ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Moore this morning hosted His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and executives from Maryland higher education institutions and the private sector for a roundtable discussion at the Maryland State House. Maryland’s leading industries—including academia, biotechnology, engineering, research, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, financial services, and technology—were all in attendance.

To open the meeting, Governor Moore and His Majesty the King both offered remarks of welcome. The governor then facilitated a roundtable discussion for attendees to learn more about potential trade, investment, and partnership opportunities between the State of Maryland and Jordan.

Along with Governor Moore and His Majesty King Abdullah II, officials from the State of Maryland and the Jordanian government present for the roundtable discussion included:

- Her Excellency Dina Kawar, Jordanian Ambassador to the United States
- His Excellency Alaa Batayneh, Director (Chief of Staff) of His Majesty’s Office, Kingdom of Jordan
- His Excellency Moath Zoubi, Director of the Political Affairs Directorate, Kingdom of Jordan
- His Excellency Nart Bouran, Director of the Media and Communications Directorate, Kingdom of Jordan
- His Excellency Tareq Abu Ghazaleh, Director of Vision Oversight Directorate, Kingdom of Jordan
- The Honorable Susan C. Lee, Secretary of State, State of Maryland
- The Honorable Kevin Anderson, Secretary of Commerce, State of Maryland
- Ms. Mouna Aissaoui, Chief Executive Officer, Pompeian, Inc.
- Mr. Peter Chapman, Chief Executive Officer, IonQ
- Mr. Jesse Christopher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Longeviti
- Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, Provost, The Johns Hopkins University
- Mr. Brendan Foley, President and Chief Executive Officer, McCormick and Company
- Mr. Ricky Hanna, Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, ION Storage Systems
- Mr. Shyam Kambeyanda, President and Chief Executive Officer, ESAB Corporation
- Mr. Thomas Kelly, President, Aerotek
- Mr. Troy Lemaile-Stovall, President and Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Technology Development Corporation
- (TEDCO)
- Ms. Leeny Oberg, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Marriott International
- Dr. Jay Perman, Chancellor, University System of Maryland
- Mr. Eddie Resende, President, World Trade Center Institute
- Ms. Nancy Zuizin Schlegel, Vice President of International Government Affairs, Lockheed Martin International
- Ms. Kelly Schulz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Tech Council
- Mr. Robert Sharps, President and Chief Executive Officer, T. Rowe Price
- Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Dr. Mohan Suntha, President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Maryland Medical Systems
- Mr. Amit Yoran, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tenable

The meeting concluded after noon.