Amb. Stuart Holliday

Ambassador Stuart W. Holliday is President of Meridian International Center, the nation’s premier public diplomacy organization that promotes international understanding through the exchange of people, ideas, and the arts.

Born in Malawi and raised in Europe and the Middle East where his father served in the United States Foreign Service, Ambassador Holliday’s early appreciation of other cultures led him to pursue his accomplished career in international affairs and foreign policy.

He has served as Ambassador to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs—one of the youngest people ever to be appointed as a US ambassador. At the UN, he served as the US representative on key issues before the Security Council, including peacekeeping, counterterrorism and sanctions. Before his appointment to the UN, he was an Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State, coordinating global information outreach efforts. He also served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel. After graduating from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, he served as a Naval Officer and received an M.A. (International Affairs) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ambassador Holliday is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations; the education chair of YPO’s Global Diplomacy and Policy Group; and on the Board of Directors for both the Council of American Ambassadors and IFES (The International Foundation for Electoral Systems). He is also serves on the National Advisory Board of Public Insight, LP (investments).