October 26, 2016 Program: Dr. Carina A. Black, Ph.D. | Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC)
The Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC) is a non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno. NNIC has been hosting international visitors through the US Department of State and USAID for almost four decades. Today, NNIC hosts about 500 visitors per year on a dozen different programs, from youth to high-level government officials. NNIC also operates a language bank which offers translation and interpretation services in over 30 languages, and starting this year, NNIC began serving as a refugee resettlement agency.
To date NNIC, has resettled six families from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria. The families are adjusting quite well and all children are currently attending Washoe County schools. Two of the six families are also working at Fedex and Kimmie Candy. Refugee resettlement in the United States differs significantly from what we see on television about migrants and refugees in Europe. In the US, the goal of resettlement is self-sufficiency as quickly as possible and NNIC expects all refugees to work within a two to three month period after arrival.
A native of Argentina and a citizen of Switzerland and the US, Carina Black has lived in the United States since 1988. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1997 in Comparative Politics. She is the first Executive Director of the Northern Nevada International Center, an organization that manages public diplomacy programs with funding from the US Department of State and USAID. Most recently, Black initiated a new project to resettle refugees in Northern Nevada.
As a faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. Black has taught courses in global studies, world politics, comparative politics, democratization, international organizations and Latin American politics. She has also been actively involved in international education for the local community, and support programs for minority groups. Dr. Black is the mother of four children and is fluent in four languages.