Passing the Arts Test for These COVID-19 Times

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Photo credits to Colin D.

This blog post was contributed by Frank F. Islam, who is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader and a member of Meridian’s Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council. Meridian is committed to implementing the arts and culture as an instrument to promote diplomacy and global leadership and exchange. “The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the nation, is close to the center of a nation’s purpose – and is a test to the quality of a nation’s civilization.” – John F. Kennedy COVID-19 put the arts industry to the test in ways not...

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A post-pandemic crisis: The mental toll on America

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Photo credits to PhRMA, The Catalyst.

This blog post was originally published on PhRMA’s The Catalyst and authored by Reza Moghadam, PharmD, MBA, senior director, Population Health & Remote Customer Engagement with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals on the impact of mental health during COVID-19. PhRMA and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals are partners of Meridian, we were recently joined by Mr. Kabir Nath of Otsuka for a Global Business Briefing with Ambassador Sugiyama of Japan.  As we continue to wade through another month of societal paralysis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our country is accelerating quickly toward another potentially more devastating issue that has been ready to boil over for...

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Staying Engaged as American Alumna of State Department International Exchanges

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Full cohort before meeting at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C

Jarrett Fisher, and alumni of the U.S Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program, shared with us the following article written to reflect her continued engagement with the broader Exchange Alumni community – the State Department’s alumni program. Jared was a participant in the 2018 U.S Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program which is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Republic of Korea National Assembly. This unique program is designed to broaden the perspectives of Korean and American young people on the legislative process;...

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PAYLP Alumni Bring Community Momentum to COVID-19 Response in Guinea

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Abigael (right with bookbag) with ADJE members leading a handwashing workshops with community members. Photo credits to AJDE.

The Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program is an exchange program of the U.S. Department of State, implemented by Meridian International Center since 2013. PAYLP Alumni activities are funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. Meridian is proud to support our young alumni, as we work daily to strengthen engagement between the United States and the world through global leadership and international exchange. Sustaining these networks of young leaders is important now more than ever, as it will require hard work by...

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A Need for Corporate Diplomats in the time of COVID-19

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Corporate Diplomacy and Covid-19.

This blog post was contributed by Abby Bowman, a recent Carlos M. Gutierrez Corporate Diplomacy Fellow at Meridian who is now working with a Meridian Corporate Council member organization, AT&T.  As I prepared for my work as the Corporate Diplomacy Fellow at Meridian, I (of course) had no idea that this same timeframe would come to be defined by the global pandemic. I spent my first few months in the historic houses across from Meridian Hill, playing a small role in Meridian’s convenings of U.S. Government officials, foreign Ambassadors, and senior private sector leaders. As in-person gatherings were slowly canceled, and whispers of work-from-home escalated into a new reality, I worried that...

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