Fall Mentors

Upcoming Fall mentors for our Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) fellows:

Arkansas Rehab Services Darlene Owens will be the Fellowship Host for our YSEALI fellow from Laos. 

Venture Center's Josh Nguyen, Digital Content Marketing Manager will be the Fellowship Host for our YSEALI fellow from Vietnam

Children International's Talethe Collins will be the Fellowship Host for our YTILI fellow from Kosovo.

Another Venture Center host, Katy Simmons,  Entrepreneurship Program Manager, will be the Fellowship Host for our YTILI fellow from Turkiye.

Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau's Ryan Williams, Community Engagement Specialist,  will be the Fellowship Host for our YTILI fellow from Ukraine.

Our Friend, Mimi San Pedro, Retires

One of our prime mentors for the fellows from the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative and Professional Fellows Programs has announced her retirement. We are grateful for the service she has given to our organization and hope this doesn't mean the end of her involvement with Global Ties Arkansas.

Mimi San Pedro to Retire as Chief Strategy Officer of The Venture Center - The Venture Center---Find more information here!

We are happy and sad to say that Mimi San Pedro has retired from her duties as Chief Strategy Officer of the Venture Center after five and a half years of service with the organization. Mimi is a strong supporter of Global Ties Arkansas, having served as a mentor for several of our Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative fellows. In addition to speaking to several of our international professionals, she was the beneficiary of a reciprocal exchange to Vietnam to help facilitate a two-week project there. We will miss her at the Venture Center, but know that she will continue to be a valuable asset to wherever her career path next takes her.

Ms. Zeliha Çürüksulu, our recent Professional Fellows Program participant from Turkiye was fortunate enough to be placed at the Venture Center while Mimi was still there. Here is a recent exchange that was posted on the Venture Center's Facebook page:

Mimi San Pedro

We love Zeliha Çürüksulu! Thank you Global Ties Arkansas for picking us at The Venture Center to be her mentor! What a wonderful young up and coming leader! Zeliha, you have a life long friend in all of us! We will watch you from afar and will be proud of what you have and will accomplish.

• Reply

Zeliha Çürüksulu

Thank you so much Mimi San Pedro! I feel very lucky to have worked with you. The Venture Center has always been very supportive towards me. It’s been a wonderful month for me. I’ll miss you!

America's Global Leadership: What's It Worth to Arkansas?

On August 28, 2024, staff members of Global Ties Arkansas had the opportunity to attend a luncheon at Little Rock's renowned Capital Hotel, hosted by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. The event focused on an interactive discussion exploring how global challenges and opportunities directly impact Arkansas, from international stability to local prosperity.

Rush Deacon, a Global Ties Arkansas board member, had the honor of introducing Congressman French Hill, who was a key member of the discussion panel. Congressman Hill and other panelists shared insights into how America's global leadership benefits Arkansas, emphasizing the role international engagement plays in fostering economic growth and security for the state.

To see more of this impactful conversation, you can watch the full video here, courtesy of Congressman French Hill’s website.