Spanish and has studied French. Lilayali is passionate about learning from other cultures and traveling.

Katie currently serves as an Assistant Program Officer. She joined Cultural Vistas as a Program Specialist for the Train USA program in September 2019 before joining the IVLP team in June 2020. Prior to working at Cultural Vistas, she worked as the Leadership Development Operations Coordinator at American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Katie has a BA in German and International Relations with a concentration in religion from Florida State University. After her undergraduate studies, she spent a year in Bremen, Germany as a participant on the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program. Katie spends her free time traveling, playing rugby, and checking out new restaurants around DC.