Akram R. Elias

Akram Elias

Akram R. Elias has 35+ years of professional experience in the field of international relations and is the co-founder and President of Capital Communications Group, Inc. (“CCG”) an international consulting firm offering a variety of services to government and private clients in the areas of public diplomacy, cultural intelligence, strategic language services, communication strategies, and orientations to Washington, DC.

In the area of Public Diplomacy, Mr. Elias provides briefings on American government, politics, culture and society to dignitaries from around the world visiting the United States under a variety of exchange programs sponsored primarily by the U.S. Department of State.  Over the years, Mr. Elias has briefed thousands of visitors on a variety of topics including, federalism, separation of powers, rule of law and independent judiciary, U.S. foreign policy process, counterterrorism and international security, democratic capitalism, U.S. economic and trade policies, democracy and civil society, lobbying, role of media in a free society, intellectual property rights, women in business and politics, first amendment freedoms and civil liberties.

In the area of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), Mr. Elias conducts seminars to promote the importance of this field in today’s global, interconnected, and asymmetrical environments.  He founded the cultural intelligence division at CCG and provides workshop training and briefings on the subject of cultural intelligence for strategic planners in government and international organizations.  In the area of Cross-Cultural Training, Mr. Elias conducts briefings, seminars, and workshops on a variety of key topics, including cross-cultural communication, cultural adjustment, cultural integration, and negotiation.

Mr. Elias who is also fluent in Arabic and French has traveled overseas as a Public Speaker/Trainer on topics such as American government and politics, foreign policy in a global environment, civil liberties and democracy building, civil society and good governance.  A representative list of countries where he has been invited to speak/train includes Armenia, Belgium, Benin, France, India, Jordan, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Morocco, New Zealand, Panama, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. 

In the area of Leadership Training, Mr. Elias conducts seminars and workshops for young political leaders and social activists from around the world. Themes include effective leadership, coalition building, youth engagement, grassroots campaigns, communication strategies, social entrepreneurship, and good governance. 

Mr. Elias is also a film producer. He has written the original treatment for a documentary by the History Channel entitled, “Mr. Dreyfuss Goes to Washington” and co-produced it with Academy Awards winner Richard Dreyfuss in 2001, and has since appeared in numerous documentaries produced for the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and the Public Broadcasting System in addition to international British, Canadian and German productions.

In the area of Advisory Leadership, Mr. Elias is a member of:

  • Board of Governors, The University Club of Washington DC, also known as the premier diplomatic and international club of the Nation’s Capital; a private club where men and women of good will and thirsty for knowledge come together for fellowship, intellectual enlightenment and to build a better world.
  • Board of Advisors, School of International Service (SIS) at The American University in Washington, DC; SIS has been once again ranked by Foreign Policy Magazine as the top 8th in the nation for its Masters in International Service, and 9th in the nation for its undergraduate programs in international relations.
  • Advisory Council, Global Ties US, a Washington DC-headquartered national network of 90 communities across the United States promoting excellence in Citizen Diplomacy.  Mr. Elias is an advocate of Citizen Diplomacy and travels around the United States speaking to community leaders and citizen groups to the need for American citizens to become more engaged in foreign affairs and promote international understanding.  Previous to joining the Advisory Council, Mr. Elias had served two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors.

Mr. Elias is also a film producer. He has written the original treatment for a documentary by the History Channel entitled, “Mr. Dreyfuss Goes to Washington” and co-produced it with Academy Awards winner Richard Dreyfuss in 2001, and has since appeared in numerous documentaries produced for the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and the Public Broadcasting System in addition to international British, Canadian and German productions. He is currently working on a book titled American by Choice with the hope that his experience as an immigrant who embraced the Great Experiment can serve to reaffirm what makes America exceptional, a nation able to help advance the human condition everywhere.

In recognition of his commitment to the American spirit of service and his dedication to the Great Experiment, Mr. Elias was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 12, 2018. The Medal is awarded to distinguished individuals who embody the spirit of America in their salute to tolerance, brotherhood, diversity and patriotism.  The Medal has been officially recognized by both Houses of Congress as one of the nation’s most prestigious awards and is annually memorialized in the Congressional Record. Since its inception in 1996, recipients of the Medal have included seven Presidents of the United States, Vice-President Joe Biden, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel and Malala Yousafzai, Coretta Scott King, John Sculley, Muhammad Ali, Lee Iacocca and Rosa Parks, among other outstanding Americans.

Prior to establishing CCG in 1998, Mr. Elias, a Lebanese-born American citizen, was a Program Officer and International Trade Consultant at Meridian International Center (1997 – 1998); Program Officer at the Institute of International Education (1996 – 1998) working on professional international exchange programs; and, a Contractor with the U.S. Department of State (1985 – 1995), accompanying delegations of foreign dignitaries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Mr. Elias holds a Masters in International Service (American University, Washington D.C.); a Graduate Certificate in International Finance (Georgetown University, Washington D.C.); and, a BA in Government and politics (University of Maryland, College Park, MD).