Recapping our 2023 Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, November 8th, we had the pleasure of hosting our community at the North Ridge Pavilion for our Annual Meeting! We enjoyed a potluck together and celebrated another year of successful international exchange. 

We had the pleasure of being joined by a large delegation of female entrepreneurs from Australia, Belize, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, the Republic of Turkiye, Rwanda, Tunisia, and Ukraine. Many of our guests, ourselves included, enjoyed chatting with them personally, and they enjoyed the potluck. 

Board President Liz Bergeron and Executive Director Amy Alice Chastain were our emcees for the evening. As a group, we looked back on delegations and statistics of 2023 fiscal year and voted on Board elections and by-law changes. Notably, Kirsten Hermstad, Daniel Brown, Eddy Djagou, Bala Subramaniam, Horacio Borgen, and Evans Ochola were welcomed onto our Board. A new executive committee was also elected, with Liz Bergeron continuing as President, Bala Subramaniam becoming vice president, Daniel Brown becoming treasurer, and Melissa Meisterheim continuing as secretary from her interim position. Read more about our Board members here. 

We also took the opportunity to recognize outstanding members of our community with volunteer awards. These individuals contributed greatly to our mission in several different ways throughout the year, from offering warm welcomes to delegations at the airport to being amazing home hospitality hosts. Read about our volunteer award winners here. 

Finally, delegation members Marie Ange Mukagahima of Rwanda, Aya Mohamed Ali Abdelsalam Al-Sharqawy of Egypt, and Tamarie Pearl Rocke, Ph.D., of Belize were our amazing guest speakers, talking a little bit about their own backgrounds in their respective countries and what international exchange means to them. 

Overall, this night was incredibly reinvigorating for us as a staff, and we hope the same was true for our community. We loved the chance to bring everyone together and celebrate the amazing work that we all do! Special thanks to everyone who attended, especially those who contributed to the delicious potluck. 

We hope to see you all at our next Annual Meeting and throughout the year as we connect the world and the heartland!