From the Chairman:
For GlobalPittsburgh, and most of the world, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to be far-reaching in 2021. Government, business, transportation, education, health care, civil society, and our personal lives were all profoundly impacted. And yet, these challenges did not deter GlobalPittsburgh, from its mission to connect people from around the globe to the Pittsburgh region through citizen diplomacy.
GlobalPittsburgh pivoted successfully to virtual programming and, with prudent planning, returned to in-person events and exchanges where and when possible. Gail Shrott, Executive Director, served in 2020-2021 on a Forward Planning Working Group representing the State Department, National Program agencies and community based members of Global Ties U.S. developing protocols and procedures to restart in-person International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchanges. Our staff also completed intensive Soliya training in 2020 and 2021 to learn virtual facilitating skills that they then applied successfully throughout 2021 to our First Thursdays events, our virtual 2020 Immigrant Entrepreneur Celebration events, and our implementation of programming for the State Department’s IVLP and other agencies.
The greater Pittsburgh community also stepped up in 2021; more than 50 organizations, businesses, or institutions partnered with GlobalPittsburgh in support of our full spectrum of programming for 348 emerging leaders from 100 different countries.
GlobalPittsburgh will continue to stay the course for 2022, working smartly via both remote and, when deemed safe to international visitors and members of our community, in-person programming. But, we need you, as ours is an organization whose very foundation is human interaction. Whether as a member, a volunteer, or as an attendee at one of our upcoming events, please consider participating in GlobalPittsburgh programming and activities. We sincerely look forward to the privilege and pleasure of meeting you and introducing you to people from around the world, and collectively developing linkages to benefit our community and our lives
It has been my continued honor and pleasure to work with staff members Gail Shrott and Nadya Kessler, our volunteers, and our Board of Directors throughout 2021. Best wishes to everyone for a safe, secure, and prosperous 2022, and hopefully, a return to a more face-to-face social interaction environment.
– John W. Hindman, Board Chair
