It is an honor to showcase our university to a variety of distinguished UN ambassadors, consuls general, heads of state, and representatives from international institutions. These targeted efforts have served to increase UVU’s visibility in both the local and international communities. We remain focused on helping UVU students become globally competent graduates and members of society. We are committed to creating opportunities for engaged learning, cultural literacy, and regional economic development through our hosting and global event efforts. Older events can be found here.
The Case for Multilateralism and Why Achieving the SDGs is a Collective Responsibility!
Hungary and the Geopolitical Importance of Central Europe: What's in it for the United States?
Current Political & Economic Situation in South America
Jeff has worked for four United Nations entities, including the DPI’s Advocacy and Special Events Section. He was also part of the World Bank Group in the United States, Albania and Côte d’Ivoire. Prior to joining the UN, he spent a decade working in television production, both in front of and behind the camera.
Consul General Aghayev also serves as the Dean of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, which is the world’s second largest consular corps representing 105 nations
Tajikistan and the Sustainable Development Goals
Ms. Ana Martinez gave a lecture to UVU students on the topic of "Luigi Boccherini: Composer, Pedagogue and Musician | Truths and Legends."
Skateboarding Diplomacy-What You Can Do for Your Country
In this lecture, Neftalie discussed how his love of skateboarding culture manifested
into a call to action to develop the concept of ‘skate diplomacy’ as a way to engage
skateboarding, academia and cultural institutions globally.
Ms. Hawa Diallo shared experiences from her time working for the United Nations and focused her remarks on "Empowering Youth Through Global Advocacy."
March 12, we welcomed Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, consuls general from 12 countries and international business leaders from throughout the Wasatch Front to UVU. The Office for Global Engagement hosted the inaugural event which brought together diplomats, corporate leaders and students in this unique networking environment.
This conference served as a powerful forum to exchange ideas, to network and to collaborate with entities in the state of Utah, both economic and academic. It offered breakout sessions where individual countries were featured and conference participants were able to interact with trade representatives directly.
UN Ambassador, Mr. Milos Vukasinovic, gave a presentation focused on Bosni and Herzegovina's important roll at the United Nations.
Mr. Sedelmayer, author of "Welcome to Putingrad" gave a lecture to UVU students about his unique experience in Russia and his opinion on current US-Russia relations.
Amb. Bakhtiyor Ibragimov gave a lecture to UVU students on foreign policy priorities of the new government of Uzbekistan. Afterwards, UVU Foreign Affairs Club and International Mountian Forum discussed collaborative projects with Ambassador Ibragimov.
Mr. Adonis Georgiadis gave a lecture to UVU students addressing the current political climate in Greece. He and Mrs. Eugenia Mandolides received Guest Professor awards from UVU's Senior Vice President, Jeff Olson. After visiting UVU, Dee Mower and Jim Williams hosted our Greek guests at their ranch in Hobble Creek Canyon.
Dr. Efrem Sadak, Vice President of the University of Salamanca, Spain. He will be speaking about The Challenges of the European Higher Education System.
H.E. Elsie Ngowo Effange-Mbella, Minister Plenipotentiary of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon. Leadership in Time of Crisis.
Dr. Jorge Luis Castro
"
"Insights into Japanese Journalism: 140 Years of History in The Yomiuri Shimbun" (The world's largest newspaper in circulation.)
Ms. Eileen Malloy
"Uzbekistan: Past, Present, and Future"
We were especially honored to have Ambassador Macharia Kamau speak at UVU. His presentation was focused on the Sustainable Development Goals and "United Nations Post 2030 Development Agenda". He serves on the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and was eager to share his insights. During his visit to Utah he met with Lt. Governor Spencer Cox and representatives for the Governor's Office for Economic Development.
Consul General Grundwerg's presentation, "Current Israeli - US Relations", was an extension of our annual Global Spotlight on Israel. As the newly appointed consul general, Mr. Grundwerg also met with local government and religious leaders. He was accompanied on his visit by his political consul, Yaki Lopez.
