Learning Life is pleased to present our inaugural Board of Advisors!
For most of our existence since founding in 2012, Learning Life has been a fiscally-sponsored program of a larger nonprofit called United Charitable. This has allowed Learning Life to quickly change and experiment to develop our three programs: the Family Diplomacy Initiative, International Mentoring Program, and Democracy Dinners. Now, in 2021, we are in the process of forming our own independent nonprofit, and expanding our volunteer base, programming and fundraising.
The new Board of Advisors (BOA) will advise Learning Life in specific matters of their expertise, such as communications, fundraising, program design, monitoring and evaluation. In addition, BOA members will help as they can in making connections that facilitate partnerships and collaborations to help Learning Life advance its mission. “We are honored and excited to be working with such connected, caring, and experienced advisors, and look forward to working with the BOA to strengthen and expand our operations and programming,” said Paul Lachelier, Learning Life’s founder and director.
The inaugural BOA members’ photos are shown below. Learn more about each of them at Learning Life’s staff page. Interested in serving on Learning Life’s BOA, or know someone who might be? Check out our call for board members and/or share this page with someone you know who may be interested. We are currently especially, though not exclusively, interested in identifying (1) a retired ambassador, (2) business executives in relevant industries like diplomacy, internet communications, social media, and online education in metro Washington DC and beyond, (3) communications, marketing and fundraising specialists, and (4) an attorney specializing in nonprofit law.
Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #5
About Citizen Diplomacy International
Due to globalization, the internet, rising education levels, and long-term democratization, citizen diplomacy is growing, and becoming a more important part of diplomacy and international affairs. Thus, in 2020, the Public Diplomacy Council of America (PDCA), a US-based NGO devoted to advancing the field of public diplomacy, formed the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group (CDRG) to advance the research and practice of citizen diplomacy. In 2023, the CDRG became Citizen Diplomacy International(CDI), a network and program of Learning Life, a Washington DC-based nonprofit devoted to developing innovative learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy.
CDI meets every three months online via Zoom for 1.5 hours to share research and news on citizen diplomacy developments worldwide with an eye to building a vibrant global CD sector for a more participatory, equitable and sustainable world.. Meetings typically begin with two presentations on CD research or practice, followed by discussion of the presentations, then news and announcements of past or upcoming international CD-related initiatives, publications, funding, conferences, etc.
Anyone — including scholars, students, citizen diplomacy practitioners, current and retired official diplomats, and others interested — can join CDI to learn, network, and/or present substantial research or practice in citizen diplomacy. For more information or to join the CDI email list, contact email@learninglife.info. You can also connect with CDI members via our Facebook group and Linkedin group, to which you can post citizen diplomacy-related articles, books, events, funding, etc.
Review of meeting agenda. During this time everyone is encouraged to post to the chat a one-paragraph bio about themselves. Introductions via chat saves us time, provides written details about you, and allows us to share your info after the meeting with those who could not attend.
2) Two Presentations (30 minutes):
Presenters:
Giles Scott-Smith, Roosevelt Chair in New Diplomatic History, Leiden University, Netherlands: The Network for New Diplomatic History, and more broadly, the evolving landscape of diplomacy.
Linda Staheli, Founding Director, Global Co Lab Network, USA:
“Global Co Lab Network: Engaging the Next Generation”
3) Questions & Discussion about the Presentations (30 minutes) 4) Announcements (20 minutes)
A) Presentation of proposed bylaws (see below) for discussion and approval at the April CDRG meeting to formalize the CDRG a bit, including officer elections. CDRG officer elections will tentatively be held at the June meeting, following approval of the bylaws at the April meeting.
C) Meeting participants will have the opportunity to publicize citizen diplomacy events, publications, projects, programs, and related needs. Participants can also post details and links to the Zoom chat box. Following the meeting, the chat box messages will be shared to the CDRG email list along with a video record of the meeting.
Introducing Learning Life’s New Board of Directors
Learning Life is pleased to present our inaugural Board of Directors!
