Quarterly Newsletter on International Understanding

This year’s Passport to Prosperity Gala

was genuinely an inspirational evening, one

of those evenings in which the audience was

touched by the thoughtful and exceptionally

insightful presence of our honorees: Suku

Radia, Dr. Yogesh Shah, Ying Sa and Sol

Varisco-Santini.

In reflecting on this year’s celebration,

Suku Radia quoted Oscar Handlin’s insights

about immigrants when he wrote, “I once

thought to write a history of immigrants in

America. Then I discovered that immi-

grants were the history of America.” As

Suku went on to observe, “We in this room

are living confirmation of his discovery be-

cause every one of us is an immigrant or

comes from a family that is the progeny of

immigrants.”

For the second year in succession the

Gala event was a sell-out with 240 people in

attendance. The audience thanked each of

the honorees for their extraordinary contri-

butions to Iowa:

- for the creation of jobs and busi-

nesses, which in the case of Ying Sa has led

to the Immigration Entrepreneur Summit

and the establishment of 86 new businesses

in Iowa;

- toward the creation of a department

of Global Health serving the needs of people

throughout the world in the case of Dr.

Shah’s work at Des Moines University

- to the timely and helpful response to

refugees in need of resources thanks to Sol

Varisco-Santini and her work at Catholic

Charities

- to the climate of philanthropy and

This Issue

Passport Review P.1

Director’s Corner P.2

Pioneer-ICIU Dialogue Recap P.3

Upcoming Events P.4

Donors & Volunteers P.5

Cammeo Medici P.6

International Visitors Review P.7

Board of Directors P.8

service thanks to the work of Suku Radia

who Chaired this year’s United Way of Cen-

tral Iowa Campaign

The Passport Gala also honored the Busi-

ness Record by presenting to them the Elinor

Robson award, named in honor of the foun-

der of ICIU in 1938. The Business Record

earned this prestigious award for the design

and publication of “Welcome to Iowa,” the

first multi-lingual International Resource

Guide ever produced in Iowa. ICIU thanked

the Business Record for its vision, its courage

and its generosity in partnering with ICIU

to produce the Guide.

The whole of the evening was special,

made so in unique and wonderful ways. Bal-

let Des Moines choreographed a special bal-

let from each of honorees’ country of origin,

a dance to honor Suku Radia from Uganda;

to honor Ying Sa from China; to honor Dr.

Shah from India and to honor Sol Varisco-

Santini from Argentina. An elegant menu

with cuisine from each of the honorees’

countries was served by Cyd’s Catering.

Thanks to the generous contributions of

sponsors and donors, Passport was able to

raise over $40,000 to support the many pro-

grams and activities of ICIU. The support is

critical to our ability to respond to the needs

of new immigrants and refugees as ICIU

becomes the clearinghouse for international

resources.

Our special thanks go to Gale Brubaker

and Evelyn Rudich who Co-Chaired the

event, to the Passport Committee, to our

Board of Directors, to our staff and interns

for making the event such a success.

Passport to Prosperity, Something to Celebrate

Be sure to visit www.iciu.org to access the electronic page-turning version of this

printed guide!

ICIU Diplomat W i n t e r 2 0 1 0 I s s u e

929 Third Street, Suite 203

Des Moines, IA 50309

515.282.8269 ph

Executive Director’s Corner

As we reflect back over 2009, there are many

events worthy of noting and of celebrating. It was

the year we produced the first multi-lingual Inter-

national Resource Guide for Iowa. Written in

eight languages (Arabic, Bosnian, Mandarin Chi-

nese, Laotian, Spanish, Swahili, Vietnamese and

English) the Guide was designed, published and

made available online thanks to the generous

partnership with the Business

Record.

It was the year our Interna-

tional Visitors Program Man-

ager was honored as one of the

top three programmers in the

United States; the year in

which we entertained the first delegation of visi-

tors from Iraq; the year in which we held our first

training workshops for our interpreters and trans-

lators and also the first workshop for clients; the

year in which we partnered with Pioneer to offer a

monthly International Dialogue Series; the year in

which we played an important role in the 50-year

anniversary of Khrushchev’s visit to Iowa; the

year in which we launched Iowa Global Connect

toward our goal of becoming an informational

clearinghouse on international issues; the year

Passport to Prosperity had a very inspiring group

of honorees and a record setting fundraising

drive.

