Community in Action: The 2025 Alliance Annual Conference in Photos
The 2025 Alliance Annual Conference brought together 250+ leaders, practitioners, and policymakers from across the international exchange community for two days of learning, collaboration, and forward-looking discussion.
We kicked off this annual gathering with opening remarks from Alliance Executive Director Mark Overmann and Alliance Board Chair and AFS-USA President & CEO Tara Hofmann (read Tara’s remarks and reflections on the importance of advocacy here), and celebrated the three emerging international education and exchange leaders that received this year’s McCarry Leadership Awards.
Suzanne Kolasa, Spirit Cultural Exchange
Leydi Lucas, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA)
Julia Stewart, Amideast
The afternoon got into all things advocacy. A highlight of the first day was a Bipartisan Hill Staffer Panel, offering insights into legislative priorities affecting international exchanges and public diplomacy programs. This was followed up by a Policy Chat IRL, a live version of the Alliance’s popular Friday series. Led by Adrienne Jacobs (Alliance for International Exchange), Kate Eltrich (KAE Strategic), and Will Nordwind (Venable), this panel discussion took a deep dive into the latest developments in federal funding, regulations, and executive actions shaping the field. We also heard video remarks from Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME, 1).
We started Day 2 strong with a block of concurrent sessions focused on empowering practitioners and advancing the exchange field.
In From Interest to Action: Securing Private Sector Investment in Exchange Programs, Scott Massey (anu), Ashley McNeil (AHLA), and Christine Shiau (Aspen Institute’s Stevens Initiative), and Jim Golsen (Meridian International Center) explored how exchange organizations can showcase to businesses where there are opportunities to collaborate and demonstrate the tangible value of exchanges to the private sector to move from business interest to action and secure real investment from the private sector.
Simultaneously, Leading through Uncertainty with Jen Wilson (Jen Wilson International) guided participants through organizational best practices for navigating disruption with clarity and empathy.
Another concurrent session, Participant Support in 2025, featured Allison Jennings (IREX), Jung Ran Lim (Cultural Vistas), and Jessica Kissell (Greenheart International) who shared firsthand insights on preparing participants for arrival in the U.S., supporting mental health throughout programs, and navigating the ripple effects of new immigration policies.
Attendees joined peers to get into the weeds on programmatic best practices for a wide range of exchange program categories.
The conference closed with Action Alert: Building our 2026 Advocacy Strategy, a forward-looking discussion featuring Marcelle Benedicta (Greenheart International), Theresa Furman (Meridian International Center), Phil Simon (Cenet), and Erica Stewart (NAFSA). Together, they reflected on the past year’s advocacy lessons and outlined strategies to strengthen engagement, mobilize consistent support, and communicate effectively amid a shifting political landscape.
We’re grateful to all the attendees, speakers, and sponsors that made this gathering possible. Special thanks to our Visionary Sponsors AIFS and InterExchange.
