40th Annual Conference

Dates: October 23-25, 2024
Location: Alexandria, Virgina

CSIET 2024 | 40 Years Cultivating Excellence

The 40th Anniversary of the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) was held in Alexandria, Virginia. This special anniversary conference, themed “CSIET 2024: 40 Years Cultivating Excellence,” reflected on the significant milestones of the past, delved into current practices and trends, and explored future possibilities in international exchange student programming. Over four decades, CSIET had been at the forefront of cultivating excellence, facilitating a spirit of cooperation and support, and helping ensure safety and value for international exchange students, secondary schools, and natural parents.

We are deeply grateful to those in our community who traveled from near and far to join us in celebrating 40 Years with CSIET. This milestone provided an opportunity to reconnect, reflect on our shared commitment to fostering global understanding, and engage in meaningful discussions. Participants included CSIET member programs, schools, government representatives, international recruitment agencies, and vendors that support our mission and uphold our standards. We extend special thanks to our session speakers, who generously shared their expertise and practices, enriching our community as we continue to cultivate excellence in international exchange.

Keynote Speaker:

Scott Weinhold, Acting Assistant Secretary of State

Scott Weinhold is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. He joined the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs from the leadership team of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE). He served as Assistant Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan 2020-2021, where he managed the State Department team during the August 2021 civilian evacuation from the Kabul Airport. His previous postings include multiple tours in China as well as assignments in Mongolia, Australia, Vietnam, Japan, and Turkey. He is the recipient of the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor Award and the Presidential Rank Award. His languages are Chinese, Turkish, Vietnamese, Mongolian and basic Japanese. Mr. Weinhold is from Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Virginia with majors in African Studies and Asian History.

A Special Thanks to the Conference Planning Committee

• Scott Hume, AFS-USA
• Luiz Marzullo, ICES
• Kari Owens, ICES
• Theresa Nelson, STS Foundation
• Sam Scott, Youth for Understanding USA
• Joey Banuelos, ISE
• Jacki Dyrholm, United Studies
• Karson Langenfelder, MLA Move Language Ahead
• Shana Wentzell, UCEUS
• James Manning, ICES

Checking Out These Fun Conference Pictures:

Have pictures from the conference you’d like to share? Email Samantha (Samantha@csiet.org). We’d love to add them here!

Conference Agenda