For most of our existence since founding in 2012, Learning Life has been a fiscally-sponsored program of a larger nonprofit called United Charitable. This has allowed Learning Life to quickly change and experiment to develop our three programs: the Family Diplomacy Initiative, International Mentoring Program, and Democracy Dinners. Now, in 2021, we are in the process of forming our own independent nonprofit, and expanding our volunteer base, programming and fundraising. “This year promises to be an exciting year of growth for Learning Life. We are blessed and honored to have a bright, skilled, connected and dedicated new Board of Directors to lead us forward,” said Paul Lachelier, Learning Life’s founder and director. Learn more about each of the Board members below.
Dandan Chen, Board Representative to Fundraising Team
Dandan Chen is an instructor and Ph.D. student in educational psychology, with a focus on large-scale assessment and survey, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. With a master’s degree in international education policy from the George Washington University, Dandan has two years of work experience with international organizations, including UNESCO, the Education Commission and the World Bank Group, three years of research experience in academia, and stints across multiple sectors, including media, nonprofit management, and social entrepreneurship. She has worked in China, Uganda and the United States. Dandan envisions learning/education as a powerful means to societal change and an end in itself for humanity.
Khadija Hashemi, Treasurer
Khadija Hashemi is an experienced financial and accounting professional with 20+ years of demonstrated success in the nonprofit sector, and extensive experience managing U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) project awards with over $50 million in grant value for World Learning. Khadija’s professional knowledge, skills and commitment to excellence ensures high-quality accounting management, timely reporting, contractual compliance with laws and regulation of U.S. government funded international exchange programs–all contributing to trustworthy relationships that World Learning has built as a reliable U.S. government partner. Khadija’s personal belief is that peace and prosperity in the world is achievable through citizen and public diplomacy, fostering greater understanding, respect, common interests and ideals among people of different countries, cultures, and faiths throughout the world. As an immigrant herself who was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and moved to the United States after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Khadija believes that meaningful cross-cultural communication will bring people from all parts of the world together. There is an old Afghan proverb that she believes sets a good standard for citizen diplomacy: “It takes two hands to clap.” Khadija lives in Herndon, Virginia with her husband Dr. Sayed B. Hashemi and their two children. In her spare time, Khadija likes reading, hiking, swimming, and spending quality time with her family and friends. One of her hobbies is international cuisine. Khadija wrote an Afghan cookbook which will be published in 2021. She holds a BA in economics from George Mason University (2005) and is certified by the Center for Public Management for completing OMB’s Circulars and Agencies’ Guidance training (2011). She speaks English, Farci, Urdu, and understands Turkish.
Suzanne Lachelier, Secretary
Suzanne Lachelier has 30+ years of legal experience working in all three branches of government, with specialization in criminal justice and national security. She began her career as legal counsel to a subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee. She then served as a federal public defender, legal trainer, appellate attorney, and U.S. Navy Judge Advocate, developing expertise in criminal and military justice practice, including complex cases involving terrorism, RICO, wire fraud, drug conspiracies and immigration offenses. In her service with the U.S. Navy Reserves and as a French-American dual-national fluent in French, Suzanne has facilitated military justice diplomatic missions from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mali to Washington, DC, and led rule-of-law trainings for military lawyers and soldiers in the DRC and Chad. Since 2008, Suzanne has served as Supervisory Defense Counsel on Guantanamo Bay capital cases, developing deep knowledge of the complexities of death penalty work as well as the U.S. national security apparatus around terrorism investigations. As a volunteer, Suzanne has served as a consultant for the American Bar Association’s International Legal Resource Center-U.N. Development Program, a guest lecturer at the Boston University and Thomas Jefferson Schools of Law, a Moot Court Judge at the George Washington University Law School, keynote speaker to the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and a Learning Life mentor helping to open the world to girls from lower-income families.
Nancy Overholt, Co-Chair
Nancy Overholt, Principal and CEO of Overholt International, is an expert in creating long-lasting impactful public diplomacy programs, and has 30+ years in international professional training. In her previous position at the Institute of International Education (IIE), her work focused on IIE’s high visibility public diplomacy programs: Department of State, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and International Visitor Leadership Program; USAID and the US Department of Agriculture; and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Prior to joining IIE, Ms. Overholt designed and administered trend-setting programs for international professionals through appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Santa Barbara. She is licensed to administer the Cultural Intelligence Certificate.
