Meridian Honors Washington Social Secretaries and Cultural Attachés

Social secretaries and public diplomacy professionals work diligently to maintain an Embassy's positive public image and build relationships between a diverse range of constituents including business representatives, members of the U.S. government, and the American public. On July 20, 2022, Meridian hosted a reception to honor embassy social secretaries and cultural attachés and their valuable role in promoting diplomacy for their countries.

Ambassador Stuart Holliday, CEO of Meridian, welcomed the distinguished guests, which included U.S. government leaders, representatives from 20 foreign embassies, former White House social secretaries and heads of protocol, and members of the media. In his remarks, Ambassador Holliday stressed that the work of the assembled organizations – Meridian, the U.S. Department of State, the White House, and the diplomatic corps of Washington – would not be possible without the expert input of social secretaries and cultural attachés. Honored guest White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo addressed the crowd with touching remarks about how people will be remembered in life by how well they treat others. He also discussed the creative ways he has brought the American people and the world into the White House.

Some notable guests included State Department Chief of Protocol Rufus Gifford, Social Secretary to the Vice President Storm Horncastle, Deputy Social Secretary to the Vice President Amanda Trocola, former White House Social secretary Catherine Fenton. In addition, members of the White House social secretary team attended including Deputy White House Social Secretary Liz Hart, Deputy Associate Director Shannon Ricchetti, Director of Arrangements Janice Lee, and Manny Duran.

Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and desserts generously provided by Well Dunn Catering and were surrounded by beautiful floral arrangements from Flowers at 38.