Ambassador Ho Xuan Son
H.E. Harold Braun
Diplomatic Conference
Ambassador Kaha Imnadze
Ms. Katalin Bogyay
Ambassadors from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the USA
Trade delegation from the Kingdom of Spain hosted by Honorary Consul of Spain in Utah, Baldomero Lago.
Ugandan Minister visit to UVU and meeting with President Matt Holland
Senator Curtis Bramble
Curtis S. Bramble, CPA, is a member of the Utah State Senate and previously served as the Senate Majority Leader. After beginning his college career at the University of Notre Dame, he earned his Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University. He founded Bramble & Company CPA’s in 1986, and in 2001, after being elected to the Utah Senate, merged with Gilbert & Stewart CPA’s in Provo.Senator Bramble currently serves as the International Relations & Trade Committee Chairman of the Utah Senate Legislature.
(Due to commitments on the Senate floor, Senator Bramble was able to join the conversation 11:19 minutes into the Global Dialogue session.)
Anne Lair
Anne was recognized by the State Department as an Honorary Consul to France on April 27, 2017. She is a native from France and moved to the US when she was 21 years old. She earned a PhD in 19th-century French culture and literature from the Ohio State University (2003), has published articles and a book on symbolism of food, and co-authored beginning and intermediate textbooks in French. She has received several state and national awards for her teaching and work with teachers of French and has been recently recognized as a Knight in the Order of the Academic Palms, a French distinction for her dedication to French culture. She is well involved in the French community and served for three years as President of the Alliance Française in Utah. She currently teaches French at the University of Utah, where she also directs the French Basic Language Program, as well as the Dual Immersion French Bridge Program (10-12 grades). Prior to coming to Utah, she was an Associate Professor of French in Iowa.
Felecia Maxfield-Barrett
Felecia, a native of Utah, joins the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy with extensive experience in government and nonprofit administration. Her prior work history includes the Department of Workforce Services Refugee Services Office, Utah Refugee Coalition, and Wasatch Community Gardens. She has a B.A in Anthropology and a Masters in Public Administration both from the University of Utah. Felecia has extensive experience in oral history and storytelling, and she believes through capturing stories, we create a sense of self, how we orient the world, how we organize and pass knowledge on to others, and create shared humanity. Felecia is passionate about all varieties of music, spends her free time gardening, and adventuring in Moab, Utah.
Íñigo Arbiol Oñate
Iñigo Arbiol is the Director of International Relations at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain. He has a degree in Modern and Contemporary History, a Master's in International Humanitarian Action (NOHA) and a PhD from the University of Deusto, with a thesis on United States foreign policy in the post-cold war period. His teaching activity focuses on the degree in International Relations and Double Degree in International Relations and Law. For years he worked at the United Nations and at research enters for peace. In terms of his research and outreach work, in recent years he has been working on transatlantic security and defense issues and deepening his specialization in US politics.
Karl Bowman
Karl graduated with a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish. He went on to earn a Master of Education with a major in Educational Administration from the University of Utah and. Karl spent his early career as a teacher of 3rd and 5th grade students both in English and Spanish Immersion and taught technology/computers to 1st through 6th grade students as well. He spent 26 of his 35 years in educational administration and leadership roles in both elementary schools and at the district level; including time as the principal at six different elementary schools.
Karl is currently the Education Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education over World Languages and Dual Language Immersion and has been for the past 3 1/2 years. He is a champion of new and innovative educational models; including the Extended Day model and the development and implementation of Alpine School District's Spanish immersion programs for elementary schools across Utah Valley. Karl is the recipient of various professional awards including the José M Rubio Lifetime Achievement Award from Utah Valley University, the District Distinguished Principal from the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals, the Outstanding School Administrator from the State of Utah PTA, the District Distinguished Principal from the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals and the Innovator of the Year from the Alpine Elementary Principals Association.