Linda Stuart, Co-Chair
Linda Stuart is the Head of Digital Education Innovation at AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Building Bridges Coalition. Linda most recently served as the Interim Executive Director of the International Volunteer Programs Association. She is President of Alma, Inc. – a cross-cultural leadership development consultancy and previously was Global Citizens Network’s (GCN) Director (2005-2015), where she tripled the size of GCN and gained national recognition by National Geographic, The New York Times, Oprah, and USA Today as “One of the Best Family Volunteer Experiences.” She is a qualified administrator of the IDI, GCI, IES, and holds an executive coaching certificate from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. Linda has an MA from the University of Chile, and a BA from Augsburg University.
Profile: Agi-Otto Family (Nigeria)
This is the latest in a series of profiles of some of the family diplomats (FDs), family diplomacy ambassadors (FDAs), and their families worldwide participating in Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) on Facebook. FDI connects families across lines of country, class, race and religion to share, learn and nurture a more caring, connected world. (Why family diplomacy? Click here for five reasons. To learn more about the FD and FDA roles, click here.) Below, FDA, Chirunim Agi-Otto, the oldest son in a family of six in Nigeria, answers our family profile questions. We provide the questions and answers in English, Spanish and French.
Este es el último de una serie de perfiles de algunos de los diplomáticos de familia (FDs), embajadores de diplomacia familiar (FDAs) y sus familias en todo el mundo que participan en la Iniciativa de diplomacia familiar (FDI) de Learning Life en Facebook. La FDI conecta a las familias a través de divisiones de país, clase, raza y religión para compartir, aprender y fomentar un mundo más solidario y conectado. (¿Por qué la diplomacia familiar? Haga clic aquípor cinco razones. Para obtener más información sobre las funciones de FD y FDA, haga clicaquí). A continuación, FDA, Chirunim Agi-Otto, el hijo mayor de una familia de seis en Nigeria, responde nuestras preguntas sobre el perfil familiar. Ofrecemos las preguntas y respuestas en inglés, español y francés.
Il s’agit du plus récent d’une série de profils de certains des diplomates de la famille (FD), des ambassadeurs de la diplomatie familiale (FDA) et de leurs familles dans le monde qui participent à l’Initiative de diplomatie familiale (FDI) de Learning Life sur Facebook. La FDI connecte les familles à travers les pays, classes, races et religions pour partager, apprendre et nourrir un monde plus attentionné et connecté. (Pourquoi la diplomatie familiale? Cliquez icipour cinq raisons. Pour en savoir plus sur les rôles FD et FDA, cliquez ici.) Ci-dessous, FDA, Chirunim Agi-Otto, le fils aîné d’une famille de six au Nigéria, répond à nos questions sur le profil de la famille. Nous fournissons les questions et réponses en anglais, espagnol et français.
Tell us about your family, and what city and country you live in. / Cuéntanos sobre tu familia y en qué ciudad y país vives. / Veuillez nous parler de votre famille et de la ville et du pays dans lesquels vous vivez.
We are a family of educationists. My father is a senior lecturer at the Department of Religious and Cultural studies, Faculty of Humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. My mother is an expert English teacher employed by the civil service of the Rivers State Government.
I have three siblings. My elder sister, Fortune, holds a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics and Hotel Management from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. I am a final year student in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Science at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. I have two younger siblings. Obuoma is a student of the Department of Human Physiology, College of Medical science, Rivers State University. Etuoma is studying Petroleum Engineering at Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt.
We live in Port-Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State and the third most developed city in Nigeria. My city is famous for producing global figures and it is why we are influential in Nigeria. Port-Harcourt has an International airport, a seaport, and houses a large number of foreign companies like Total, Shell and Agip.
Somos una familia de educadores. Mi padre es profesor titular del Departamento de Estudios Religiosos y Culturales de la Facultad de Humanidades de la Universidad de Educación Ignatius Ajuru. Mi madre es una experta profesora de inglés empleada por la administración pública del gobierno del estado de Rivers.
Tengo tres hermanos. Mi hermana mayor, Fortune, tiene una licenciatura en Economía Doméstica y Gestión Hotelera de la Universidad de Educación Ignatius Ajuru. Soy estudiante de último año en el Departamento de Ciencias Políticas de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de Educación Ignatius Ajuru. Tengo dos hermanos menores. Obuoma es estudiante del Departamento de Fisiología Humana de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Estatal de Rivers. Etuoma está estudiando Ingeniería Petrolera en la Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt.