It was also a year in which we moved our head-

quarters to the Quality Inn, headquarters that are

2009, A Year Worth Celebrating

By Dr. Judith A. Conlin

2

Pictured: Dennis Dietz, Dr. Sergei Khrushchev and Dr. Judith Conlin.

Pictured: Josie Shaw and the ICIU staff with teddy bears donated for refugees.

Pictured: ICIU staff, volunteers and interns at Passport to Prosperity.

proving to be very nice and pleasant, offices that

are furnished, thanks to Principal Financial, with

desks, chairs and paneling; a year in which we

were able to update our data base with software

donated by Dennis and Sheila Dietz and to update

our computers and software, thanks to Board

Member Phil Krenc and donors.

It was a year to thank our extraordinary vol-

unteers, staff and interns.

Special thanks to Dennis

Dietz for assuming the

Presidency of the Board

and to each of the mem-

bers of the board. Our

thanks to the volunteers

who opened their homes to provide warm and

stimulating hospitality for our international visi-

tors.

Our thanks to the interns who committed

thousands of hours of very hard and very produc-

tive work on projects ranging from helping to

produce Newsletters, updating the website, fol-

lowing up with translation assignments to assist-

ing with the schedules of our international visi-

tors and decorating for Passport.

To Christina Sibouih, Deborah Lake, Cammeo

Medici, Ashlee Stoddard and Stephanie Hingtgen,

the brightest and hardest working staff with

whom I have had the privilege of working, a huge

thanks.

“As we reflect back

over 2009, there are many

events worthy of noting and of

celebrating.”

3

thesis at Harvard on the introduction of hybrid seed corn in the So-

viet Union. She later received a master's in Russian studies and a

doctorate in Russian politics from Oxford University. Liz and Rachel

Garst, granddaughters of Roswell and Elizabeth Garst. Liz was

eight-years-old when Khrushchev visited in 1959. Rachel Garst, the

director of the nonprofit technical assistance organization Creating

Great Places, was the co-chair of the Khrushchev in Iowa 50 year

commemoration. The next speaker was International affairs scholar and Huffing-

ton Post columnist Gordon Goldstein who presented "Cold Warri-

ors: Kennedy and Khrushchev, the Relationship that Defined a Gen-

eration." Goldstein remarked on the two titular personalities who

changed the Cold War, prevented a nuclear war and symbolized

their respective cultures. His presentation coincided with the 50th

anniversary of Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Iowa, and was the third

event of the Pioneer-ICIU series to have ties to the Russian pre-

mier's famous trip.

Goldstein, author of "Lessons of Disaster:

McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Viet-

nam," is the International Security Advisor to

the Strategic Planning Unit of the Executive

Office of the United Nations Secretary-General.

He received his bachelor's, master's and doctor-

ate degrees in political science and international

relations from Columbia University. He is a

member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Goldstein's work has

appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek and The Washington

Post.

The sixth Pioneer-ICIU dialogue featured Peiqin Zhou, an associ-

ate professor and deputy chair in the Department of Sociology in the

School of Social and Behavioral Study at Nan-

jing University in the People’s Republic of

China. She was a visiting Fulbright scholar at

Drake University. She received her doctorate

in mass communication from The University

of Alabama and her master’s degree in jour-

nalism and bachelor’s degree in Chinese linguistics and literature

from Nanjing University. Her research specialties are mass media

and society. She has been published in the Journal of Advertising,

Journal of Communication, China Media Research and Film Art. She has

also published several book chapters on social effects of media and

presented many research papers at international conferences.

Zhou spoke about China’s Internet censorship system and the

Continuing in a long tradition of education, open forums and

international understanding, Pioneer Hi-Bred and ICIU hosted a

series of international dialogues focused on Iowa’s personal and

organizational connections abroad. Here is review of the first nine

presenations.

The series kicked off with Charles Montgom-

ery, a Senior Managing Attorney for Mid-

American Energy who serves as Treasurer of the

U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, focusing on

building international relations through person-to

-person relationships.

