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NICE Opens New Office in Gallatin, TN

Sumner County to Welcome New Americans from Around the World

Gallatin, TN, once dubbed the “nicest place in America”, will now carry on that legacy by welcoming America’s newest neighbors.

The Nashville International Center for Empowerment, better known by its acronym NICE, has been serving refugees in Middle Tennessee through its Nashville office since 2005. NICE was founded by a group of Sudanese refugee men and women, including its President/CEO, Dr. Gatluak Ter Thach, who came to the United States in the 1990s from war-torn Sudan, with the goal of finding a safe place to live, work, and raise their families.  Since that time, NICE has grown into a refugee resettlement agency, which works within the formal structure of the US Refugee Admission Program, which is administered through the US Department of State.

The new Gallatin Office will be managed by Chol Rambang, who arrived in the US through the US Refugee Admission Program with her family in 2000, and who has resided in Gallatin since 2001.  The new office will serve 50 refugees in its first year, through the end of September 2023. When refugees come to Gallatin, NICE will support them by finding housing, employment, access to social services, and providing case management to help walk alongside them on their path to economic self-sufficiency. On March 9th, 2023, NICE and the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and community potluck to celebrate the opening of the new office.

Along with the refugee resettlement program, NICE offers immigration services, health education services, adult and youth education services through its Nashville office. Since 2005, NICE has served over 37,000 refugees and New Americans in Middle Tennessee.

“I am thrilled that NICE is expanding to my adopted hometown. Gallatin has long been a welcoming and safe place for the Sudanese community, and I know that our new neighbors from around the world will find peace here. We can’t wait to see the wonderful impact that they will have in Gallatin.”

Chol RambangNICE Gallatin Site Manager

Currently, there are over 100 million people around the world displaced from their homes. Each year, there are over 20 million refugees of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Less than 1% of those refugees are resettled each year. After a rigorous process of vetting, refugees who are resettled in the United States are assigned to an agency like NICE.

“As Middle Tennessee continues to grow, we are becoming an ever-greater hub for diverse communities. Each year, refugees contribute millions of dollars back into our local economy, and bring a richness of culture that helps Middle Tennessee thrive.”

Dr. Gatualk Ter ThachNICE President/CEO