When Nicole DeSilvis first traveled to Brazil 13 years ago, she felt an instant connection to the country, a connection she has since nurtured by establishing many business connections there.

Recently, because of her strong knowledge and understanding of business in Brazil, DeSilvis was chosen for a fellowship as part of an exchange program with the Brazilian government funded through the American Fellows Program.

On July 16, DeSilvis, an international trade consultant at the Temple Small Business Development Center and adjunct professor of international business at The Fox School of Business, will head for Brazil for a month of intensive work promoting business there.

“This is an amazing opportunity as it directly relates to the work I do at Temple University’s Small Business Development Center,” she said.

“I will be tasked with sharing strategy for effective delivery of small-business development services and construction of a bilateral agreement between Brazil and the United States to promote the interchange of business between the two countries.”

She will achieve this goal by facilitating an exchange between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Brazilian Small Business Agency (SEBRAE) Nacional.

“I have a passion for fostering relationships and building bridges between countries to help facilitate small business trade,” she said.

To build those bridges, DeSilvis will help conduct a assessment to find out what businesses in Brazil need. She will also deliver lectures and develop an action plan for cooperation among SEBRAE Nacional, Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce, the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency and the United States Embassy in Brazil.

The fellowship will also benefit DeSilvis’ work at Temple University.

Over the winter, DeSilvis and Arvind Phatak, a professor of general and strategic management at The Fox School and the executive director of the Temple’s Institute of Global Management Studies and the Center for International Business Education and Research, met with universities in Brazil to explore opportunities, including internships and partnerships, for Temple University in Brazil.

DeSilvis hopes her fellowship will further these efforts.

The fellowship will also provide connections and background DeSilvis can use to enhance her teaching.

“From a professional development perspective, this opportunity will allow her to continually enhance her IB [international business] capstone curriculum, which takes a practical approach to teaching international trade and IB,” said Kim Cahill, director of the Institute for Global Management at The Fox School.

DeSilvis was recommended for the fellowship by Robert L. Elsas, the regional manager of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Export Assistance Center.

“She stood out the most in terms of her personality, her ability to counsel businesses in international trade, and her knowledge of the [U.S. Small Business Administration] and SBD [Small Business Development] system,” Elsas said.

“The SBDC and The Fox School have given me the perfect platform to assist both the Greater Philadelphia small businesses and our students,” Desilvis said. “Temple understands that being able to reach out to other countries is vital in business.”

This has been a good year for DeSilvis, who this year was also named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. She credits The Fox School of Business for her recent success.

—Written by Rebecca Carroll