The Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC) celebrates the rich economic and cultural diversity of the state at its 13th Annual Global Gala this week. First Lady Kathleen Sandoval and Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki will join in the festivities from 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, March 30, at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno.

The Global Gala is an evening dedicated to showcasing Reno's cultural highlights and residents, who hail from 90 different countries. The Center will also bestow its first Corporate Global Citizen of the Year Award to International Game Technology (IGT), an honor they will give annually to a local business, non-profit or educational institution for its role in building global partnerships, international initiatives and for improving the local economy.

"IGT is a world leader in the development and manufacturing and gaming machines and systems and they also have a huge impact on the local economy," Claudia Ortega-Lukas, president of the NNIC board of directors and graphic designer for the University's Integrated Marketing Department, said. "That's exactly what we were looking for and it's why we selected them for this honor."

Governor Brian Sandoval has made global commerce a priority in Nevada, and with IGT's international presence with research and development facilities in Nevada (Reno and Las Vegas), California (San Francisco), China (Beijing), Australia (Sydney), and Sweden (Stockholm), this award signifies the positive impact and beneficial contributions it makes in the communities in which it operates.

Joining the evening's celebrations will also be two delegations of international visitors traveling under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.  One group is comprised of four Supreme Court judges from Morocco learning about the rule of law. The other group includes seven visitors from West Africa visiting America's west coast to learn about water management issues.

"The diversity of our state often goes unnoticed," Ortega-Lukas said. "Yet, every year we play host to thousands of international visitors from every corner of the world. They come for the obvious reasons - entertainment, arts and culture, outdoor adventure - but they also come to do business, study and visit friends and relatives."

NNIC is a non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno that strives to foster better understanding between people through their public diplomacy programs, language and culture projects, and foreign policy forums. The center's key initiatives include organizing programs for international visitors through the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies; providing interpretation and translation services in over 60 languages and organizing educational events and activities for the University and general community.

For tickets to the Global Gala, corporate sponsorship opportunities and more information about NNIC, go to www.unr.edu/nnic.