VTIPG Hosts a State Department Supported Guest from Mongolia During May

Publication Date: July 3, 2023

Virginia Tech’s Institute for Policy and Governance (VTIPG) welcomed Khishigjargal (Khishi) Enkhbayar as a visiting fellow from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations for the month of May. Her visit was supported by the United States Department of State Professional Fellows Program.

Enkhbayar, a youth development and civil society specialist and founder of the United Nations Association of Mongolia, sought to learn more about nongovernmental organization (NGO) governance and management and the roles those entities may play in development during her visit. She also spent time meeting with a variety of potential university partners and becoming acquainted with area community groups, including local Rotary clubs and a youth STEM program as a part of that effort. As she observed,

“IPG provided me many opportunities to meet diverse groups of people both in and out of the university community” Enkhbayar said. “The community is expansive and I met great people doing great work.”

Enkhbayar pointed to the wide distribution of federal grants in the U.S. and the increased oversight resulting from that fact as a key difference between how many NGOs are funded and governed in the United States versus Mongolia.

In addition, Enkhbayar shadowed VTIPG’s Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships, Dr. David Moore, throughout her visit. That opportunity allowed her to learn about program evaluation work and grant writing and to participate in strategic planning sessions. As he reflected on Enkhbayar’s visit, Moore remarked,

“Khishi brought very broad interests and capacities with her on her visit. I feel that I and others gained as much from her encyclopedic knowledge of Mongolia, sustainable development and UN activities across the globe as she gained from talking with us.”

Enkhbayar was also able to sample local community life during her visit, alongside her host family in Christiansburg. She jogged on the Huckleberry Trail, visited the Blacksburg farmer’s market, worked with others to solve the clues to exit an escape room, and went river kayaking for the first time.

Following her experience at Virginia Tech and prior to returning to Mongolia, Enkhbayar participated in a weeklong Professional Fellows Congress with 150 colleagues from 70 different countries, who had just completed their fellowships as well. The group gathered in Washington, D.C. to share their experiences and learn from one another.

As for next steps, Enkhbayar will work on an NGO handbook for civil society professionals that addresses governance and management challenges and practices and resource acquisition strategies. Institute Director Max Stephenson, Jr. or Associate Director, David Moore hope to travel to Mongolia later this year for a reciprocating visit and to continue to assist Khishi as she seeks to support civil society organizations in her nation.

Overall, as Dr. Stephenson noted, “Khishi offered all with whom she interacted a vision of possibility and hope for our common future. It was a special pleasure to learn about her nation and her many efforts to provide opportunities for her fellow citizens. I look forward to continuing to work and learn with her in the future.”