Mr. Charles Montgomery offered a presentation and discussion

on his experiences during his trip to Baghdad, meeting the Iraqi

President, Deputy Prime Minister, U.S. Major General and the

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.

Our second speaker was one of our 2009

Passport to Prosperity honorees. Dr. Yogesh

Shah addressed the question “Why Global

Health?” Shah, M.D., is Associate Dean of the

Department of Global Health at Des Moines

University, a position which responds to the

growing interest in international medicine. He

is triple board certified in Family Medicine,

Geriatrics, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He investigated

many challenges of global health, how Iowans are reaching out to

make connections across the world and what Des Moines Univer-

sity is doing to train future health care providers.

The third installment of the monthly presentations was on

theme of “Multiple Russias." Kieran D. Williams discussed the lack

of change in the portrayal of Russia by mainstream media despite

the fact fifty years have passed since Nikita Khrushchev’s famous

visit to Iowa. Williams is a political science

lecturer at Drake University. In discussing

the notion of "Multiple Russias" she investi-

gated the mainstream media perceptions of

Russia and the more subtle internal politics.

Before arriving at Drake, Williams taught at

the School of Slavonic and East European

Studies at University College London, the

largest in the U.K. for the study of central, eastern and southeast-

ern Europe and Russia.

With the focus on Russia continuing, the Dialogue series

hosted a panel to relate personal insights and historical perspec-

tives that illustrated Iowa's proud tradition of internationalism.

The panel discussed Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev's historic

1959 visit to Iowa, and featured:

Harry Bookey, a Des Moines real estate developer and owner of

BH Equities who was present during Khrushchev's visit to the

Bookey meat processing plant. Laura Belin, who wrote her senior

Pioneer-ICIU Int’l Dialogue Series Engages Des Moines Professionals

the uncertainty the future

holds for the country be-

cause of a regime that has

turned to force and crimi-

nality. Bassey earned his

Doctor of Philosophy in

International Relations

and Strategic Studies in 1984. He is cur-

rently a Senior Research Fellow at the

Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

and a Visiting Lecturer at the National

Defense College in Abuja, Nigeria, and

National Institute for Policy and Strategic

Studies, Kuru, Jos. Along with presenting

papers at over 70 conferences, Bassey is

also a noted author. He published three

widely-used text books in his discipline

and edited four other books. Similarly, he

has also authored several dozen journal

articles.

ICIU is looking forward to the restart

of the series with Phil Latessa—an Iowan

who has dedicated much of his life to help-

ing others. In the past three years he has

developed and managed a President's

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

(PEFAR)project on palliative care in Tan-

zania. Latessa will speak February 2, at

noon at the Downtown Library.

International Dialogue Review Continued

4

Green Dam Youth Escort, which is por-

nography-filtering software aimed at

youth and mandated to be installed on all

computers sold in China. It’s a revealing

case of how society is working to change

the government, though the process is

slow and unpredictable.

The October dialogue featured Darcie

Vandegrift who had recently returned

from a Fulbright Fellow year in Vene-

zuela. In Venezuela she completed a re-

search project to examine how young

adults view politics and society in their

country. Through interviews across the

social stratum, observations in traditional

and populist universities, and media analy-

sis, she investigated the

diverse citizen views to-

wards the current gov-

ernment. Vandegrift is

currently working on

two book projects, one

comparing young adults'

global perspectives in

three countries and an-

other comparing world views of pro- and

anti-Chavez Venezuelans. She is an Asso-

ciate Professor of Sociology in the Depart-

ment for the Study of Culture and Society

at Drake University.

The eighth installment featured Drake

University Professor Mark Kende who

discussed South Africa’s Constitutional

Rights in Post-Apartheid South Africa.

Kende served as visiting professor of law

at the University

of Stellenbosch in

South Africa.

Through a Ful-

bright grant

Kende researched the constitutional courts

application of the new bill of rights. He

was not only able to observe the social

change of the new constitution, but also

interacted with lawyers, judges and activ-

ists to obtain their thoughts and ideas of

the changes.

