After joining VIF in 1990, David Young helped lead the organization from family project to small business to, today being the largest international teacher program of the U.S. Department of State — having sponsored thousands of international teachers in over 200 school districts, nationwide, in support of international education programs.

With his entire career dedicated to VIF's mission of transforming lives through international education, Young has performed every function of the organization. In the development years, Young established most of the processes that would become a formula for VIF's remarkable success — recruit the best international teachers, match them with U.S. schools and communities where they can succeed and be happy, relocate them efficiently from their home countries, prepare them effectively for the U.S. education system, provide sensible logistical support to ensure their independence (cars/loans/housing/local advisors), motivate them to share their cultures with U.S. students, ease their cultural acclimation, and finally, establish on-going support, professional development, and cultural enrichment programs that will make teachers proud to be 'VIFers.'

By making it relatively easy for U.S. schools and international teachers to connect and providing security measures to ensure good experiences, the program enjoyed unparalleled growth and success. These efforts paid off with remarkable satisfaction rates each year and led to VIF's designation as an official sponsor of the State Department's Exchange Visitor Program. This designation paved the way for growth into all subject areas, expansion to other states, and ultimately to tremendous growth in participant numbers.

Young has been a featured speaker and panelist at various national and regional education conferences and symposia, and has been widely quoted in publications and research reports. He currently sits on the Worldview Advisory Board and Wake Education Partnership Committee for the World Class Education Initiative. Young graduated from Wake Forest University where he received a bachelor's degree in history.

The Young Family

VIF was founded in 1987 by Alan Young and his father, Dr. Fred Young, who is President Emeritus of Elon University and a lifelong proponent of international cultural exchange. Dr. Young's children, Alan, David and Jane, and his wife, Phyllis, all have played pivotal roles in developing and expanding the goals and vision of VIF International Education.

Today, the Young family continues to embark on initiatives to develop language programs and international education models that promote global awareness, curiosity and a desire to understand all the world's people.