Meridian International Center Launches Two New Centers to Expand America’s Global Engagement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2025 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Meridian International Center today announced the launch of two new Centers that reflect the future of diplomacy: one in which technology leaders, city officials, athletes, and artists sit alongside ambassadors in shaping global engagement. The Centers were unveiled at the 2025 Meridian Summit: Shaping Geopolitical Futures, Washington’s premier forum at the intersection of business and geopolitics.

The new Centers are:

• The Meridian Center for Technology, Innovation, and Space, led by Kellee Wicker, connects leaders from government, business, and civil society to navigate the diplomacy of emerging technologies. From AI and cybersecurity to energy and space cooperation, the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Space fosters international frameworks, builds strategic alliances, and protects U.S. interests in the most consequential arenas of global competition.
• The Meridian Center for State and Local Diplomacy, led by Max Bouchet, helps governors, mayors, and local officials in the United States and around the world navigate and shape the global dynamics that increasingly affect their communities. From trade and foreign investment to international risks and partnerships, the Center provides tools and networks to strengthen subnational diplomacy.

“Diplomacy no longer belongs just to government. Business leaders, governors, mayors, scientists, athletes, artists—everyone is the new diplomat; they tackle challenges that governments alone can't tackle,” said Deborah Lehr, Interim Ceo, Meridian International Center, who announced the centers. “Today, Meridian is very happy to be taking the mission forward, understanding the new role of diplomacy.”

The 2025 Meridian Summit brings more than 250 senior officials, diplomats, Members of Congress, and business executives to explore how intensifying competition with China, supply chain fragility, and technological disruption are reshaping the global order.

The new centers join Meridian’s ongoing initiatives in corporate diplomacy, culture and sports, and diplomatic engagement, expanding the tools, networks, and partnerships that define global leadership today. Released in January of 2025, Meridian’s Blueprint for the Future: 2025 – 2035, outlined the strategy to advance American diplomacy and leadership in three key impact areas over the next decade—Geopolitical Resilience, U.S. Competitiveness, and Alliances and Partnerships. The new centers are two of the latest strategic drivers that underscore Meridian’s role as a hub for forward-looking diplomacy, preparing leaders for the world ahead.

To watch the 2025 Meridian Summit, please visit our website.

About Meridian International Center 

Meridian is a nonpartisan center for diplomacy founded in 1960 and headquartered on a historic campus in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to empower the next era of leaders to advance diplomacy for a better future. Our programs strengthen American leadership by accelerating collaboration on shared challenges, increasing economic competitiveness, and building geopolitical resilience. We equip leaders from business, science and technology, cities and states, culture and sports with the insights, networks, and resources to navigate a complex world. 

Media Contact:

Communications@meridian.org 

### 

Related News