Bogdan Banu serves as the Senior Director for Program Management in the Meridian Center for Global Leadership. With over two decades of experience working in the international exchanges industry, as Director, he oversees the division’s overall relationship with U.S. Embassies globally, private and corporate partners, and other governmental entities to ensure the successful implementation of short-term study tours and virtual exchange programs. Additionally, he serves as the Program Director for the Central and Eastern Europe Journalist Fellowship Program, a U.S. Embassy Paris funded exchange program.

He ensures the program successfully strengthens local and regional press, along with improving the sustainability of citizen-generated media in Central and Eastern Europe. He also manages the U.S. Speaker Programs for India, Brazil, North Macedonia, and Europe, and the Department of State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs’ Science Envoy Programs. Prior to that, he served as the Program Director of the U.S. Congress – Korean National Assembly Exchange Program, Meridian second-longest-running exchange program, which for over 20 years has brought together Congressional interns and students from the two countries for a unique opportunity to broaden their understanding of the U.S.-Korean bilateral relations; for the White-House sponsored Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) and for other highly customized programs for private clients including Visa Corp. and Cargill. He also managed all the international development grants awarded to Meridian by the U.S. Department of State and USAID, including projects in Iraq, Iran, and the West Bank. As a Program Officer, he implemented over 200 short-term professional exchanges for foreign officials and dignitaries coming to the U.S. as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program or as guests of various U.S. Embassies abroad.

In addition to his work at Meridian, Bogdan serves from time to time as an International Election Observer with the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and has participated in observation missions in Belarus, Romania, Ukraine, and the United States. He is a frequent presence on Romanian media having appeared both as a guest and as an election expert on Romania’s National Radio and TV Broadcasters – TVR and TVR International, Digi 24, Antena 1, Antena 3, Europa FM, Pro TV, Prima TV, Alepth TV, and also on TVR Moldova.

Bogdan is the President and Founder of Romanians of DC a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization working to bring together the Romanians and Moldovans living in the greater Washington, DC area and to promote Romanian culture and traditions to a wider American audience. He also served for over 10 years as President of the Association of Students and Young Professionals from Romania in the DC area, better known as ASTROM, the largest Romanian-American association in the Nation’s Capital. In this capacity, he has overseen the development and implementation of 450 professional activities and cultural programs. To build and promote the Romanian community in the Washington, DC area. This activity has also given him the unique opportunity to meet and interact with officials at the highest levels from Romania and the Republic of Moldova.