The Evolving Role of the CEO and Responsibility of Business

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The following was written by Lisa Osborne Ross, CEO of Edelman U.S. and member of Meridian Board of Trustees. This feature can be found in our recently launched Corporate Systemic Responsibility Report which was the first outcome of our new Responsible Business Diplomacy initiative. T To download the report and read other testimonies, click here. I am an optimist, and that position has at times felt hard to maintain throughout 2020 and 2021. Over the past 18 months, our society has weathered challenges that, imagined five years ago, would have crushed our spirits in mere anticipation. But, for those...

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IVLP Fosters Collaboration as part of 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative

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IVLP Participants meet with representatives from Michigan State University, UCLA, Centre College in Danville, KY, and Kalamazoo College in Michigan

The 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative was originally conceived during President Obama’s administration with the stated goal “to underscore the critical relationship between broader educational opportunity and greater regional prosperity.” The initiative’s central objective is to increase study abroad opportunities between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Over the years, Meridian has worked on multiple projects aimed at building stronger cooperation through this initiative. Most recently, an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project focused on Expanding Sustainable Education Partnerships engaged eight higher education leaders from four Latin American countries exploring future linkages with U.S. educational institutions....

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Reflections on Filipino-American Identity

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The month of October in the U.S. is recognized as Filipino-American History Month and commemorates the arrival of the first Filipinos to North America. The following blog post was contributed by Keanu Gaite, Program Associate for International Visitor Leadership Program Collaborative Services at the Meridian Center for Global Leadership.  For most of my life, I have identified as Filipino. No hyphen. No Filipino-“American.” I would wear hats with “Pinoy” across the brim and shirts embossed with the Philippine flag, presents from titos and titas (also known as uncles and aunts) when they returned from trips to the islands.   But at some point, this cultural pride started to dim. I came to question how connected to...

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A Personal Reflection on the Complexity of Hispanic Heritage Month

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The following blog post was contributed by Kezia McKeague, Director of Latin America Practice at McLarty Associates. As the daughter of a Latin American immigrant to the United States, I applaud the intent of “Hispanic Heritage Month,” even as I often tire of the platitudes so frequently associated with it.  The goal of the annual celebration, as originally conceived in 1968, was to honor the long history of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. These are worthy objectives, to be sure, but we need more than clichés about Hispanic culture to recognize the contributions and needs of the largest minority group in the...

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Improving Partnerships and Collaboration in Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity experts from Africa celebrate the completion of their IVLP project

In May of this year, for the first time ever the GasBuddy mobile app earned the achievement of most downloaded on the U.S. App Store. Overall, total downloads increased almost 20 fold compared to an average day earlier in the year. This was not simply a huge influx of people who wanted to see if they could save an extra three cents a gallon. Rather, a cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., caused a surge of panic buying amidst fears of an impending gas shortage. In early September, Howard University in Washington,...

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