In the last Pioneer-ICIU dialogue of

the year, Professor Celestine Bassey,

spoke about the instability of Nigeria and

Upcoming Events

New ICIU website

to launch in February 2009

Pioneer-ICIU International

Dialogue Series

Noon on the first Tuesday of every month

ICIU is the Outstanding Non-Profit Organiza-

tion of 2009 awarded by the Iowa Chinese

Achievement Awards Ceremony

February 13, 2010

Iowa Student Global Leadership Conference

February 2010

The ICIU Staff

Dr. Judith Conlin Executive Director

Christina M. Sibouih Senior Program Manager: Finance, Grants & Marketing

Stephanie Hingtgen International Language & Intern Manager

Ashlee Stoddard International Programs Manager & Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteers Office

Sheila Dietz

Iowa Student Global Lead-

ership Conference

Bill Friedow

Curtis Stutzman

Kelly Chamberlain

Dennis Trollope

Michael Blair

Verla Pecha

Carol Brown

Richard Murphy

Public Relations

Asian alliance table

International Visitors

Geraldine Fridlington

Mr. Kevin Stiles Gary Guthrie

The following individuals and organizations made financial or in-kind contributions to ICIU in 2009.

Donors & Contributors

Teresa Opheim

Hannah Lewis

Greg Hauenstein

Eric Johansen

Diane Hicks

Dr. Vicky Poole

Dhrooti Vyas

Harold and Carol Hill

Jack Beeson

Chris Mudge

Eric Woolson

Elizabeth Williams

Mike Newell

Gordon Wassenaar

Chris Hartline

Stephanie Hingtgen

Lincolnway Energy, LLC

Marty Schwager

Dave Miller

Pete McRoberts Erin Lane

Preston Daniels

Susan Judkins Josten

Bob Josten

Dave Klinkenborg

Angela Connolly

Sue Chapman

Kathy Leggett

John Hall

Secretary of Agriculture Bill

Northey

Deputy Secretary of Agricul-

ture Karey Claghorn

John Wilken

Bob Mulqueen

Bruce Greiner

Greg Watkins

Mayor Gene Beach

Ken Anderson

Cindy Kendall

Michelle Spohnheimer Dr. Marvin Wade,

Superintendent of Schools

Ken Black

Roger Nowadzky

Gary Oldenburger

Dr. Jeffrey Wolt

Dr. Gary Munkvold

Ms. Adelaida Harries

Ellen Brooks

Steve Brody

Mark Hersh

Dean Riis

Jon Doidge

Renee Bell

Jule Reynolds

Amy Desenberg-Wines

John TenPas

Sylvia Piper

Mary Doidge

Bob Jeppesen

Frank Strong

Dee Howard

Kenda Jochimsen

Ambassador

Business Record

Pioneer Hi-Bred

John Deere Credit

John Deere Des Moines Operations

Bankers Trust

National Council for Int’l Visitors

World Learning

Attaché

Community CPA & Associates

Compressor Controls

Davis Brown Law Firm

E. Charles Brice

Elizabeth Garst

Eurofins

Fred & Charlotte Hubbell Foundation

Greater Des Moines Community Foundation

Conlin Trust Foundation

Hy-Line International

Jim Mackay

John & Patsy Shors

Judy Winkelpleck

Kemin Industries

Lori T. & John T. Chesser

Lynn Walz

Michael & Evie Barnes/CeCe & Tori/

TransIowa

NCMIC Group

Prairie Meadows

Principal International

Real Optics Vogue Vision

Roxanne Conlin

Steve Saxton

Stine Family Foundation

Ted Townsend Vision

Tefford A. Lodden & Judith L. Lodden

West Bancorporation

West Bank

Diplomat

Barry & Michele Griswell

Bernard Leman, M.D.

