The National Council for International Visitors founded the Atlanta Committee for International Visitors (ACIV) in 1962. In late 1969, the name was changed to Atlanta Council for International Visitors. In 1973, the organization merged with the Atlanta International Student Bureau. The organization was renamed Georgia Council for International Visitors (GCIV) in 1986. The GCIV arranges professional programs, cultural orientations, and home hospitality for international leaders and professionals who travel to Georgia as part of the United States Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Launched in 1940, the IVLP seeks to build mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through carefully designed professional visits for current and emerging foreign leaders. International visitors include representatives from government, politics, the media, education, non-governmental organizations, the arts, public health, international security, business and trade, and other fields1. GCIV maintains an office in Atlanta. The staff and volunteers work under the direction of a thirty-one person Board of Trustees. GCIV partners with other groups including the Atlanta Council on International Relations, the United Nations Association of the United States of America, and the Advisory Committee on International Relations to promote internationalism2.