Stuart Holliday

Ambassador Stuart W. Holliday is the President and CEO of the Meridian International Center, nonprofit organization that works with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. embassies, governments, public and private sector organizations, and leaders worldwide to promote global diplomacy, leadership development, educational, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic policy programs. Holliday is the former U.S. Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, as well as Associate Director of Presidential Personnel.

Early Life and Education

Stuart Holliday was born in Malawi^[1] in 1965 to Josephine and Robert "Bob" Holliday and spent his early years in Paris, France. He grew up around the world in various countries, including Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, nations where his father was sent on diplomatic assignments.

He obtained his B.S.F.S. in International Affairs from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University^[2] , and his M.A., also in International Affairs, from the London School of Economics and Political Science^[3] . Holliday holds a Certificate in Executive Management from the Cox School of Business at SMU, and attended the US Naval Officer Candidate School where he completed the Graduate Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Course.

Early Career

Soon after graduating, Holliday joined the United States Navy in 1988, serving as an intelligence officer for Helicopter Squadron Ten out of Coronado, California, where he tracked Soviet submarine activity in the Pacific. His Reserve Service included the NATO Military Committee as a Commander for the US Navy in Europe, a member of the Allied Forces in Southern Europe and Naval Intelligence Officer. Holliday was recalled to active duty for Operation Desert Storm. He is a recipient of the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.

After he returned from the Nacy, Holliday served as Executive Director of the Dallas Council on World Affairs from 1995-1998, where he directed programs meant to inform and educate citizens in international affairs. The World Affairs Council of Dallas is a member of the Global Ties US network, formerly known as the National Council for International Visitors.^[4] Twenty years later, his career would come full circle when he joined Meridian International Center, another member of Global Ties US.

He was the Regional Director for North Africa, the Middle East and Turkey at the International Republican Institute from 1993-1995, where he worked on political reform and elections and initiated programs to bolster political and economic reforms in nations including Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, West Bank, Western Sahara and Yemen. From 2005-2006, he served as the Director of International Practice for Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a government relations and communications firm.

Career in Politics

In 1992, Holliday was the Veterans Coordinator and National Security Coalition Coordinator for President Bush’s Reelection Campaign. During the campaign, he managed voter outreach and communications with veterans and military supporters. He also acted as liaison with the National Steering Committee, and assembled the national security advisory group for the campaign.

From 1998 to 2000, Holliday served as Policy Advisor to the then Governor of Texas George W. Bush. He oversaw economic development, international trade, technology and military issues, and served as the Governor’s liaison to the National Guard. His relationship with then Bush would jumpstart his career in international politics.

Career in Foreign Affairs

In 2000, Ambassador Holliday followed President Bush to the White House, working as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel. At the White House, he was an advisor to President Bush on presidential appointments in national and international security fields, including the Defense Department, State Department, Veterans Department, FEMA, NASA, OPIC, Peace Corps, and USAID. Holliday also worked with the President’s Cabinet to identify and appoint senior leadership to government agencies including the Department of State (US Ambassadors) and the CIA.

Following 9/11, Holliday was tasked by the President’s Chief of Staff to work with various agencies to staff the first Office of Homeland Security at the White House.

From 2001 to 2003, Holliday was the Coordinator of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. At the Department of State, he led international information, communications and marketing organizations for the U.S. Government as well as part of the government’s overall public diplomacy efforts.

Holliday served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs from 2003 to 2005. At the UN, Holliday served as a Deputy to Permanent U.S. Representatives John Negroponte and Jack Danforth as well as represented the United States in the U.N. Security Council on policy and fiscal issues related to U.N. Peacekeeping, Sanctions, and Counterterrorism programs. He negotiated UN resolutions with other Security Council members on a range of issues, and managed U.S. efforts to address situations in Sudan, Congo, West Africa, Haiti, Cyprus, the Balkans, and East Timor.

Meridian International Center

Holliday has been at Meridian International Center since 2006. As Meridian’s President and CEO, Holliday manages the development of strategic business plans to strengthen programs and private sector engagement, and the establishment of Meridian’s programs in countries such as China, India, France, Spain, and Qatar. Among Holliday’s projects at Meridian are the launch of the Meridian Global Leadership Institute ^[5] for executive education and training programs, and the US Global Leadership Project ^[6] with Gallup to measure and analyze public views of US leadership in more than 140 countries.

Media Appearances

Holliday is a contributor to discussions on international affairs on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CBS, CNBC, CTV, Politico and Huffington Post, as well as several foreign policy and public diplomacy publications including The Washington Diplomat, The Diplomatic Courier, and The Dallas Morning News. Considered an expert on the Middle East and North Africa, Holliday has provided perspectives in major US and international media outlets, including views on: Iran’s Long-term Intentions for Nuclear Negotiations (November 2013),^[7] Russia’s Strategy About Public Diplomacy (September 2013),^[8] UN Security Council’s Response to Chemical Weapons in Syria (August 2013),^[9] Civil Protests in Turkey (June 2013),^[10] President Obama’s visit to the Middle East (March 2013),^[11] Israel/Gaza Conflict (November 2012),^[12] Delicate Diplomacy in the Middle East (November 2012),^[13] Ceasefires Often Fragile in the Middle East (November 2012),^[14] and the UN’s Interventions in Libya.^[15]

Affiliations

Holliday is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations,^[16] and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization’s(YPO).^[17] He serves on the Boards of Directors of the Council of American Ambassadors (CAA),^[18] The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC),^[19] the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES),^[20] and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).^[21] He is former Chair of the US Capital Chapter and Global Diplomacy and Public Policy Network.

Published Works

Holliday has written broadly on international issues over thirty years, with a focus on the development of civil society in the Middle East and North Africa. His published works include papers on Oman, Yemen, and the Western Sahara in 1994, an IRI Fact-Finding Mission to the Western Sahara (1993), and Oman and Popular Participation in Government (1995).

In addition, Holliday regularly writes op-eds on foreign policy issues and international affairs, for The Diplomatic Courier, Politico, and Huffington Post. These include A New Definition of Leadership: Earning the Triple A Rating – Aware, Accessible, Active; South Korea Crisis: A Test for the UN;^[22] and Public Diplomacy That Lasts: The Value of International Visitor Exchanges.^[23]

Speaking Engagements

Holliday often speaks at international conferences and moderates roundtable discussions on major international issues, including:

• Young Professional Organization (YPO) Events
• Georgetown University
• The Washington Diplomat’s Country Promotions Strategies Conference^[24]
• The Diplomatic Courier STEM Connector Conferences^[25]
• The Global Leadership Summit

Personal life

Holliday is married to Gwen Moore Holliday, Vice President of DCI Group and they have two sons.

References