The Center for Democracy and Development in the Americas (CDDA) Makes Five-Year Partnership Commitment with Sorensen to Recruit and Finance Latino Enrollment in the Programs at the Institute
WASHINGTON, DC – The Center for Democracy and Development in the Americas (CDDA) has made a pledge to establish a scholarship fund to assist leaders in the Latino community who are accepted and enrolled in the Sorensen Institute programs for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. In the years ahead, CDDA’s support will help increase Latino participation in the Sorensen Institute’s programs and in public service in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
Through the IQ Latino/José Nucete Sardi Scholarship Program, annual gifts will aim to support at least three to seven Latino/a participants per class in all of Sorensen programs. Beneficiaries will be recognized as IQ Latino/José Nucete Sardi Scholars. Furthermore, these funds will assist the Institute in increasing the awareness and attractiveness of Sorensen programs to potential Latino participants and audiences through initiatives like program enhancements, recruitment outreach, and community impact activities by Sorensen alumni. The scholarship fund will help fulfill Sorensen’s mission of providing education of value to Latino participants interested in gaining a better understanding of public policy, budget priorities, government, and the political system generally.
The program honors CDDA Founder and Sorensen Board Member Leopoldo Martinez’s late grandfather José Nucete Sardi, in whose name the scholarship fund was created. Nucete Sardi was a highly respected Venezuelan historian, journalist, diplomat and statesman widely known throughout the Americas. His considerable journalistic career spanned decades, during which he served as editor of the newspaper El Universal and was a contributor to El Nacional from its founding in 1943.
Throughout his political and diplomatic career, he served as Secretary of the Venezuelan Delegation to the League of Nations (1937), Venezuela’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1946), Argentina (1958) Belgium & Luxembourg (1966-1967), Brazil (1968), twice in Cuba (1947-48 and 1959-1961), and Governor of the State of Mérida (1964-1966), among other important roles.
Nucete Sardi, a member of the Academy of History in Venezuela who was recognized with several iberoamerican awards, authored over a dozen works and lectured about the history and literature of Latin America throughout Europe and the Americas. While in exile, and as a Professor in Columbia University, he counseled the leaders that would later champion the return to Venezuelan democracy in 1958. Some of these leaders went on to become Presidents in Venezuela’s exemplary bipartisan democratic experiment from the 60s to the 90s, in which he played a significant role as public servant until his death in 1972.
Nucete Sardi’s work in building effective democratic institutions and promoting effective political leadership are an appropriate connection with the purpose of the partnership with the Sorensen Institute.
The Sorensen Institute is a distinguished program that for almost 30 years has been involved in training aspiring leaders from high school age participants, emerging leaders, mid-career professionals, and those planning to run for public office.
More than 2,200 people from both major political parties and political independents have completed Sorensen programs over the years, including Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, 27 current members of the Virginia General Assembly, and dozens of local elected officials.
Bipartisanship, working with and understanding people from different cultures and geographic regions, making a positive impact on our communities, and promoting consensus on public policy issues in pursuit of the common good are part of the mission of Sorensen Institute. This mission and these values are reflective of the values that guided José Nucete Sardi’s career as a public servant.
For more information about Sorensen Institute Programs visit https://sorenseninstitute.org, to learn more about the IQLATINO / Jose Nucete Sardi Scholarship please write to JNSScholarship@cddamericas.org
About CDDA and IQ Latino: CDDA is a global non-profit dedicated to promote an inclusive democracy with a productive and equitable economic system in the United States of America, Iberoamerica and the Caribbean. IQ Latino is a digital platform for the empowerment of Latino voices that advocate for Latino priorities in the United States, and sustainable change in the Americas. Connect with IQ Latino through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.