Bill & Susan Knapp

Dennis & Sheila Dietz

Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical

Center

Diocese of Des Moines

Greater Des Moines Partnership

Mercy Medical Center Faculty

Meredith Corporation

RBC Wealth Management

Ralf and Daniela Fassbender

Steve & Kathy Zumbach

Tero International

Wells Fargo

World Food Prize

Delegate

QCI

Barb and G. David Hurd

Catholic Charities

Chinese Association of Iowa

David Skidmore

Don Lambert

Judith Conlin

Michael Rice

Robert & Eleanor Zeff

State Savings Bank

Tim Worlf

Veronica Stalker

Professionals

Alec & Rebecca Zama

Alfonso Diaz & Maria Lazzarino

Ann Schodde

Carol Brown

Chester Guinn

Chris A. Smith

Christine Mary & Charles H Korte

Cyndi Chen

Larry & Cynthia Eisenhauer

Dean & Susie Moews

Dennis Kelly

Doug and Jan Smith

Dr. Eden Murad

Dr. Pramd Mahajan

Dr. Saima Zafar

Dr. Teresa Aoki

Drs. Andrea and Daniel McGuire

Emiliano Lerda

Eric Idehen

Fred Lorber

Greg Johansen

John & Roberta Wattleworth

Laurence and Karen Hutzell

Lloyd and Carmen Le Page

Magdy and Nagwa Salama

Maria S Varisco-Santini

Monte Thompson,Thompson Productions

Nancy Hewitt

Norman & Doris Knight

Ou Meksay

Penny Furgerson

Philip & Lanora Krenc

Primary Health Care

R. Loren Ptsai

Raccoon Valley Bank

Rachel Garst

Rajendra & Kay Sinha

Rich Eychaner

Richard and Sachiko Murphy

Rita C & Chandramohan P Batra

Roy May

Sheldon and Roselind Rabinowitz

Sol Varisco-Santini

Sondra Holmstrom

Stephanie Hingtgen

Tom & Deborah Davidson

Vladimir and Nancy Sambaiew

Yogesh & Deval Shah

Winifred M. Kelley

5

6

A Farwell to Cammeo Medici

The reception room overflowed with in-

terpreters, translators and colleagues with

whom Cammeo Medici had worked as the

Manager of the International Language

Programs. In saying goodbye to Cammeo

and thanking her for her outstanding

work with the interpretation and transla-

tion services of ICIU, one after another

praised her outstanding work.

Cammeo is responding to a calling to

go into service as a volunteer through the

United Methodist Church Global Minis-

tries Individual Volunteer Program. Ea-

ger to be of service in health related areas

and to brush up on her Spanish skills,

Cammeo is in Peru and will be helping in

that country through next July. In re-

sponse to the question, “Why would you

decide on a volunteer position when you

have a paid position with benefits and the

economy is so bad?” Cammeo shared:

“What better time in my life to seize this

opportunity. I don’t have a car payment

or a mortgage, a husband or children.

When else can I do this?” We wish the

adventurous and magnanimous spirit of

this uncommonly bright and wonderful

young woman the best.

In her short tenure of just 15 months

with ICIU Cammeo accomplished an ex-

traordinary amount. She managed to in-

crease ICIU’s number of languages from

approximately 35 to 49. She increased the

customer base by promoting ICIU’s value

added services, ultimately increasing fee

for service receivables by 40%. She coor-

dinated ICIU’s first ever Interpreter and

Translator training workshops. During

the summer and fall of 2008 over 30 of our

primary interpreters were trained in one

of the two-day training workshops. In the

Spring of 2009 she coordinated the first

ever Client Education Workshop, with

over 30 clients from our local courts, hos-

pitals, schools and businesses receiving

education on the best practices for work-

ing with interpreters and translators.

Also in the Spring of 2009 Cammeo coor-

dinated with the Greater Des Moines

Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to host

the first ever Bilingual Tour Guide Train-

ing Workshop where 15 interpreters with

10 different languages were trained on

how to be a tour guide for the city of Des

Moines.

The training workshops have elevated

the professional status of ICIU’s interpret-

ers and translators. As one of the transla-

tors commented, “You can tell an ICIU

interpreter: they are more professional.”

Each interpreter has his/her business

cards and name tag. The courts, hospitals,

health clinics, social service agencies and

businesses have come to see ICIU as a

highly professional, highly reliable service.

We wish this remarkable young

woman all of the best in her quest to be of

help to people all over the world.

You CAN make a difference in international understanding!

Our work truly depends on the contributions of individuals like you. Become a part of ICIU and help us to foster the connections that change lives!