Christina "CJ" Hernandez
CJ, a Utah native and a recently retired Foreign Service Officer, specializes in operational/management services, human rights, and consular programs. She has served in Los Angeles, California, Merida, Mexico, Washington D.C., Budapest, Hungary, and Mexico City, Mexico. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, CJ managed major acquisitions and public/private partnerships for the U.S. Air Force at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and at the Defense Logistics Agency in Germany and Italy.CJ holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Utah State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Weber State University.
Jonathon Tichy
Mr. Tichy was accredited by the State Department as the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Salt Lake City on March 30, 2009. He is currently the president of Envoy Legal & Consulting International, a firm that specializes in international legal and governmental relations strategies, where he advises international businesses, non-profit organizations, churches, and governmental agencies. He also serves as a special international legal and governmental relations advisor to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the course of his professional duties he has personally met with hundreds of foreign government leaders and over two dozen presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers. He is certified native/near-native fluent in both the Czech and Slovak languages and has basic fluency in the Hawaiian language.
He spent over seven years living and working abroad in significant business, legal, academic, and governmental capacities. In the late 1990s he received a special diplomatic appointment by President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to work at the U.S. Embassy in Prague. For his work there, he was awarded the State Department’s prestigious Meritorious Honor Medal. Mr. Tichy also served as the senior Staff Aide (chief of staff) to an Assistant Secretary of State and ambassador, and was a Fascell Fellow at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in Washington, D.C. In 2011, he received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Brigham Young University. He served for several years as executive vice-president of the board of the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, and is currently on the boards of the Salt Lake Film Society, the Wallace Toronto Foundation, and the Czech & Slovak School of Utah.
Franz Kolb
Franz Kolb was recognized by the State Department as an Honorary Consul to Austria on June 14, 2002. He is the Regional Director for International Trade and Diplomacy responsible for Europe, India, Middle East and Africa in the State of Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. His previous experience includes: President of the Kolb Group, an international business consulting company specializing in international business development, Deputy Director for the State of Utah’s International Business Development Office, Director of International Services of Ernst & Young, and President of an international business consulting firm which specialized in the high-tech industry. Mr. Kolb was educated in Austria and the United States. He received an Associate, Bachelor, and Master’s degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Mr. Kolb has been appointed by the United States Secretary of Commerce to the Utah District Export Council.
Scott Sprenger
Dr. Scott Sprenger began his tenure as President of The American University of Rome on 1 July, 2020. He came to the post after serving as Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah and formerly was Provost of The American University of Paris as well as associate dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University (BYU).
Dr. Sprenger has a vast experience with foreign language programming and with connecting the liberal arts to global career opportunities. His administrative work as both provost and dean has covered a broad range of areas, such as strategic planning, institutional budgeting, faculty hiring and promotions, curriculum development and oversight, international programs, college and university advising, the creation and oversight of research centers, grant writing and fundraising. At AUP, he secured Andrew W. Mellon institutional grants to improve first-year programs and to open a Civic Media Lab and a Center for Critical Democracy Studies. With private funding, he founded a Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention.
Dr. Sprenger's graduate degrees in French Studies are from Johns Hopkins University and Emory. In 2009, he was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar award in Brussels/Paris. He did post-doc work at UCLA from 1999 to 2001.
