Consul General Anne Hall hosted a reception for former U.S. government exchange participants.

On September 28th, Consul General Anne Hall hosted a reception for former U.S. government exchange participants from the southern region of Poland to encourage them to join the new Alumni Association. Launched in May 2006, the Alumni Association has 130 members, a board of directors, and completed all the legal registration requirements, and is now in midst of developing future alumni conferences and social activities. Consul General welcomed the group of about fifty exchange alumni and encouraged them to become members of the association. BPAO Susan Parker-Burns spoke about the importance of exchanges and alumni and how to become a member of the association. President of the Board of Directors Jacek Nieckula made a presentation on the alumni association describing upcoming events, Embassy support and benefits of the association. Each guest received a folder that contained alumni gadgets, the alumni.state.gov bookmark, membership declaration, alumni brochure and newsletter. Earlier that afternoon, the Alumni Association Board of Directors held a quarterly meeting during which upcoming conferences were discussed such as the October conference in Lodz ”American Experiences on Polish Soil”, the November Krakow “Kosciuszko Conference,” and an early spring on park management. The Board also discussed major issues connected with running the association as well as membership fee which will be obligatory in January 2008 as required by Polish law. The embassy is excited to see the smooth development of the Alumni Association in Poland.