OCT 29, 2013 PROGRAM:
Protocol and Politics in Morocco, Minnesota Style
Sam and Sylvia Kaplan returned to Minnesota in May after three and one-half years in Morocco, Sam as Ambassador, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, and Sylvia, as his partner in all things as far as the State Department protocol would allow.
The Kingdom of Morocco is unique in the Middle East and North Africa. It is safe and stable. Although a monarchy with a highly respected ruler, it has over the years developed many traits of democracy. A country of approximately 32,000,000 people, Morocco is building its infrastructure in a rapid and impressive manner. Morocco is a strong and reliable ally of the United States and cooperates with our country in many critical areas. The people of Morocco are very welcoming and it is a country that attracts significant tourism. The country is not without its challenges particularly in the area of education, and it is attempting to solve those pressing issues.
Sam, a St. Paul native, is a businessman and attorney and is the president of the law firm of Kaplan, Strangis and Kaplan which he co-founded. In addition to his business and professional responsibilities, he is a well known and respected community leader and political activist He and Sylvia were early supporters of Paul Wellstone, Keith Ellison, and RT Rybak, among other candidates that were considered long shots by the political pundits. Sam has been credited with providing the necessary credibility to such candidates by chairing finance committees that were successful in raising the necessary funds for his candidates to succeed. He found all of these experiences to be crucial to his success as United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Sylvia has had multiple careers and interests, including having been a newspaper reporter, a university instructor, a clinical social worker, and a restaurant owner (a role she continues today as the owner of the restaurant Bar Abilene in the Uptown area of Minneapolis.) Most of all, she has been a strong advocate for economic and social justice, believing the greatest contributions for those causes can be made through the political system. She and Sam collaborate completely in the fundraisers they give for political candidates and civic causes and she believes such events must always be structured around good food and drink. In Morocco, Sylvia was fully in charge of the entertaining required at the ambassador's residence, and such occasions were regarded as very special by the diplomatic community.