White House Author

Gatluak Ter Thach, PhD, is founder and current President and CEO of Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE). Gat was a refugee and former child soldier from South Sudan who came to the United States in 1996 without knowing a word of English, but quickly enrolled in English classes while working two jobs to support himself and his younger brother. The organization he founded, NICE, is a nonprofit community-based organization that provides direct social services and educational programs for refugees and immigrants in Middle Tennessee. In 2010, NICE became an affiliate of Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC). Under Gat’s leadership, NICE fostered collaborations and communal responsibility among various organizations in Middle Tennessee and across the country. From its inception in 2005, NICE has gone from serving Sudanese refugees to aiding refugees and immigrants from 72 different countries. In addition to his role at NICE, he also serves on several leadership boards, including the Sudanese Human Rights Organization, Advisory Council of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, the Nashville Mayor’s New American Advisory Council, Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, Sudanese Presbyterian Church, Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora, South Sudan Relief Rehabilitation Agency – USA, among others.