It is with a bittersweet feeling that I announce my resignation as Managing Director from the Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS). I am very excited about my new role, and I plan to announce more about that later this week.
The last two years working at JNCL-NCLIS and for the Language Enterprise have been extremely rewarding, empowering and enlightening. It has truly been an invaluable experience on both a personal and a professional level.
The launch of the America’s Language Caucus, the biggest Language Advocacy Day ever, the passage of a new K-12 language grant program, a new website: I feel both lucky and proud to have been a part of this one-of-a-kind organization during a moment of such momentous growth. The recent impact of language advocacy in Washington, DC is a testament to the passion, commitment and collaboration of the entire Language Enterprise.
I owe a debt of gratitude and sincere thanks to my teacher and mentor of language policy and government relations, Dr. Bill Rivers, who literally wrote the book on language policy and taught me the ropes of navigating the byzantine office buildings on Capitol Hill.
I feel extremely grateful for my deputy, Alissa Rutkowski, who from the very beginning dove right into the world of language policy with amazing ideas for innovating what JNCL-NCLIS does, and executed daily tasks with lightning speed. I couldn't have asked for a better team.
Looking back, I will miss the phone calls to our state advocates across the country coordinating messages for pro-language bills or against coding bills; I will miss the trains blowing by just 20 feet away from our offices in Garrett Park, Maryland while we’re on a live webinar; I will miss rushing from the Rayburn office building to Cannon for back-to-back meetings; but most of all, I will miss seeing the excited looks on people’s faces during Language Advocacy Day. Thank you all!
Best,
Trey Calvin