DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT
The Washington Diplomat
November 2012
44th Annual Meridian Ball
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian photos: thomas coleman
From left, Ambassador of Ukraine Olexander Motsyk, his wife Natalia Terletska, and Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Muktar Djumaliev enjoy the gardens of Meridian House, an architectural treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ronald Cook and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
From left, President and CEO of the Meridian International Center Ambassador Stuart Holliday and his wife Gwen Moore Holliday join Jay L. Johnson and Sydney McNiff Johnson, co-chairs of the 44th Annual Meridian Ball and Global Leadership Summit, for desserts and dancing at the 2012 Meridian Ball, the largest ball in the center’s history.
Ambassador of Switzerland Manuel Sager and his wife Christine Sager attend the 44th Meridian Ball, which was preceded in the daytime by the first-ever Meridian Global Leadership Summit held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
From left, Nuha Shiblie, Publisher of The Washington Diplomat Victor Shiblie, Gladys Boluda of the State Department’s Protocol Office, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago Neil Parsan, Melissa Beale, wife of the Barbados ambassador Leila Beale, and Ambassador of Morocco Rachad Bouhlal attend the 44th Meridian Ball.
Gabrielle de Kuyper of Austin, Texas, gives her husband, Ambassador of the Netherlands Rudolf Simon Bekink, a warm embrace at the 44th Annual Meridian Ball. Bekink was among the ambassadors who hosted intimate dinners at their residences and embassies throughout Washington, D.C., after which guests headed to the Meridian International Center for desserts and dancing.
Ambassador of Albania Gilbert Galanxhi and his wife Etleva Galanxhi attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball, which gathered more than 800 top corporate, government and diplomatic leaders, as well as young professionals.
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian
From left, wife of the former Afghan ambassador Shamim Jawad, U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall, wife of the Monaco ambassador Ellen Noghès, and Marie Therese Royce, a Meridian Trustee and wife of Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
Ambassador of Georgia Temuri Yakobashvil and his wife Yana Fremer attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian
Loran Aiken, left, and Ashley Taylor Bronczek were the co-chairs of the Meridian Ball’s White Meyer House dinner.
Kristi Rogers and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) were the congressional committee co-chairs of the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
Gitte Pederson, left, and Ambassador of Denmark Peter Taksoe-Jensen attend the 44th Meridian Ball, preceded by ambassador-hosted dinners throughout the city, as well as Meridian’s dinner inside the White Meyer House.
From left, Grace Bender, interior designer Aniko Gaal Schott, and Lotti Letanóczky, wife of the Hungarian deputy chief of mission, attend the 44th Meridian Ball, sponsored by General Dynamics, FedEx, Turkish Airlines and other corporations.
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian
Photo: Joyce N. Boghosian
Former Michigan Gov. James J. Blanchard, chairman of Meridian’s Board of Trustees, and his wife Janet Blanchard attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
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From left, Mandy Ourisman, Meridian Trustee Mary M. Ourisman, Edilia Gutierrez, and former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez attend the 44th Meridian Ball.
From left, Moroccan Embassy Counselor Saida Zaid, The Washington Diplomat Managing Editor Anna Gawel, and wife of the Moroccan ambassador Fatiha Bennani attend the 44th Meridian Ball.
Ambassador of Liechtenstein Claudia Fritsche, left, and Dr. Michael Olding of George Washington University Hospital attend the 44th Annual Meridian Ball.
The gardens of the Meridian International House are illuminated by candlelight for the 44th Meridian Ball, which set a new fundraising record by raising $1 million to support Meridian’s mission of promoting public diplomacy and global leadership through the exchange of ideas, people and culture.
The Washington Diplomat
November 2012