On December 11, Barbadian entrepreneur Tirshatha Jeffrey met with U.S. Ambassador Linda Taglialatela to discuss her completion of the prestigious U.S.-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Through this “WEAmericas” IVLP, female entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean, Latin America, and even as far away as South Africa examined how the United States supports women in business. During the three-week virtual program, participants explored mentorship, job shadowing, education, and skills-development programs offered by government, colleges and universities, businesses, and private sector associations to prepare women for leadership roles and success as owners and managers of small, medium, and large businesses.
“This was an incredible experience,” Tirshatha said. “I never thought that I’d meet a strawberry farmer from South Africa, a computer coder from Chile, a beekeeper from Panama, or a serial entrepreneur from the Bahamas. My network has expanded significantly, and I am looking forward to the ways I can collaborate with my WEAmericas colleagues.”
Tirshatha, who grew up in Christ Church, is the CEO and Lead Writing Consultant of Jot and Tittle, a business that provides editing, technical writing, and coaching services. Her business website jotandtittle.co launched this week. Tirshatha also represented Barbados as a CARICOM Youth Ambassador and works as a Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Nation Group.
The IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Through short-term visits, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience the United States firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in person exchanges have been temporarily suspended, but the skills-building and networking continues.