Washington, DC – On May 2, 2019, the Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) will host its 15th annual Gala Dinner at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C. At this year’s Gala dinner, the Coalition’s Board will honor Ambassador Colleen Bell, former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary (2014-2017) and Media/Business Executive.
This award is bestowed annually to those individuals and/or institutions, who have made significant contributions to strengthening transatlantic relations, assisted the Coalition’s educational and cultural programs, and helped our organization support our brethren in the Carpathian basin.
Ambassador Colleen Bell has been a long-time supporter of the Coalition and many Hungarian American organizations and initiatives. As Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy Budapest, Ambassador Bell supervised a team of over 300 staff members and lead collaboration and engagement on military cooperation, law enforcement and economic/commercial relations between the U.S. and Hungary. In addition to leading embassy operations, Ambassador Bell focused on empowering her team and consistently encouraging high levels of engagement and productivity. Ambassador Bell was the first woman awarded the Dr. Iván Völgyes award for business promotion from the Chamber of Commerce. She also received the Order of Merit Middle Cross, which is the second highest State Order of Hungary. The Foreign Minister presented Bell the award before her departure from Post on January 20, 2017. Read Ambassador Bell’s full profile here.
The proceeds of the Gala Dinner will benefit the Coalition’s scholarship programs that support Hungarians from across the Carpathian Basin as they pursue college degrees in the US and the region. The Dr. Elemér and Éva Kiss Scholarship has been awarded to over 200 students to attend US university programs over the past 22 years. The Bognár Family Hungarian Scholarship Fund has helped 238 students from across the Carpathian Basin attend local colleges since the Coalition began administering this program in 2014. The John N. Lauer Leadership Training Program (formerly Coalition Internship Program) has provided invaluable internship experiences in Washington DC for more than 100 talented young Hungarians from Hungary, the Carpathian Basin and the US. These interns return to their home country with public policy experience, a better understanding of democracy in the US and a professional network in their area of interest.
For more information on tickets, please contact Noemi Banhidi, Program Coordinator at hac@hacusa.org.