Denise Beckson, VP and Chief Administrative and External Affairs Officer for Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, has been named to the newly formed board of the Coalition for American Public Diplomacy and Leadership (CAPDL), an independent nonprofit working to strengthen J-1 visa exchange programs.
Since 1961, the U.S. Department of State’s private sector J-1 visa programs – collectively known as BridgeUSA programs – have been vital to employers, especially in New Jersey where foreign students are needed to fill critical workforce shortages during peak summer tourism months.
These nonimmigrant exchange visitor visas help provide seasonal workers to fill temporary positions at summer camps, amusement parks, waterparks pools and parks and more when tourism businesses are unable to find enough local workers. There are 13 BridgeUSA categories in all, ranging from au pairs, counselors and summer workers to physicians and research scholars.
“CAPDL’s mission today is to strengthen and expand BridgeUSA programs,” said Beckson, who is also a member of NJBIA’s Board of Trustees. “BridgeUSA programs are critical to New Jersey businesses, and I urge them to get involved with CAPDL and learn more about our work and upcoming events.”
On Jan. 15, CAPDL announced its relaunch with a focus on “education, best practices sharing, and storytelling in support of the whole BridgeUSA community” and introduced its board members.
“We know that we can share all of the great ideas from all the different sectors that touch this program to ensure that we have a program that the United States can be proud of and that puts forth, in the best light possible, our diplomacy, our way of life and our desire to embrace other cultures,” Beckson said.
CAPDL membership is open to any organization and individual around the world who demonstrates a connection, or desired connection, to BridgeUSA programs. For more information, go to CAPDL’s website www.americanpublicdiplomacy.org or watch this video about the coalition’s Jan. 15 relaunch.
