Participants of the WEAmericas Program meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Courtesy: U.S. Department of State

Meridian hosted 34 women entrepreneurs who were part of a U.S. Department of State international delegation called WEAmericas on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. The reception brought together program participants and their American counterparts to celebrate the contributions of women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the world’s economy. Among the list of attendees were representatives from the Smithsonian, DCI Group, Vital Voices, the World Bank, and the Council on Women’s Leadership at Meridian International Center. The reception was made possible through the generous support of Walmart.

Throughout the evening, the international participants and their American counterparts made seamless connections and explored potential partnerships. One such case occurred when a group of the participants connected with a representative of the Group of Fifty. The Group of Fifty representative saw the reception as a perfect opportunity to invite new people to join their forum with leaders from Latin America on topics such as entrepreneurship and best business strategies.

Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO of Meridian, welcomed guests and remarked how proud and honored Meridian was to be involved with such a timely and meaningful initiative. The delegation met earlier in the day with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The women participating in this program will be in the U.S. for twelve days as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by Meridian International Center. They will meet with government officials, university-based experts, NGOs, and other private business owners to study success stories and learn from issues and challenges in entrepreneurship faced by their American counterparts.