Who We Are

WHAT WE’RE ABOUT

OUR MISSION

Global Ties Arizona builds and strengthens relationships between its members, businesses and nations through international exchange and educational programs.

OUR VISION

Global Ties Arizona is recognized as Arizona’s leader in Citizen Diplomacy, promoting cultural awareness and instilling an ethos of global engagement and learning.

OUR VALUES

Practice diplomacy
Value people and relationships
Foster life-long learning
Bring cultures together
Reflect the world we want to see

WHAT WE DO

Encourage and enable Arizonans and international visitors to build ties of understanding

Build relationships between Arizonans, international visitors, and subject matter experts to address mutual challenges

Foster relevant, well-informed discourse on contemporary global affairs

Enable the Arizona business community to gain global competencies and expand networks

Support and enhance the quality and reach of the U.S. Department of State’s educational and cultural exchange programs

Inspire and facilitate students’ interest in international engagement

Export the best possible Arizona experience

GLOBAL TIES ARIZONA LEADERSHIP

Kristin Allen

Executive Director

Kristin has worked across international spaces for nearly fourteen years. Her experience spans language teaching abroad, international real estate development, cross-border business and foundation relations, and international higher education.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kristin embarked on her global journey in 2007, living and working first in Nicaragua and then Spain for nearly six years. Kristin is bilingual in Spanish, and holds Bachelor’s (Westminster College, PA, 2007) and Master’s (New York University, 2011) degrees in Spanish & Latin American Languages & Cultural Studies. In 2013, Kristin returned to the States from Spain, spending a year in Washington D.C. with an international business consulting firm before relocating to Phoenix, Arizona in 2014 - where she fell in love with the southwest United States. Kristin served on the Global Ties Arizona Board of Directors from 2015 to 2018.

With a passion for connecting people across languages and cultures, Kristin traveled to Berlin, Germany in 2016 to complete an international diplomacy certificate with the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy. Most recently, she was selected for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's inaugural class of the Next Gen Global Leaders Network, where she will join nearly 100 other young leaders across the nation in a year-long program of advocacy training, focusing on the local impact of international affairs, global development, and diplomacy.

Immediately prior to joining Global Ties Arizona, Kristin served as Program Manager for Strategic Global Initiatives at Northern Arizona University for nearly three years. In this role, Kristin directed partnerships with Mexico and Latin America, hosting visiting delegations and groups in Arizona, developing relationships with universities, governments, industry and other organizations abroad, and leading student recruitment and developing new programs.

Kristin enjoys travel (both globally and within the U.S.) and has had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe and Latin America. Though, she has many more places on her bucket list!