David Utrilla
David Utrilla started his college education in Peru where he studied economics and international business. He continued his education in Utah at Weber State University studying Business Management and International Business. While he was still in school, David founded U.S. Translation Company which provides translation and interpretation services in order to help organizations break the communication barrier. In addition to his role as CEO of U.S. Translation, he also serves as the current President of the World Trade Association, the oldest trade organization in Utah. In this role, he helps Utah companies to expand their businesses into foreign markets by providing useful knowledge and facilitating key introductions. The third hat that David wears is to serve as the Honorary Consul for Peru in the State of Utah. He feels very comfortable in his role and has the opportunity to serve approximately 40,000 Peruvians living in the State of Utah today. As a result of this large population, David has been given the same power and responsibilities as a Consul General. Those responsibilities include the right to issue identification documents, dual citizenship, emergency travel documents, initiate business deals, and serve as a power of attorney. In addition to all of the above-mentioned roles, David also finds the time to serve on several boards including the Weber State University President’s National Advisory Council, Weber State University’s School of Business and Economics, Utah Symphony and Opera, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy. He also is a language industry expert who speaks at conferences and events around the globe.
Felipe Queipo
Mr. Felipe Queipo began his United Nations career at the NGO Relations & Advocacy Section of the Department of Public Information (DPI) in 2008. He currently serves as the Communications Officer responsible for outreach, engagement and global communications with civil society within the Department of Global Communications (DGC). Felipe is a member of the United Nations Speakers Bureau, and travels extensively invited to speak at conferences, forums and academic institutions on civil society and public diplomacy, the role of youth in the international arena, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, among other subjects. His presentations are dynamic and participatory, and he is often invited to address young audiences given his capacity building approach to youth empowerment and engagement. He has given presentations at conferences in Australia, England, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia and Thailand among others. He is also the focal point for faith-based organizations within DGC. In this capacity, he leads the team that organizes the "Focus on Faith" briefings within the Department, an initiative that studies the links between faith traditions and religious organizations, and the work and mission of the United Nations. Before Graduating from Brigham Young University Idaho, where he studied Political Science, Felipe studied Theology and Biology in Spain, emphasizing his training on Political and Social Theology.
Ryan Koch
Beginning in 2014, Ryan Koch has overseen the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' outreach to the diplomatic communities in New York and at the United Nations, including representing LDS Charities, the Church’s humanitarian arm. Ryan is also responsible for liaising with religious umbrella organizations in New York. Prior to his work for the Church, Ryan spent 11 years as a Public Diplomacy Officer for the U.S. State Department. During this time he served abroad at the U.S. Embassies in Manila, Philippines; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Stockholm, Sweden.
Senator Curtis Bramble
Curtis S. Bramble, CPA, is a member of the Utah State Senate and previously served as the Senate Majority Leader. After beginning his college career at the University of Notre Dame, he earned his Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University. He founded Bramble & Company CPA’s in 1986, and in 2001, after being elected to the Utah Senate, merged with Gilbert & Stewart CPA’s in Provo. Senator Bramble currently serves as the International Relations & Trade Committee Chairman of the Utah Senate Legislature.
Mark Charlton
Mark is the Associate Director of Public Engagement and Directorate of Social Impact and Engagement at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. His interests are in community engagement, public engagement through research, universities as a public good, policies on tackling social exclusion through education and social mobility. He is currently manager of the award-winning DMU Square Mile programme that seeks to connect the university with the community demonstrate the university as a public good. Mark's research examines policies that encourage public good in Higher Education and investigates university strategies for tackling social exclusion in local communities.
Samira Harnish
Samira Harnish is the Founder and Executive Director of Women of the World (WoW). Women of the World is a women refugee, asylum seeker, and immigrant service and capacity building nonprofit that has been in operation in Salt Lake City since 2010.After getting her degree in Civil Engineering, she worked for 17 years as an R&D engineer at the largest domestic manufacturer of semiconductor memory.
Samira has received local, national, and international recognition for her service
leadership including: The Enlightened 50 Award from the Utah Community Foundation,
the 2014 Salt Lake City Human Rights Award, the 2016 Ruby Award from the Soroptomists of Utah, and the 2017 Emerald Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement. In 2018,
she was awarded the America’s Region Nansen Award from the United Nations High Commission
on Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, she was chosen from over 450 international nominees.
In April 2019 she was awarded the 2019 American Red Cross Hero for her extraordinary
Heroic act of Global Citizenship.
