Meridian held the Corporate Council’s Annual Meeting at the White-Meyer House on September 21, 2017. Eric Loeb, AT&T, and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, Meridian International Center, moderated the discussions. The program featured Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative, Mr. Timothy Reif and Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives, Mr. Reed Cordish. Attendees discussed opportunities for public-private partnerships with the U.S. government and current and changing policies on trade in the current administration.
In Attendance
Corporate Council Members:
Executive Office of the President: Timothy Reif, Senior Advisor to the USTR; Reed Cordish, Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives
Eric Loeb, AT&T
Eric Loeb, representing AT&T and currently service as the Chairman of Meridian’s Corporate Council, opened the meeting by acknowledging the great progress and growth that the council has experienced in recent years. The council has doubled in size since its beginning and the programming has become increasingly customized and focused on engagement with the diplomatic corps.
Ambassador Stuart Holliday, Meridian International Center
President and CEO of Meridian International Center, Ambassador Stuart Holliday, gave a presentation that highlighted both the successful and impactful events that have taken place over the past year for the Corporate Council and where Meridian envisions the council can continue to grow in the future.
Timothy Reif, Senior Advisor the USTR
Mr. Reif opened his remarks with a statement about how globalization and increased inter-connectedness have presented both challenges and opportunities to the work he does on U.S. trade policy. Despite the challenges, the USTR is hoping to find solutions that will break down barriers and allow for more openness between the United States and countries around the world. One of the biggest challenges currently is China and the fact that they rely on a non-market based economy. He emphasized the need for increased dialogue between the United States and the Chinese government in order to find solutions as well as revision and accountable enforcement of the WTO – especially when it comes to intellectual property rights.
Reed Cordish, Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives
Mr. Cordish began by explaining that the mission of the Office of American Innovation within the White House is to actively seek opportunities for public-private partnerships with U.S. businesses to solve pertinent economic and social issues. One of the most important projects that he is working on currently is a workforce development initiative that will increase employment. This initiative will begin with an executive order to be released in March that will expand apprenticeships, including vocational and skills training. The White House is also working on an initiative to modernize government IT services which will be a four-year project critical to our cyber security and increased efficiency and accountability.
Meridian looks forward to working with the Office of the USTR and the EOP on future initiatives in Washington.