Meridian’s Council on Women’s Leadership Welcomes Bush Institute Fellows

On Monday, March 18, 2013 Meridian International Center and the Council on Women’s Leadership hosted 19 Egyptian women as part of the George W. Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program for a roundtable and “mini-mentoring” sessions, followed by a reception. Meridian’s President and CEO, Ambassador Stuart Holliday, opened the program with welcome remarks, followed by Michele Manatt, Chair of Meridian’s Council on Women’s Leadership, who provided background on the Bush Institute and encouraged the Fellows to introduce themselves.

For the second year in a row, Meridian welcomed the Bush Institute Fellows — who were comprised of women from a variety of professional backgrounds, including media, law, and education — to meet with members of the Council, along with women leaders from the business, diplomatic, and U.S. Government communities. This year, the Fellows were divided into small groups and as part of a “mini-mentorship,” shared challenges and best practices with their counterparts, in brief 25-minute sessions designed to expand their professional networks.

An informal networking reception followed at White-Meyer House, with His Excellency Mohamed M. Tawfik, Ambassador of Egypt to the U.S., greeting the Fellows, along with other attendees representing the diplomatic, corporate, and NGO sectors. Following their time in Washington, DC, the Bush Institute Fellows went first to New York, and then on to California, to close out their U.S. program and visit.