Mrs. Lisa-Ann Vasciannie, Lecturer, Department of Government was among eight women selected from the Caribbean to participate in US International Visitor Leadership project entitled ''Women's Leadership and Political Participation (Caribbean)''. The Project was administered by the State Department's Voluntary Visitors Division and conducted from October 11 - 19, 2011. The Women were drawn from Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, and Suriname.
 
 These eight women represent organizations which work on women's leadership, economic, rights, political and social issues.  During their ten-day visit to the United States, they visited Washington, DC; New Hampshire, and New York City where they examined how international, national, and local organizations serve, protect, and empower women in all facets of daily life, from the home front to community, civic, and political participation.
 
 Lisa Vasciannie teaches politics within and between nations. She has conducted research on the elections in the English-speaking Caribbean region, women's issues particularly in the areas of healthcare for young women and women in their childbearing years, women in domestic or minimum wage earning jobs and the ways they may feel excluded from the protection of the state.  Mrs. Vasciannie teaches that the representation of women in the democratic process is crucial to balancing the gender dynamics that prevail in the governments and societies of the region.