Vivimos en Port-Harcourt, la capital del estado de Rivers y la tercera ciudad más desarrollada de Nigeria. Mi ciudad es famosa por producir líderes globales y es por eso que somos influyentes en Nigeria. Port-Harcourt tiene un aeropuerto internacional, un puerto marítimo y alberga una gran cantidad de empresas extranjeras como Total, Shell y Agip.
Nous sommes une famille d’éducateurs. Mon père est maître de conférences au Département des études religieuses et culturelles, Faculté des sciences humaines, Université d’éducation Ignatius Ajuru. Ma mère est professeur d’anglais expert employé par la fonction publique du gouvernement de l’État de Rivers.
J’ai trois frères et soeurs. Ma sœur aînée, Fortune, est titulaire d’une licence en économie domestique et gestion hôtelière de l’Université d’éducation Ignatius Ajuru. Je suis étudiant en dernière année au Département de science politique, Faculté des sciences sociales de l’Université Ignatius Ajuru. J’ai deux frères et sœurs plus jeunes. Obuoma est étudiant au Département de physiologie humaine, College of Medical Science, Rivers State University. Etuoma étudie l’ingénierie pétrolier à la Rivers State University, à Port-Harcourt.
Nous vivons à Port-Harcourt, la capitale de l’État de Rivers et la troisième ville la plus développée du Nigéria. Ma ville est célèbre pour produire des dirigeants mondiaux et c’est pourquoi nous sommes influents au Nigéria. Port-Harcourt possède un aéroport international, un port maritime et abrite un grand nombre d’entreprises étrangères comme Total, Shell et Agip.
Tell us one interesting thing about your family. / Cuéntanos algo interesante sobre tu familia. / Dites-nous une chose intéressante à propos de votre famille.
My family is very ambitious. As little children every one of us was creating designs to be CEO. It is in our genes from my Father. He is visually impaired, mastered Braille in six months because he wanted to go back to school, and finally he created a good world for us because of his level of ambition. So, he made it clear to us that we must build on that.
Mi familia es muy ambiciosa. Cuando éramos pequeños, cada uno de nosotros estaba creando diseños para ser CEO. Está en nuestros genes de mi Padre. Él tiene una discapacidad visual, dominó el Braille en seis meses porque quería volver a la escuela, y finalmente creó un buen mundo para nosotros debido a su nivel de ambición. Así que nos dejó claro que debemos construir sobre eso.
Ma famille est très ambitieuse. En tant que petits enfants, chacun de nous créait des designs pour devenir PDG. C’est dans nos gènes de mon Père. Il a une déficience visuelle, a maîtrisé le Braille en six mois parce qu’il voulait retourner à l’école, et finalement il a créé un monde bon pour nous en raison de son niveau d’ambition. Il nous a donc fait comprendre que nous devons bâtir sur cela.
What language(s) does your family speak at home? / ¿Qué idioma(s) habla tu familia en casa? / Quelle(s) langue(s) votre famille parle-t-elle à la maison?
Ogba language. My Father advocates that Africans should be Africans at home, and language is part of that. But all of us are also fluent in English.
Lengua Ogba. Mi padre aboga por que los africanos sean africanos en casa, y el idioma es parte de eso. Pero todos también hablamos inglés con fluidez.
Langue Ogba. Mon père plaide pour que les Africains soient des Africains à la maison, et la langue en fait partie. Mais nous parlons tous couramment l’anglais.
What do you think is the biggest problem the world is facing in the long-term? / ¿Cuál crees es el mayor problema que enfrenta el mundo a largo plazo? / Selon vous, quel est le plus gros problème auquel le monde est confronté à long terme?
I consider terrorism to be the biggest problem the world is facing in the long term. I used to think the only place where terrorism happens is in America, until over 50 persons were shot in the Omoku massacre of New Year’s Day in 2017. Omoku is the town where I grew up. It is a college town in River State, Nigeria. That event in 2017 explained to me in good detail how a person in Omoku and Port-Harcourt is just as unsafe as someone in London, or New York.
