The Foreign Service Journal, April 2006

visitors, including a growing number of Muslim participants in Europe. International visitors are generally mid-career professionals in their gov- ernmental, media, educational, scien- tific, cultural and NGO institutions. For most, it is the first opportunity to visit the U.S. and interact with Ameri- cans in many different institutions and walks of life. They also learn about our cultural offerings and regional differ- ences, and participate in “home hospi- tality” experiences. As a retired FSO with more than 30 years of experience in cultural and informational affairs overseas and in Washington, I was able to apply my Foreign Service skills to the develop- ment of programs and national itiner- aries for our visitors. My colleagues and I worked with national program agencies in Washington and with vol- unteers in cities throughout the coun- try to welcome our international visi- tors and assure them of the highest- quality professional and cultural expe- riences in our country. From time to time I also worked with the East Asia Branch in the Office of International Visitors to develop pro- grams for IVs. Some of my most rewarding experiences were those involving participants in regional pro- grams, especially younger profession- als on their first visits to the United States. Through debriefings at the end of programs, my colleagues and I have been able to gauge the effectiveness of the International Visitor Leadership Program in helping to overcome par- ticipants’ preconceptions and preju- dices about America. The 60-year his- tory of the program and the fact that currently more than 180 alumni are heads of government both speak to the efficacy and long-standing success of this outstanding program. In my Foreign Service assignments overseas as a cultural affairs officer, I coordinated the nomination and selec- tion process at different embassies that chose international visitors. I met with them and briefed them prior to their departures to the U.S. After retirement, as a WAE, I was able to welcome many new visitors, especially those from Central Asia and countries in which I had previously served. My four years of part-time work in ECA have been among the most rewarding of my long career in inter- national affairs, and I have had the good fortune to meet with a few of the IVs in their home countries during my travels. I have also spoken with a num- ber of ambassadors who rate the International Visitor Leadership Pro- gram as one of their most effective tools of diplomacy. The existence of International Visitor alumni associa- tions in many countries speaks to the value IV participants themselves attach to their experiences in our country. Bruce K. Byers Reston, Va. utu APPRECIATION FOR THE RETIREMENT FOCUS I really appreciated your series of articles on life after the Foreign Service in the January and February editions of the Journal . I can well identify with the writers as I retired from the Foreign Service at the end of 2004 after 29 years, most recently as ambassador to Greece and 70 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 6 I am one more example that there is, indeed, life after the Foreign Service. — Tom Miller