Cynthia Bunton has led International Student House of Washington DC (ISH-DC) for the past three years as President of our Board of Directors. During her tenure, the House has seen a time of significant growth and exciting change.
Cynthia, a retired United States Foreign Service Officer with over 30 years of executive leadership experience in international operations and strategic management, began her time as President by recognizing the value of building and maintaining a strong community with our Board of Directors, resident scholars, alumni, and advocates. Under her leadership, ISH-DC has expanded relationships with foreign embassies and enhanced outreach to Members of Congress and other US government officials. A number of foreign Ambassadors have either spoken at the House or invite our students to join them at their embassies for receptions and discussions. Under her guidance, a number of Board members have engaged in supporting residents with career advice by participating in networking events and round tables, as well as hosting residents during holidays and other informal opportunities. As a result, we have created an even more diverse and global community of resident scholars at the House and our scholars have benefited from the many various opportunities offered while a part of the ISH-DC family.
Diversifying and strengthening our Board of Directors has also been a significant achievement of Cynthia’s tenure. Under her leadership, our Governance Committee has engaged in a by-laws revision process, as well as engaged with and secured 15 new prominent members of our Board. Cynthia has been a steadfast leader throughout her time in office and her accomplishments will be felt for years to come.
Cynthia, who also happens to be an alumna of the House, has left an indelible mark upon our organization. The Board of Directors, resident scholars, and staff thank her for her leadership, vision, and drive over the past three years and look forward to her continued involvement with International Student House.
ISH-DC Board President Cynthia Bunton, Marcelle Leahy, Senator Patrick Leahy, ISH-DC resident scholars Varsha Thebo from Pakistan and Jan Langle from Germany
Senator Susan Collins accepting the 2018 Global Leadership Award from ISH-DC resident scholar Varsha Thebo from Pakistan
Jan Smith, Ambassador Sylvie Lucas of Luxembourg, Debbie Driesman
Congressman Mark Meadows, Lubka Stoytchev, Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev of Bulgaria
Awards Dinner co-Chair Didi Cutler, ISH-DC Board President Cynthia Bunton, Ambassador Geir Haarde of Iceland, Inga Jona Thordardottir
Awards Dinner co-Chair Didi Cutler, Senator Ed Markey, Ambassador Emily Haber of Germany
Shaista Mahmood, Ambassador Rafat Mahmood, ISH London CEO Martin Chalker, ISH-DC Board Member Lisa Barry
Eileen Shields-West, Robin West, Senator Susan Collins, Jane Cafritz, Cynthia Bunton, Lisa Barry
Mr. Islam was introduced by resident scholar Ashish Kakar from Mumbai, who is here in DC studying at Johns Hopkins University. ISH-DC Board members also attended the evening, and enjoyed dinner and lively discussion following Mr. Islam’s address.
We are grateful to Mr. Islam for joining us at the House and engaging with our resident scholars from around the world. We firmly believe that our young international students are our future leaders and they greatly appreciate the ability to learn from those in Washington who have successfully navigated their own career paths. We appreciate Mr. Islam’s willingness to share about his experiences and accomplishments with the next generation.
The weekend was filled with formal sessions as “delegations” negotiated on behalf of their country, union, or organization, as well as informal opportunities to connect during morning coffee, lunch, and evening breaks. ISH-DC participant Mitchell Blatt noted, “It was my first time to try such an event. I didn't really know what to expect the first day, but then I got really into it. I thought it was a long time at first, since it took up most of the weekend. But then I ended up wanting it to continue by the end. Keep negotiating.”
Argentina holds the G20 2018 Presidency, and Saturday, following a long day of negotiations, the Argentine Embassy hosted a wonderful evening of food and salsa for the student delegates. Although the evening was somewhat of a diversion from the negotiating table, it still presented an excellent opportunity to connect over policies issues with fellow participants.
Thank you to the phenomenal coordinators of the Model G20 Summit at AU, and to our fantastic International Student House representatives!
International Student House actively promotes inter-cultural dialogue and building an international community, therefore we highly encourage our resident scholars to engage in the exciting networking opportunities that are often uniquely found in Washington. We are immensely grateful to Ambassador Jaeger and the Embassy for such a kind welcome and giving our residents a perfect opportunity to engage in substantive conversation. Not only were they able to hone their networking skills, but they also learned from the Ambassador’s expertise in both the public and private sectors.
What a wonderful evening to remember!
