Ia Meurmishvili is a Georgian journalist for Voice of America News who is the wife of Kurt Volker, the former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine and a witness before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Meurmishvili, who was born in the European country of Georgia and now lives with her husband in Washington D.C., previously worked in Congress as a research assistant and as a lobbyist for the Georgian Association in the USA. Meurmishvili, 49, has been a senior editor and anchor at Voice of America since 2009.
The 54-year-old Volker resigned from his position as special representative for Ukraine in September 2019 after his role in the Trump-Ukraine scandal became known. Volker also resigned as the executive director of the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University. Volker, who has previously worked for the State Department, as a legislative fellow to the late Republican U.S. Senator John McCain and as U.S. Ambassador to NATO under President George W. Bush, along with in the private sector. He was previously married to Karen Volker and has two daughters.
Here’s what you need to know about Ia Meurmishvili, Kurt Volker’s wife:
1. Ia Meurmishvili & Kurt Volker Met in 2015 When He Was a Guest on Her TV Show & They Were Married in October 2019
FacebookIa Meurmishvili is the wife of Kurt Volker. They were married in October 2019.
Ia Meurmishvili and Kurt Volker met in 2015 when he was a guest for an interview on her TV show, “Washington Today,” according to Obozrevatal, a Ukrainian news site. Volker proposed to Meurmishvili and they celebrated their engagement in June 2019 at the Hay-Adams Hotel in D.C., according to her Facebook page.
According to Politico, “They met when he was her first guest on her TV show but only got together much more recently. According to Georgian tradition, he needed to ask her father before asking her. So he worked on his Georgian, took him out to dinner and asked in Georgian.”
They were married on October 6 at the Washington National Cathedral.
Meurmishvili wrote on Facebook, “We are so incredibly happy to have found each other and so lucky to share love and happiness together — until death do us part!! It was an amazing evening full of love and support form our dear friends from Kurt’s hometown of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, my home country of Georgia, and so many places in between, and across the United States and Canada!!”
2. Meurmishvili Studied at Tbilisi State Pedagogical University & American University
Meurmishvili attended Tbilisi State Pedagogical University in her native Georgia, graduating with a linguistics and Georgian language degree, according to her Linkedin profile.
She moved to the United States and studied at American University in Washington D.C. from 2004 to 2006, completing her master’s degree in international relations, international relations and affairs and U.S. foreign policy.
3. She Is the Host of ‘Washington Today’ on VOA, Which Is Aired on TV in Georgia & Worldwide Online
Ia Meurmishvili is the host of the TV show “Washington Today” on Voice of America. VOA is a U.S.-government funded multimedia agency that provides coverage of U.S. issues in foreign countries. “Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press,” the VOA website says.
Meurmishvili, who speaks English, Georgian and Russian, has worked as an editor and reporter for Voice of America since 2009, according to the VOA website. She is an expert in Georgia, Russia, South Caucasus, North Caucasus and energy security.
Voice of America says, “In this capacity, she has presented American foreign policy, values and culture to audiences in her native Georgia since 2009 and has interviewed senior American and Georgian leaders, including U.S. Senators, cabinet members, and other senior administration officials. In addition to her work for the Georgian Service, Meurmishvili writes investigative, fact-checking stories for Polygraph.info, a joint VOA/RFE fact-checking publication responding to disinformation and misinformation around the world.”
“Washington Today” airs on the Voice of America TV channel in Georgia and worldwide online.
4. Meurmishvili Worked in the Private Sector, Helped Found the Georgian Center in DC & Served as an Aide to Former Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz Before Getting Into Journalism
It was an honor to participate in the NATO-Georgia public diplomacy forum #NGPDForum and speak at the panel in disconnecting perceptions from reality-conspiracy theories, lies& #FakeNews. #NATODays
Before entering the journalism world, Meurmishvili worked in the private sector, as a Congressional aide and for an NGO.
She was the executive assistant to the president of Finmeccanica North America, Inc., an Italian aerospace company, from 2006 to 2008, accoding to her Linkedin profile. She said she, “Prepared and coordinated guidance for the company foreign executives’ meetings and negotiations with the U.S. government officials. Organized company’s attendance at the largest international air shows and annual international senior executive conferences.”
Meurmishvili was also a Congressional Research Fellow for former Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz. She, “Played lead role in providing staff support to the Congressional Georgia Caucus, briefed Congresswoman Schwartz and her senior foreign policy staff on emerging political, social, economic, and security issues in Georgia, wrote analytical briefs on political, security, economic and social developments in Georgia in order to support Congressional awareness and legislative action.”
She then worked as the executive director of the Georgian Association in the U.S., where she, “Managed the oldest Georgian diaspora organization in the U.S. Managed Association’s budget and it activities, including organizing Association’s meetings with Congressional offices, State Department officials and international business leaders. Organized and established the first-ever Georgian Sunday School in the Washington D.C. area.”
She was a founding board member of the Georgian Center in D.C.
5. Meurmishvili, Who Enjoys Running Triathalons, Has Written for RealClearPolitics Elsewhere About Georgia & Eurasian Issues
#Russia needs to know where #America stands and it stands with #Georgia. @JudgeTedPoe told @voage @iameurmishvili
In her spare time, Meurmishvili, “writes, reads and trains for her next triathlon,” according to the Georgian Center website.
Along with her work at Voice of America, Meurmishvili has also written for other news organizations about Georgia and Eurasian issues. She wrote an article in April 2019 titled, “It’s Time to Press Russia to Implement a Ceasefire with Georgia.”
Meurmishvili was previously married to Michael Maloof, a former Pentagon aide. Maloof lost his security clearance because, in part, of his relationship with Meurmishvili, according to “Sabatoge,” a 2006 book by Rowan Scarborough.