Supporting the US/Romania Alliance
Founded in 2013 by Ambassador Mark Gitenstein (now US Ambassador to the EU) and business, academic, and community leaders, Alianta is the Washington, DC-based national organization of American and Romanian individuals, companies and other institutions working to strengthen the cultural, economic, and security ties between the United States and Romania.
Major Initiatives: Advocacy, Networking, and Promotion
Advocacy
Visa Waiver.
Since its founding, Alianța has supported efforts to end discrimination in the US visa system against Romanian citizens. Alianța works with members of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the travel industry, and interested Americans. The 2021 and 2022 Alianța Summits include Roundtables with leading experts, government officials, and business leaders focusing on strategies to achieve it.
Alianța for Ukraine.
As a frontline state to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Romania is critical to US and NATO security. Thus, the US/Romania alliance has never been more important. To support both nations’ efforts since February 24, Alianța has:
• partnered with Romanian United Fund, Rotary Club Piatra Neamt, and other charities to help Romanians help Ukrainian refugees.
• spoken out publicly and in direct communication with members of Congress and the Biden Administration in support of US military and other aid to Ukraine and Romania.
• provided recommendations to the White House and DHS on ways to ease the ability of Ukrainian refugees in Romania to come to the US.
• worked closely with the Central and Eastern European Coalition and DC-based think tanks to coordinate advocacy.
• highlighted the Romanian role in Ukraine’s defense in our Conversation Series and video reports from the Romanian/Ukraine border.
Networking
Annual Gala in Washington, DC.
Bringing together top government, business, and professional leaders from across America and Romania, the Annual Gala has become the premier event to highlight all aspects of the partnership. Past honorees have included President George W. Bush, Oracle CEO Safra Katz, Anastasia of Beverly Hills, Ford Motor Company, basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and more.
Conversation Series with High-level Experts.
Since 2020, Alianta has hosted over 30 conversations with guests such as Ambassador Sorin Ducaru (Director of European Union Satellite Center) Anca Dragu (President of the Romanian Senate) Ambassador Robert Hunter (Former US Ambassador to NATO), David Muniz (DCM of US Embassy to Romania), Mircea Geoana (Deputy Secretary General of NATO), Dr. Raed Arafat (“anti-“covid czar”), General Wesley K. Clark (Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO), Vladyslav Rashkovan (Representative of Ukraine at the IMF Executive Board), Liviu Voinea (Representative of Romania at the IMF Executive Board) and more. The Conversation Series covered security, business, COVID-19, investment,the war in Ukraine, cybersecurity, sports, and charities. Thousand view Conversations and most are accessible now on Alianța’s YouTube channel.
Annual High-level Summit Roundtables in Washington DC.
Immigration, visa waiver, business and cybersecurity are just few of the main topics that are discussed at Alianța’s roundtables every year. In the past 5 years we had high level panelists such us Cristina Scheau (Director of Engineering in AI/machine learning at Facebook), Razvan Atim (Head of Sales Eastern Europe, UiPAth), Eric Stewart (Director American-Romanian Business Council), Marius Dan (Franklin Templeton Romania), Jay Burgess (Former Director, Office of European Country Affairs, U.S. Dept. of Commerce) and more.
Partnerships with Romanian Cities and Regions.
Since 2019, Alianța has partnered with various regions of Romania at our annual Gala and Summit, to give them a chance to promote themselves and connect with our network of Americans. Our first partnership focused on the Maramureș Region, while in 2021 we had the participation of one of the most strategic regions in the area, the Black Sea city of Constanta. This year, 2022, Alianta is partnering with Dolj County.
Romanian Friends of Alianța.
The Romanian-based organization is the sister-organization of Alianta which holds networking and business events in Romania. Events such as “US Embassy Economic and Policy Priorities”, and “Friendsgiving” are attended by former US Ambassadors, various officials, businessmen, and other parties interested in expanding economic relations between the US and Romania. The Romanian Friends of Alianța members join every year in person at the Gala and Summit in Washington D.C.
Membership Services Program.
This year, Alianța launched a membership program multinational network of connections. This program gives members an opportunity for a more
designed for interested professionals and businesses to benefit from year-round interaction with Alianța’s interactive relationship with Alianța and its network. Members are invited to participate in exclusive members-only events, as well as the annual Gala and Summit in Washington, DC.
Supporting the Romanian American Community.
Alianța is a founding member of the Federation of the Romanian-American Organizations, which represents organizations of Romanian-Americans.
Promotion
Helping Romanian Americans Count in 2020 Census.
Alianța designed and ran the social media campaign, in cooperation with the Romanian Embassy, community and religious groups, to make American of Romanian heritage aware they could note their heritage on Question 9 of the 2020 US Census.
US Charities Helping Romanians In Need.
Every year Alianța partners with an American charity that provides important services in Romania. In 2021, we partnered with Romanian Children’s who raise money for Romanian children and families in need and support them to prevent child abandonment. This year, Alianța is partnering with The Alex Fund/Ovidiu.ro, to help in the efforts to transform kindergartens in disadvantaged areas into seedbeds of literacy.
Scholarships for Romanian American Students.
Since 2017, dozens of high school students from all over the United States have been the recipients of the Romanian American National Heritage Awards aka Alianța Gala Junior, which included: top prize $1,000, second $500, third $250. Past winners of the awards have been admitted to top colleges and universities such as Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, Wesleyan, Duke, and others.
Partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Since 2020, Alianța has partnered with the Romanian Cultural Institute (RCI) to promote each other’s activities as well as to produce joint events.
Partnership with Welcome.US.
Welcome.us is a new national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge in the US. Among other initiatives for Ukrainian refugees, Alianța partnered with Welcome.US to support the work of this initiative in welcoming Ukrainian refugees.