WorldMontana welcomed a group of mayors and CPAs from various Arab cities of Israel Aug. 31-Sept. 6 on an exchange professional program examining Municipal Government Budget Management.
Carroll faculty member, Dr. Jeanette Fregulia, associate professor of history, together with other Helena residents provided home hospitality to the mayors. Dr. Fregulia hosted a welcome dinner for the group, which Kevin Hadduck, director of the Academic Resource Center, also participated in.
During their week spent here in Helena, the mayors met with different professional organizations such as the State of Montana’s Local Government Services Bureau, Montana Department of Commerce’s office of Tourism and Business Development, National Institute on Money in the State Politics, and the Federal Reserve Bank.
Our visitors also had the wonderful opportunity to get a taste of some of Helena and Montana’s famous activities, including a tour of the Capitol, Montana Historical Society, Yellowstone and Gates of the Mountains.
On September 5, a mayor from the group, Mr. Mudar Yunis, who is Palestinian, met with Dr. Fregulia’s students to speak about Palestine, addressing the issues that the country faces daily.
Before leaving Helena, the group of mayors gathered at the house of WorldMontana’s Executive Director, Sasha Fendrick, for a goodbye dinner, where the group cooked Palestinian food, and engaged in an interesting discussion with Native American activist, Daniel Pocha.
WorldMontana is a non-profit organization that has been operating for 30 years and brings international visitors around the world on professional exchange programs, in collaboration with Global Ties and the U.S. State Department. WorldMontana is located on Carroll College’s campus in conjunction with the Artaza Center for Excellence in Global Education.