Mehlville Board of Education member Karl Frank Jr. recently was nominated by U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan’s Office to serve on the American Council of Young Politi-cal Leaders.

The American Council of Young Political Leaders is a bipartisan, non-profit educational exchange organization dedicated to fostering relations between the next generation of political leaders in the United States and their counterparts around the world, according to ACYPL’s Web site. Its practical education programs include international exchanges, foreign policy and democracy conferences and election study programs.

“I am pleased by the nomination to the council and will happily accept,” Frank stated in a news release. “It would be an honor to serve on a council that consists of alumni and alumnae of United States senators and representatives, attorney generals and state governors, all of whom have met with international delegations from countries such as China, Pakistan, India and more.

“I am especially excited about the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with current and future political leaders from all around the world, giving me a chance to expand my knowledge of foreign policy and general diplomacy,” he added.

Each year the organ-ization sends Americans ages 25 to 40 on political study tours abroad and organizes reciprocal visits to the United States.

Participants learn diplomatic skills, en-gage in dialogue on bilateral issues and forge professional relationships through the unique access they receive to the political leadership of the nations they visit.

Since 1966, emerging leaders from more than 90 countries have participated in ACYPL programs. Distinguished alumni include members of the U.S. Congress, Cabinet officials, diplomats and parliamentarians from throughout the world.