Considero que el terrorismo es el mayor problema al que se enfrenta el mundo a largo plazo. Solía pensar que el único lugar donde ocurre el terrorismo es en Estados Unidos, hasta que más de 50 personas fueron asesinadas en la masacre de Omoku el día de Año Nuevo en 2017. Omoku es la ciudad donde crecí. Es una ciudad universitaria en River State, Nigeria. Ese evento en 2017 me explicó en gran detalle cómo una persona en Omoku y Port-Harcourt es tan insegura como alguien en Londres o Nueva York.
Je considère le terrorisme comme le plus gros problème auquel le monde est confronté à long terme. Je pensais que le seul endroit où le terrorisme se produisait était en Amérique, jusqu’à ce que plus de 50 personnes soient abattues lors du massacre d’Omoku du jour de l’An en 2017. Omoku est la ville où j’ai grandi. C’est une ville universitaire de River State, au Nigeria. Cet événement de 2017 m’a expliqué en détail comment une personne à Omoku et à Port-Harcourt est tout aussi peu sûr qu’une personne à Londres ou à New York.
What do you think is the biggest problem your country is facing in the long-term? / ¿Cuál crees es el mayor problema que enfrenta tu país a largo plazo? / Selon vous, quel est le plus gros problème auquel votre pays est confronté à long terme?
The biggest problem Nigeria is facing is corruption. There is a lack of progressive leadership in the government and elsewhere, and so it creates a culture where we have plenty, but still not enough to satisfy us. Government officials earn big salaries, but they still find time to divert funds meant for public projects to their own pockets. University professors are well-to-do, but they still find time to exploit students financially and sexually, in exchange for good grades. Religious leaders strive to get rich through the gospel, and so the system passes the message to the youth to get money at all cost, even if your integrity is at stake. In Nigeria, everyone grows just like Oliver Twist, always wanting more.
El mayor problema al que se enfrenta Nigeria es la corrupción. Hay una falta de liderazgo progresista en el gobierno y en otros lugares, por lo que crea una cultura en la que tenemos mucho, pero aún no lo suficiente para satisfacernos. Los funcionarios del gobierno ganan grandes sueldos, pero aún encuentran tiempo para desviar fondos destinados a proyectos públicos a sus propios bolsillos. Los profesores universitarios son acomodados, pero todavía encuentran tiempo para explotar a los estudiantes económicamente y sexualmente, a cambio de buenas notas. Los líderes religiosos se esfuerzan por enriquecerse a través del evangelio, por lo que el sistema transmite el mensaje a los jóvenes para que obtengan dinero a toda costa, incluso si su integridad está en juego. En Nigeria, todos crecen como Oliver Twist, siempre queriendo más.
Le plus gros problème auquel le Nigéria est confronté est la corruption. Il y a un manque de leadership progressiste au gouvernement et ailleurs, ce qui crée une culture où nous en avons beaucoup, mais pas encore assez pour nous satisfaire. Les fonctionnaires du gouvernement gagnent de gros salaires, mais ils trouvent encore le temps de détourner les fonds destinés à des projets publics dans leurs propres poches. Les professeurs d’université sont aisés, mais ils trouvent encore le temps d’exploiter les étudiants financièrement et sexuellement, en échange de bonnes notes. Les chefs religieux s’efforcent de s’enrichir grâce à l’évangile, et ainsi le système transmet le message aux jeunes pour qu’ils obtiennent de l’argent à tout prix, même si votre intégrité est en jeu. Au Nigeria, tout le monde grandit comme Oliver Twist, en voulant toujours plus.
Anything you would like to say to other families in the world? / ¿Algo que le gustaría decir a otras familias en el mundo? / Quelque chose que vous aimeriez dire à d’autres familles dans le monde?
Yes. Obodoegbulam Agi-Otto’s family: you will see us often, but remember you saw us first at Learning Life.
Si. Familia de Obodoegbulam Agi-Otto: nos verá a menudo, pero recuerde que nos vio por primera vez en Learning Life.
Oui. Famille d’Obodoegbulam Agi-Otto: vous nous verrez souvent, mais rappelez-vous que vous nous avez vus pour la première fois à Learning Life.
