More than 800 Public and Private Sector Leaders Celebrate Effective Global Leadership at the 48th Annual Meridian Ball
Edilia Gutierrez; Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Chair, Meridian International Center’s Board of Trustees; Meridian Ball Co-Chairs: Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla and His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla, Ambassador of Panama to the United States; Meridian Ball Co-Chairs: Abeer Al Otaiba and His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; Gwen Holliday, Vice President, Marketing Communications, The Advisory Board Company; and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO, Meridian International Center.
On Friday, October 14, 2016, more than 800 senior officials and executives from multi-national corporations, U.S. government, the diplomatic community, and media gathered at the 48th Annual Meridian Ball to celebrate Meridian's work of preparing the next generation of effective global leaders. The Ball, known as the social highlight of the nation's capital, was chaired by Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba and Mrs. Abeer Al Otaiba and Ambassador of Panama to the United States His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla and Mrs. Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla. Congressional Co-Chairs of the Ball were Senator John Barrasso and Mrs. Bobbi Barrasso, and Congressman Don Beyer and Mrs. Megan Beyer. First Lady Michelle Obama again served as the event’s Honorary Chair, and Ambassador Peter Selfridge, U.S. Chief of Protocol participated as Honorary Sponsor.
Leaders who attended the Meridian Ball included Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and Megan Beyer; Senator John Barrasso and Mrs. Bobbie Barrasso (R-WY); Congressman John Delaney (D-MD) and April Delaney; Meridian Ball Co-Chairs Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba and Mrs. Abeer Al Otaiba and Ambassador of Panama, His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla and Mrs. Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla; Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Mrs. Edilia Gutierrez; Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post and MSNBC; Ana Navarro of CNN; White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer; Jay Solomon of the Wall Street Journal; CNN’s White House Correspondent Michelle Kosinski; Deputy Secretary of State, Antony Blinken; and Adrienne Arsht, Executive Vice Chair, Atlantic Council.
Guests enjoyed Ambassador-hosted dinners at Embassies from every corner of the world - Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Grenada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Oman, Panama, Portugal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates. Following dinner, guests gathered at Meridian's historic campus for dessert, dancing, networking, and dialogue. Special highlights of this year's event were inspired by this year’s theme, "The Orient Express" and included décor with displays and furnishings reminiscent of luxury train travel, a party tent with a "Moulin Rouge" design, and live music by the band Amaretto.
Meridian is especially grateful to Ball sponsors Chevron, Gallup, DLA Piper, BGR, Boeing, and Hess, and all the other sponsors without which the Ball would not have been possible.
The Party Tent at the Meridian Ball
Edilia Gutierrez; Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Chair, Meridian International Center’s Board of Trustees; Meridian Ball Co-Chairs: Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla and His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla, Ambassador of Panama to the United States; Meridian Ball Co-Chairs: Abeer Al Otaiba and His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; Gwen Holliday, Vice President, Marketing Communications, The Advisory Board Company; and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO, Meridian International Center.
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA); Megan Byer, Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; Gwen Holliday, Vice President, Marketing Communications, The Advisory Board Company; and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO, Meridian International Center.
His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla, Ambassador of Panama to the United States; Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla; Lee Satterfield, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Meridian International Center; Capricia Penavic Marshall, Ambassador in Residence, Adrienne Arsht, Latin America Center, Atlantic Council; and Ben Chang, Managing Director, U.S. Public Affairs and Crisis Practice, Burson-Marsteller.
Senator John Barrasso and Bobbi Barrasso
Chairs of Meridian’s White-Meyer Dinner, Brooke Stroud Carnot and Stephane Carnot
Luciana Gonzalez-Revilla; His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla, Ambassador of Panama to the United States; Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Chair, Meridian’s Board of Trustees; and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO, Meridian International Center.
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA); April Delaney; Megan Beyer, Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and Senator John Delaney (D-MD).
Guests enjoyed live entertainment by Amaretto
An endless bounty of petite desserts by Design Cuisine with floral tablescapes by Philippa Tarrant
Anthony Podesta, Founder & Chairman, Podesta Group and Adrienne Arsht, Executive Vice Chair, Atlantic Council.
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Chair, Meridian International Center’s Board of Trustees and His Excellency Emanuel Gonzalez-Revilla, Ambassador of Panama to the United States.
