What do local Utah families, state-of-the-art entrepreneurship incubators, and collaborative nonpartisan political nonprofits have in common? The answer is that they all impacted the work of women leaders worldwide in 2024! Thanks to the diligent work of our professional partners and home hosts, Utah was able to foster meaningful diplomatic connections with countries ranging from Mozambique to Mexico.
In October 2024, several IVLP groups traveled to Utah that provided women entrepreneurs, politicians, and nonprofit founders with important insight from local Utahns. When sharing how they anticipated that their time in Utah would impact their future work, they provided valuable feedback on Utah’s businesses, nonprofits, and government programs.
Yuliia Noskova, from Ukraine, was part of a delegation of women leaders focused on promoting peace and security in Europe. The goal of their visit to Utah was to examine what our state is doing to advance peace and security at all levels, highlighting cross-sector collaboration, mediation, and sustainable peacebuilding. Ms. Noskova is the director of the Shyrokivska Community Development Agency, an organization dedicated to education, media literacy, and civil society development. She shared that every meeting was absolutely integral to her IVLP experience because they helped expose her to new perspectives and expand her understanding of how to best improve education, media literacy and civil society in Ukraine. She hopes to foster future partnerships between her agency and the local organizations like Utah Women Run that her group met with while in Utah.
Faheema Sulemane, from Mozambique, came to Utah with a group dedicated to women leaders in small business entrepreneurship. They met with several organizations dedicated to encouraging women to become entrepreneurs, specifically in the tech sector. Faheema shared that she was inspired by a meeting with a local business incubator called the Mill Entrepreneurship Center. She stated that the meeting was especially meaningful to her because "It gave me a chance to experience the center, understand its various business programs, and interact with local entrepreneurs. The insights shared were valuable, and the networking opportunities were greatly appreciated.”
Women leaders were not only encouraged by their professional meetings, but also by the hospitality and care shown to them by their generous home hosts. “I am grateful to the host family that you have opened the doors of your home to us, for the time you gave us… and the fact that you made us feel at home with [your] hospitality” said Elizabeth Reyes from Mexico. Elizabeth serves as the Deputy Chief of Police for the capital of Mexico’s largest state. Most important to her was the fact that her home hosts were honest in sharing their experiences as women leaders in Utah because she could relate to their perspective.
Having the opportunity to share a meal with local Utah families reflects our core values at Utah Global Diplomacy and creates meaningful diplomatic bonds between Utah citizens and the world. Marja Krizan from Slovenia expressed this perfectly when she shared that she now has a “deeper respect for Americans after sitting down and sharing a meal with them.” Marja has worked in the energy sector in a senior position for many years and came to Utah to learn about recent advances in our own energy sector. While the professional meetings she attended with the Utah Governor's Office and Zions Bank were certainly important, her time spent with local Utahns was what created the deepest connection for her.
If you are interested in becoming a citizen diplomat and would like to get more involved, consider becoming a home host, guest speaker, or professional partner for one of our International Visitor Leadership Programs. To connect with us, send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and follow us on social media!
