By Courtney Wade, Development Coordinator, Global Ties U.S.
For the fourth year in a row, I have had the privilege of managing the Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leaders Program, a year-long professional development opportunity for talented young interns and volunteers from across the nationwide Global Ties Network. The program includes a visit to Washington, DC to participate in the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting, the premier annual event for international exchange professionals and supporters. This year’s National Meeting, February 17 – 20, was special, as we celebrated both America’s semi quincentennial with our theme, America at 250, and the 15th anniversary of the Emerging Leaders Program.
Our 2026 Emerging Leaders cohort gathered nine rising public diplomacy professionals, representing every region of the United States, for a week of enriching professional development activities. As with past years, we provided the cohort with matching Emerging Leaders branded jackets, business cards to help them network, and special name badge ribbons to distinguish them from our 450+ National Meeting attendees.
The 2026 Emerging Leaders wear their custom fleece jackets on the main stage. Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar.
Starting on Tuesday, the Emerging Leaders joined their nominating community-based organizations on Capitol Hill for pre-conference Advocacy Day activities. Representing the future of public diplomacy, this was a valuable opportunity for them to highlight the positive impacts international exchange programs have on their local communities across the country. That evening, they joined Network leaders for a special reception to kick off the big week ahead.
For their first full day of the National Meeting, three members of the cohort took the main stage to present the first of several Global Ties Network Honors, recognizing outstanding members of our community for excellence in implementing the International Visitor Leadership Program IVLP). After joining attendees for a round of breakout sessions, the Emerging Leaders enjoyed a Lunch & Learn with program founders and leaders. The evening was capped with attendance at a reception hosted by the Embassy of Kuwait, featuring words from an IVLP alumni as he reflected on his time as an IVLP participant.
The 2026 Emerging Leaders and program supporters stand in front of the Tree of Generations at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. Photo by Courtney Wade.
On Thursday, the group enjoyed a morning away from the conference with a guided tour of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. Celebrating 250 years of cultural and technological advancement, the exhibits and tour allowed the Emerging Leaders to both reflect on America’s past and envision how they will contribute to its future. After returning to the National Meeting for afternoon lunch and plenary activities, they were in the spotlight for our 2nd annual Emerging Leaders Celebration. A quick round of introductions and summary of their service projects from the main stage was followed by time for attendees to approach the Emerging Leaders at small tables for about a half hour of speed networking before being tested with an interactive quiz. Though competition was fierce, we ultimately crowned three winners who each received certificates, some branded swag, and a photo with our 2026 Emerging Leaders – on top of bragging rights for knowing the most about this year’s cohort.
Onstage at the Emerging Leaders Celebration, the cohort introduces themselves to the crowd. Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar.
The Emerging Leaders closed out the 2026 National Meeting with the rest of the attendees at the Closing Plenary, which looked ahead to the celebration of America at 250 on July 4, 2026 and to the 2027 National Meeting. While the 2026 Emerging Leaders cohort will conclude this summer, we look forward to working with them as future mentors and leaders so that we can continue this program for another 15 years and beyond. Since 2011, the Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leaders Program has helped launch the careers of more than 250 young professionals from across the United States, many of whom still work within the field, including as executive directors and programmers within the Global Ties Network, within all branches of the U.S. Government, and other related public and private sector positions focused on strengthening and advancing U.S. public diplomacy leadership.
The Emerging Leaders Program is only possible with the support of our donors. Whether you contributed $5 or $5,000, we thank you. If you wish to contribute to this program and help invest in the future of American diplomacy, you can visit our donation page.