Toni Panetta, a 2009 graduate of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies with a major in international relations, has been selected by The American Council of Young Political Leaders as a delegate to El Salvador and Guatemala for a 13-day political exchange program.

Panetta will join six other young political and policy leaders from across the United States to study El Salvador's and Guatemala's political systems, engage in dialogue on international issues and forge professional relationships and friendships.

The program is funded by the U.S. State Department.

Panetta and the other delegates will convene in Washington, D.C., for briefings by state department and other regional experts before flying to San Salvador. The program will provide the delegates opportunities to travel within the country and interact with key national and local leaders, business representatives and civic and community groups.

"This will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn about the current political and social dynamics there and help the El Salvadoran and Guatemalan people better understand the United States," Panetta said.

A Colorado native who lives in Littleton, Panetta serves as political director for Denver-based NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, a not-for-profit organization that works to ensure Colorado women and their families access to reproductive health care.

Since joining the organization in 2006, Panetta has managed the organization's political and public-policy programs, including lobbying successfully on legislation expanding access to birth control, sex education and insurance coverage for pregnancy.

During her master's work, Panetta served as a contributing editor to the Journal of Public and International Affairs published by Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and the University of Denver's Human Rights & Human Welfare review digest.

The American Council of Young Political Leaders is a bi-partisan, not-for-profit international exchange organization based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1966, ACYPL has conducted programs and exchanges with 100 countries, producing a global network of more than 7,500 alumni.