UW’s Khasilova Receives Recognition for Impactful International Alumni Efforts

Dilnoza Khasilova, a University of Wyoming Global Engagement Fellow, recently was named to the Almabase 50 Under 50 list that recognizes individuals nationwide for their work in alumni relations and advancement.

Almabase 50U50, powered by Blackbaud Corp., recognized Khasilova’s UW Global Engagement Office WyoGlobal Alumni initiative, for which she serves as a liaison to the UW Alumni Association. The goal of the initiative is to connect and engage with UW alumni worldwide. Almabase is an all-in-one alumni management software for schools.

“With a passion for access and lifelong learning, Dilnoza has created impactful initiatives, such as the WyoGlobal alumni program, engaging over 600 alumni virtually using LinkedIn and establishing 12 alumni networks including alumni ambassadors from different regions of the world,” according to the award notification. “She has facilitated partnerships, coordinated assessments and collaborated on research projects.”

Khasilova’s achievements for her recognition include organizing the first UW Alumni Study Tour, securing funding, delivering training workshops and developing a successful alumni project. Her work has made a “significant contribution to the university’s internationalization mission and alumni engagement efforts,” according to Almabase.

“With the new WyoGlobal initiative, we built a strong presence of engaging global alumni -- who are our former international students, study-abroad alumni or former exchange students or scholars -- on LinkedIn,” Khasilova says.

She says the initiative also has added WyoGlobal alumni ambassadors who serve as coordinators of the alumni chapters in their home countries and organize gatherings with other UW alumni. They also serve as contact people, staying in touch with U.S. embassy representatives when needed and meeting UW delegations for alumni dinners once a year.

“I am very happy that our initiative got recognized by Almabase and selected among other winners because engaging global alumni is growing as a field, and we see the value of connecting and engaging to our own WyoGlobal alumni,” Khasilova adds. “For example, our network is growing, and our Pokes want to partner with us, give back to us and, most importantly, they want to contribute to our internationalization efforts.”

Those efforts, she says, include student recruitment, philanthropy, professional development and community engagement initiatives.

“We showcased our initiative as an example at the NAFSA (international educators association) conference in Washington, D.C., this year, and we contributed to the creation of NAFSA’s new Member Interest Group: International Alumni Advancement,” Khasilova says. “I am thankful to the UW Alumni Association and other departments for connecting us with the global alumni and supporting our WyoGlobal alumni initiative. Many study-abroad and international alumni and scholars reached out to us with the help of our WyoGlobal office, and their support is immense in growing our global alumni networks.”