Welcoming Grace Klauer as Program Officer
The Presidential Precinct team is growing! On May 8, Grace Klauer will join as Program Officer, just in time to step in as Administrative Director of the Precinct’s 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute.
In all that she does, Grace is an avid learner. She is particularly invested in the value of shared cultural experiences and the new perspectives gained through Presidential Precinct programming. “This is the place where I can see International Relations in practice,” Grace told us, referring to her undergraduate degree from Tulane University.
One of Grace’s most formative cultural exchanges took place last year in Cairo, Egypt, where she participated in an immersive Arabic language program. Grace arrived with rudimentary knowledge of Arabic and some doubt in her own ability to complete the program. Keeping an open mind, she took it one step at a time – growing from small conversations to eventually navigating the Cairo bus system and having much longer conversations with community members across the dinner table. Despite her initial reservations, Grace now calls her time in Cairo “the best year of my life!”
We have no doubt that Grace’s fervor for new cultures and personal investment in the global exchange of ideas will make for a stronger Presidential Precinct team. With Karen Walker, Grace will form a real programming dynamic-duo, together ensuring that all Precinct programs are built with attention to detail and reflective of our team’s commitment to participants’ individual growth.
Grace comes to Central Virginia from Central Pennsylvania. We look forward to sharing with her all that our communities and partners in Virginia have to offer. Welcome, Grace!
