We went to the eighth annual Embassy Celebration Dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The dinner, co-hosted by the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Events DC, highlighted the Washington area’s pivotal role in the international business and trade community. We snapped Ambassador of Colombia to the United States Juan Carlos Pinzón; Chamber president/CEO Angela Franco; acting assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte and chair of the GWHCC International Committee, Syddia Lee-Chee.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro. Mari won the Community Service Award for her unwavering service to the Latin American community, as well as her trailblazing role as the first-ever Latina to serve as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Guests enjoyed a live performance by singer/guitarist Jorge Anaya and were treated with dark chocolate and coffee samples from Colombia. Here, GCI Group principal consultant Brent Gulick, Monica Rutherford and her husband Lt. Governor of Maryland Boyd Rutherford.