TIEC Co-Hosts U.S. Exchange Alumni Event Career Connections With The U.S. Department of State And Partners of The Americas at Capital Factory

Top photo: (from left to right): Robin Lerner, president and CEO of TIEC, Shakeel Rashed, managing director and head of accelerator at Capital Factory, Scott Mackey, vice president of strategy and sustainability at Smarter Sorting, Kevin Koym, founder and CEO at Tech Ranch Austin, and Lesley Robinson, head of the Americas at INCO.

Pictured above: Mark Pomar, senior fellow, Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin, Michelle Milford Morse, vice president for girls and women strategy at the United Nations Foundation, and Aleisha Woodward, deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

This past January, TIEC joined Partners of the Americas and the U.S. Department of State to host Career Connections, a three-day networking and career-building event for U.S. alumni of U.S. Government-sponsored exchange programs. Drawing participants from around the country, Career Connections connects exchange alumni with professionals across fields and disciplines to map out the path between an international exchange program and career-readiness and hireability.

As an organization devoted to connecting and facilitating people, organizations, and opportunities, TIEC was particularly pleased to be a partner for this program.  We brought experts we have worked with in the past – and others we have our eyes on for the future – together with extraordinary young people considering how to direct their careers in meaningful, international ways. In addition to TIEC staff, participants connected with professionals in private and non-profit sectors, as well as the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Austin-based institutions, Ex and Associates International, 2U, Inc., South by Southwest, and The University of Texas at Austin also joined the fun.

Our thanks go to Austin-based entrepreneurship incubator and resource Capital Factory who graciously hosted us in their downtown Austin location for a set of panel discussions with international and entrepreneurial professionals from across Austin, and led by our CEO Robin Lerner.

The first panel centered around entrepreneurship and the role that international experience can play within it. Ms. Lerner was joined by panelists Scott Mackey, vice president of strategy and sustainability at Smarter Sorting, Lesley Robinson, head of the Americas at INCO, Kevin Koym, founder and CEO at Tech Ranch Austin, and Shakeel Rashed, managing director and head of accelerator at Capital Factory. The second panel discussion explored global leadership careers. Panelists, Aleisha Woodward, deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Mark Pomar, senior fellow, Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin, and Michelle Milford Morse, vice president for girls and women strategy at the United Nations Foundation, spoke about their journeys as international leaders and trailblazers, and the greatest impacts they have seen through their international careers and what motivates them to think global.

Career Connections was a vibrant three days of career-planning, direction-setting, confidence-boosting, card-sharing, and friendship-building. TIEC looks forward to co-hosting future events in the Austin area and providing useful resources to those interested in careers in international education. If you are interested in joining future events, please contact Anna Charnitski, director of marketing and communications at anna@tiec.org.

To see more photos from this event, visit TIEC’s Flickr page.

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