OUR HISTORY
The early 80's saw several executive directors and locations for LACIV, but by 1985 the three staff members and several volunteers settled into office space at Cal State L.A. Board President Bob Kleist and LACIV Executive Director Clare Ricci are pictured welcoming the Director of the U.S. Information Agency, Charles Wick to L.A.
Dedicated volunteers kept the program functioning in the 1980's. Board Members such as Caroline Ahmanson, Bob Kleist, William Pagen and Walter Ralphs set policies for the new organization. Volunteers assisting with all aspects of the program, included Maurine Ruzek, Dorothy Mendelson, Dick Dommes, Mary Dee Romney, Maria Wrigley and Jo Roskam, who is pictured with the President of Gambia on his visit to Los Angeles in 1989.
The decade ended with new stability for LACIV. The name changed to the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles (IVCLA); the office moved to the newly renovated Biltmore Court; the city of L.A. provided needed funding; and Robin Hincliffe, pictured welcoming visitors, took the helm as Executive Director.
Bob Kleist lobbied for support and sang IVCLA's praises to all who would listen. He is pictured with other dedicated board members, Ginger Barnard, Bee Lavery, and Ned Munger in 1992.
IVCLA hosted 10 Ukrainian professionals in its first Community Connections Program. The program was created for participants from the former Soviet Bloc countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union.
1999 marked the 10th anniversary of the Fulbright Luncheon hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Amarjit Marwah. Pictured are friends Rodney Punt, Ethelda Singer and Greta Peck enjoying the event with Dr. Marwah.
The 9-11 tragedy focused the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on improving understanding to help end the violence shattering our world. IVCLA hosted the first IVLP group of Afghan women after the fall of the Taliban. CA Assemblyman Bob Pacheco is pictured presenting them with commendations at a reception hosted by Southern California Edison.
IVCLA was pleased to welcome the first IVLP delegation from Iraq in 2004. IVCLA arranged a full program for them, providing the opportunity to share information with many Angelenos. The six Iraqi's are pictured during a discussion at Manual Arts High School.
Dick Dommes, the familiar voice calling members for home hospitality for more than 20 years, "retired" from his position in 2009. Gohar Grigorian, Shafia Mir, and Wafa Hoballah, board member and former IVCLA Board Chair thank Dick for his dedication.
IVCLA has always appreciated the many elected officials who take time to meet with International Visitors, and was thankful to begin the new decade with greatly needed funding from the County of Los Angeles. Pictured is L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley meeting with visitors.
2000's
When the World Affairs Council ended its role in the International Visitor Program, Mayor Tom Bradley recognized the importance of the program and recruited civic leaders to keep it going. With startup funds from supporters, office space from Arthur Anderson, one telephone and a typewriter, the L.A. Council for International Visitors (LACIV) was born.
1980's
IVCLA’s first Alumni World Partners activity was a trip to Kyrgyzstan in May of 2016. With much assistance from our Kyrgyz alumni participants, an amazing trip was arranged. A group of IVCLA members joined us for the journey which included private tours of historic museums, experiencing a National Ballet Theatre performance and exploring the beautiful sites along the Silk Road.
In October 2017 a partnership with the U.S. Department of State and 21th Century Fox came to fruition with IVLP #HiddenNoMore program. The program, which brought 48 women from around the world who were in the field of STEM to the U.S., was inspired by the 2016 film Hidden Figures. IVCLA was honored to serve as the grand finale of their program and arranged professional meetings for the women in their fields of interest. The final farewell was an exclusive reception on the 21st Century Fox Studio lot in Century City.
The International Women of Courage Award (IWOC) was established in 2007 and is presented annually in Washington D.C. by the U.S. Department of State to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, and a willingness to sacrifice for others. In 2017, following the awards ceremony, the women began traveling as IVLP participants to other parts of the country. Since then, IVCLA has proudly hosted the women in L.A. as the final city of their program. In 2019 the ICDLA IWOC Luncheon was held in the Tom Bradley Tower at Los Angeles City Hall for the first time and became the traditional location for future IWOC Luncheons.
In 2015 IVCLA was selected to host the first Diplomacy Begins Here Summit in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State and Global Ties U.S. (GTUS). The summit was created to provide local communities the opportunity to explore the critical role they play in building a more peaceful and prosperous world. It was held at Loyola Marymount University and attended by local residents, elected officials, international exchange participants, U.S. State Department officials, as well as fellow GTUS members from across the U.S.
2010's
Following the first successful International Citizen of the Year Awards Dinner in 1989, 1990's gala was equally successful, honoring long-time IVCLA supporter Caroline Ahmanson. She is pictured with Mr. & Mrs. Art Linkletter recognizing her dedication to creating international understanding.
1990's
It was an amazing honor to be presented the esteemed 2019 Bob Kleist Leadership Award at the Los Angeles Chamber’s Annual World Trade Week Kickoff Breakfast. ICDLA has been a long-time member of the Chamber’s World Trade Week Committee. The honor was especially poignant since Bob Kleist was beloved by IVCLA and he held a leadership role on the IVCLA Board of Directors from the 1980’s until his death in 2003.