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| The OAS Building Photo: Wikipedia |
Organized by the tireless Dr. Iuliana Niculescu, a Romanian
medical doctor from Detroit, Michigan, the Alianta
Gala was a resounding success. The non-profit group was established to strengthen
the cultural and economic bonds between Romania and the United States,
empowering Romanian and American institutions and individuals from all walks of
life to network, educate, and facilitate opportunities of economic development and
cultural growth that benefit citizens of both nations. www.ALIANTA.org
The president of Alianta,
the now retired U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Mark Gitenstein, made remarks that emphasized
the long connection between the two countries and the desire of this
organization to mutually advance the arts, sciences, business, and security. “Giving
Back” programs are shaping up in three categories: entrepreneurship/business, culture/art, and
science/health.
The evening’s guests included government officials, former ambassadors,
academics, politicians, TV personalities, entrepreneurs, and religious leaders.
They were called upon to raise Romania’s profile in the U.S. by sharing their
expertise and success. As Romanians, we are proud of our heritage and feel honored
to share our collective and individual experiences with others.
The current Ambassador of Romania to the United States of
America, George Cristian Maior, spoke about the successes and opportunities of growth
in the future. The U.S. representative, Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the Romanian
Congressional Caucus co-chair, made brief remarks on the effort to strengthen
the ties between communities and the two countries.
Two curators, Sonia Coman and Ramona Todoca, presented their
own art and designs and various artistic mediums as the message of many painters,
sculptors, and visual artists.
OAS atrium Photo: Ileana Johnson 2015
After the meet and greet reception in the lovely atrium of
the Organization of American States (OAS) building, the gala participants were
directed upstairs. “The architectural wonder of its time,” built in 1910 with a
tropical patio, marbled staircases, galleries, and monumental halls, the OAS mansion
houses the world’s oldest regional organization of 35 countries from the
Americas and the Caribbean.
Majestic staircase Photo: Ileana Johnson 2015
During dinner, the 2015 Alianta
award recipients, Dr. Adrian Bejan, Radu Georgescu, and Robert D. Kaplan,
had an opportunity to give brief speeches.
Dr. Adrian Bejan, the J.A. Jones Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Duke University, has been ranked among the world’s 100 most
highly cited authors in engineering since 2001 on the topics of fluid dynamics,
thermodynamics, and heat transfer. He
recently developed the Constructal Law of organization and evolution in nature.
The author of 28 books and 600 peer-referred articles, Dr. Bejan spoke about
his parents who were able to educate themselves and achieve success in the
pre-era of communism, when Romania was a free society. He emphasized freedom as
an enabler of his success in the post-communist era.
Radu Georgescu, a software entrepreneur since the early
1990s, founded the GECAD Group which focuses on investing in software and
high-tech companies in areas of security software, e-commerce, and cloud
technologies. He launched the RAV Antivirus which was purchased by Microsoft in
2004 and Avangate, which was sold to a U.S. private equity firm. In 2003 he
received the National Order “Romania’s Star” from the President of Romania.
Robert D. Kaplan, bestselling author of 15 books on foreign
affairs and travel, visited Romania in the 1970s and returned in 2013 and in
2014. He will release his newest book in 2016. He spoke about his travels and
his impressions of the former communist Romania and the current Romania.
The Alianta Gala
celebrated in style the Romanian-American non-profit alliance and honored the
achievements of citizens who contributed to the 125 years of fruitful collaboration
and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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