Educational Programs Interpretation Services International Visitors Iowa Global Connect

I would like to contribute $____________ to support the Iowa Council for International Understanding NOW.

TTHANKSHANKS FORFOR YOURYOUR GIFTGIFT!!

Detach this slip with your check payable to: Iowa Council for International Understanding

929 Third Street, Suite 203 Des Moines, Iowa 50309

OR visit our Web site: www.iciu.org

I would like to think about helping the Iowa Council for International Understanding in the FUTURE:

I have already put the Iowa Council for International Understanding in my will.

I would like more information about putting the Iowa Council for International Understanding in my will.

Become a Friend of ICIU!

Want to learn more about or become involved with ICIU?

Would you like to keep up on ICIU programs and activities? ICIU offers many different ways for Iowans to get involved and ICIU needs you!

7

Special Events/Public Relations

Promotion/Outreach/Media

Event planning

Developing marketing materials

Taking international visitors to social and/or community events

Driving international visitors to/from professional appointments Cultural

Hosting international visitors in your home overnight

Hosting international visitors in your home for a meal

Education

Working with youth High School programs

Serving as a speaker or facilitator

Administrative/Services

Word processing

Scheduling appointments

Interpreting for emergency situations Professional Exchanges

Offer an internship in my place of business

Meet with international visitors to share professional knowledge/expertise

Don’t forget to sign-up on our email list to receive regular updates! For more information visit www.iciu.org.

ICIU Welcomes Stephanie Hingtgen

We welcome Stephanie Hingtgen as the

International Language Programs and Intern

Manager, succeeding Cammeo Medici.

Stephanie is a graduate of the University of

Iowa, with a BA in Spanish. She holds a cer-

tificate in International Business, also from the

University of Iowa. She studied abroad as an

international student exchange program in

Cordoba, Argentina and with the Iowa Re-

gents Hispanic Institute in Valladolid, Spain.

Stephanie spent six years with Principal Fi-

nancial Group. She spent almost two full

weeks training with Cammeo and officially

began her position with ICIU on November

30, 2009.

Stephanie stepped directly into managing

the third two-day training workshop for our

interpreters and translators, held on Friday

and Saturday, December 4 and 5. It was

again a well-attended and exceedingly helpful

training. The evaluations were excellent.

We appreciate Stephanie’s commitment to

ICIU and her willingness to put in the long

hours it takes to manage a growing interpre-

tation and translation service.

International Visitors Program In 2009, the ICIU hosted 95 visitors from approximately 35 countries. Here are some highlights.

Veterinarians from Tajikistan visiting through the ICIU’s Community Connec-tions program.

EU Foreign Policy visitors who were participating in the International Leader-ship program.

2010 Board of Directors

8

PRESIDENT

Dennis Dietz Retired Attorney

E. Charles Brice Senior Vice President Kemin Industries

Jim Mackay Director of Investment Banking De Waay Capital Management

VICE PRESIDENT

Lloyd Le Page

Manager,

Sustainable Agriculture &

Development

Pioneer Hi-Bred International

Lori Chesser

Attorney

Davis Brown Law Firm

Pete McRoberts Deputy Press Secretary Office of Governor Chet Culver

TREASURER

Lynn Walz

Retired CPA

Ralf Fassbender Vice President of Finance EuroFins

Surasee Rodari Vice President Bankers Trust

VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE

Ambassador Mary

Kramer

President

Kramer & Associates

Valentina Fominykh Community Volunteer

Steven L. Saxton President JMS KYOSHIN

VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE Phil Krenc Vice President, Information Technology MidAmerican Energy, Co.

Eric Idehen

Vice President, Diversity Consultant Wells Fargo International

David Skidmore Professor/Center Director Drake University/ Center for Global Citizenship

PAST PRESIDENT

Judy Winkelpleck, Ph.D.

Susan Judkins Josten Intergovernmental Affairs Director Rebuild Iowa Office

Veronica Waterman Stalker Retired Superintendent Waukee Schools

Senator Daryl Beall State Senator District 25

Don Lambert President MENA Consulting, LLC.

Michael L. Tramontina