Learn moreAbout Us

Our Vision

Houston is the most diverse city in the US. But what’s the value of that diversity if we all just seek out people like ourselves? ICX wants to disrupt that part of our human nature through bringing people from other cultures and countries together, especially around good food!

Our Mission

What We Do

ICX organizes traditional American and other cultural holiday parties – like annual Christmas parties, Lunar New Year parties, Easter picnics and American Thanksgiving dinners. We also go on outings to sports and cultural events around town. The goal is to introduce American culture to internationals and to develop friendships along the way. ICX also connects international students with conversation partners. Relationships drive language learning. For those studying English, this cultural dimension of language-learning is a critical part of really getting the language. Even for those with good English, ICX conversation partners are a great resource for understanding American culture and figuring out how to handle ‘daily life stuff’ in the Houston area. And, there’s no grade assigned!

Why We Celebrate Culture

We all view life through our own cultural filter. One result of that is that we naturally assume that 'my way is best', where 'best' means we have the most reasonable and even the most morally superior perspective.

No culture – not even American culture! – can make the claim of being the absolute best.

So this cultural filter – how we view and relate to family and friends, our relationship with work, our sense of humor, our relationship with technology – often results in viewing others as weird or wrong instead of just plain different.

Learning to understand and appreciate different cultures not only helps us avoid arrogance. It also gives us the opportunity to grow by adopting valuable perspectives that we'd miss out on if we were to choose to live in a cultural bubble.

ICX For Internationals

ICX For Volunteers

See what we're aboutAnd Then Partner With Us!

Get Involved

We can only do what we do because of Our Incredible Team

Annelie McIver

- Executive Director -

Annelie grew up in Sweden and graduated from the Stockholm School of Economics. She loves strong Swedish coffee, sharp cheese and warm hospitality. She enjoys living in the US with her husband Brad and her three kids, and is thankful for the opportunities she has through ICX to meet internationals.

Nanda Kirkpatrick

- President of the Board -

Curtis Dady

- Secretary of the Board -

Matt Akers

- Vice President of the Board -

Russell Hildebrand

- Treasurer of the Board -

Ann Colina

- Board Member -

Cynthia Comeaux

- Board Member -

Debbie Chi

- Board Member -

Partner with us Financially

Thanks for your support. Here you may make a donation with your credit card or your PayPal account. We are an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. You can make a one time gift or set up a recurring gift. Select the method you wish to use. You will be directed to a PayPal page to complete your transaction.

How To Donate