The Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP) is honored to
announce that H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia, will attend the fourth annual
ACAP conference on Friday, Sept. 20 in Cleveland, Ohio and will give the keynote address at the gala dinner that
evening.
The ACAP conference will bring together professionals from all facets of the U.S. and international professional
community—such as diplomats, scientists, artists, engineers, medical professionals, attorneys, journalists,
business executives, social media specialists, accountants, as well as a delegation from the Croatian Chamber of
Economy.
“I am very honored and humbled that President Grabar-Kitarović, the leader of our homeland that we so love,
will be an integral part of our conference weekend. She played a major role during our infancy in encouraging
the idea of an organization of Croatian professionals in North America. It’s a special distinction to have Her
Excellency give the keynote address at our gala,” says Marko Zoretic, President, ACAP.
The conference commences with a welcome event the evening of Thursday, Sept. 19 at the American-Croatian
Lodge in Eastlake, Ohio, the heart of the Cleveland Croatian community since 1984. The first day of the two-day
conference and evening gala and award dinner will take place on Friday, Sept. 20 at the Cleveland Marriott
Downtown at Key Tower (1360 West Mall Drive, Cleveland, Ohio 44114). The remainder of the conference
activities—meetings of the ACAP professional groups, breakout sessions, business spotlights, sightseeing and
social activities—will take place in downtown Cleveland on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Notable conference speakers include: Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, Cleveland Clinic CEO and President; Elvis Grbac,
former NFL quarterback; Josip Novakovic, award-winning author; Mladen Golubic, MD, PhD, Medical Director,
Cleveland Clinic Center for Lifestyle Medicine; and Robert Jerin, genealogist.
Her Excellency attended the inaugural ACAP conference in Washington D.C. in 2015. This is her first official trip,
as President of Croatia, to Cleveland.“We are all proud of our Croatian heritage and President Grabar-Kitarović’s presence speaks volumes about her
commitment to ACAP and Croatians in the diaspora,” says Zoretic.