June 16, 2014
Contact: Monique McSween - Phone: (202) 939-5882
No. of pages: 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez Unanimously Elected as New Chairman of
Meridian International Center

Washington, DC: Meridian International Center is pleased to announce that Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez has been unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Secretary Gutierrez has been a member of Meridian's Board of Trustees since 2013, and replaces Governor James J. Blanchard.

Secretary Gutierrez is currently Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group, an international strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm, and brings substantial senior public and private sector leadership experience to Meridian. In September 2012, he received the Meridian Corporate Leader Award.

Prior to joining Albright Stonebridge Group, Secretary Gutierrez was the Vice Chairman of the Institutional Clients Group for Citigroup and a member of the Senior Strategic Advisory Group.

As the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 2005 to 2009, Secretary Gutierrez was responsible for heading a Cabinet agency with almost 40,000 employees and a $6.5 billion budget focused on promoting American business at home and abroad. During his tenure as Secretary, he worked with foreign government and business leaders to advance economic relationships, enhance trade, and promote U.S. exports. Secretary Gutierrez also played a key role in the passage of landmark free trade agreements that strip away trade barriers, expand export opportunities, and boost global investment.

Secretary Gutierrez was born in Havana, Cuba. He joined the Bush administration in 2005 after spending nearly 30 years with Kellogg Company, a global manufacturer and marketer of well-known food brands. After assignments in Latin America, Canada, Asia, and the United States, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Kellogg in 1999 -- the youngest CEO in the company's 100-year history and the only Latino at the time serving as CEO of a Fortune 500 company. In April 2000, he was named Chairman of the Board of Kellogg Company, and in 2004, he was dubbed by Fortune Magazine as "The Man Who Fixed Kellogg".

Secretary Gutierrez is a leader on the issue of immigration reform, and serves as a National Trustee at the University of Miami and as a visiting scholar at the University's Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies. He is also on the Boards of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Met Life, Inc., and Time Warner, Inc.

In describing his new role as Chairman of Meridian's Board of Trustees, Secretary Gutierrez stated that: "Meridian International Center is on the cutting-edge of diplomacy and global leadership development, and I am honored to have the opportunity as Chairman of the Board of Trustees to strengthen the international collaboration and conversation that this organization facilitates."

On announcing Secretary Gutierrez's Chairmanship, President and CEO of Meridian International Center, Ambassador Stuart W. Holliday stated: "We are honored to have Secretary Carlos Gutierrez as the new Chairman of our Board of Trustees. Secretary Gutierrez is perfectly suited to advance Meridian's role as a premier international leadership organization and provides valuable insight and experience across borders, cultures, and sectors."

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About Meridian International Center 
Headquartered in Washington, DC, Meridian International Center is a premier international leadership organization that provides valuable insight and experiences across borders, cultures, and sectors.

Meridian works with U.S. Department of State, partners in the government, private, NGO, and educational sectors globally to create lasting international partnerships through leadership programs and cultural exchanges. Meridian also connects U.S. and foreign governments with the private sector to respond to global challenges and sustain impact.

Meridian's mission is to create innovative exchange, educational, cultural, and policy programs that advance three goals:

• Strengthen U.S. engagement with the world through the power of exchange
• Prepare public and private sector leaders for a complex global future
• Provide a neutral forum for international collaboration across sectors