National Committee Professional Fellows Program alumni Jo Nelson and Li Sai discuss the impact of their exchange experiences on their professional and personal lives and on their broader views of people-to-people exchange.
Speaker Bios
Jo Nelson is the director of Total Action for Progress’s This Valley Works component. In this role, she is responsible for top-level management of twenty programs with more than forty funding sources. The programs focus primarily on economic stability of individuals and families and encompass the broad areas of homelessness services, education services, employment training services, ex-offenders services, veterans’ services, and two-generational services. Ms. Nelson has more than 37 years of experience in non-profit management having served in leadership positions in both Louisiana and Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in counseling from Louisiana Tech University. Ms. Nelson participated in the Professional Fellows Program working with delegates from Morocco, Mongolia, Peoples Republic of China, and Taiwan; and served as faculty for their Professional Fellows Congress.
Li Sai is an independent consultant with over six years of professional experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in China and overseas. Her thematic expertise ranges from strategic communications to partnership building. Ms. Li works with grassroots organizations in China focusing on community development and youth empowerment. She holds a master’s degree in anthropology and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science Ms. Li is a fellow of the spring 2019 Professional Fellows Program.