Vera Galante, former senior cultural affairs specialist and Fulbright liaison at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, has been named the IIE Representative in Brazil. Ms. Galante will be working with IIE at a time when the Institute is expanding its work with Brazil, and Brazil-U.S. academic exchange is growing.

Ms. Galante has extensive experience in educational exchange. During her 19 years with the United States Embassy to Brazil, she worked on numerous education initiatives, including developing partnerships between U.S. and Brazilian higher education institutions, recruiting students for U.S. government scholarship and fellowship programs, and conducting higher education missions to the United States. Her portfolio also included programs that promote free trade, justice, intellectual property rights, and social and racial inclusion. Ms. Galante has a master’s degree in American Studies from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a bachelors degree in Letters, Portuguese/English from UNICEUB – Brasilia.

IIE is the main implementing partner in the United States for the Government of Brazil’s Scientific Mobility Program, administered in close cooperation with CAPES, CNPq, and the Fulbright Commission in Brazil. The Institute also implements flagship scholarship and training initiatives for multinational companies that have a strong presence in Brazil, such as Alcoa, Cargill, and GE. In addition, IIE leads an annual International Academic Partnership Program for Brazil that has involved more than 100 Brazilian and U.S. universities and supports the U.S. Department of State’s EducationUSA network, which advises Brazilian students on study in the United States and connects the students with U.S. institutions. 

Ms. Galante will support IIE in its development and expansion of several key initiatives, including:

• Services for Brazilian higher education institutions: IIE will offer consulting services on internationalizing the university and implementing partnerships with U.S. institutions; facilitate new student and faculty exchanges and internship programs; and advise on how to expand their capacity to host more U.S. study abroad students. 
• Services for U.S. colleges and universities: Building on the success of several years of International Academic Partnership Programs with Brazil, IIE will provide strategic counsel on developing partnerships in Brazil and provide advice and support on navigating the Brazilian higher education landscape.
• Services to public and private sector institutions: IIE is expanding its work with business and government entities to develop scholarship and training programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives and implement workforce development activities. 

For more information on IIE’s programs and services in Brazil, please contact cip@iie.org or iie-brazil@empowerconsult.com.br.