Healey welcomes King of Jordan to Massachusetts

Gov. Maura Healey rolled out the red carpet Monday to welcome King Abdullah II of Jordan before the two sat down for talks about strengthening trade relations between the Bay State and the Middle Eastern nation.

The head of the House of Hashim pulled up to the State House at 11 a.m. and alighted from a dark SUV. Healey greeted the king alongside her partner, Joanna Lydgate, as the first lady continues to take on a more visible role in the ceremonial aspects of the Corner Office.

After handshakes at the front gate, they walked up the steps and the king entered the capitol through the central doors of the 1795 Bulfinch Entrance. The main doors are specially opened for visiting heads of state.

The steps were lined with Massachusetts National Guard members. The honor guard came from the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 104th Fighter Wing, and 102nd Intelligence Wing. The 54th Infantry Regiment, which is depicted in a bronze memorial across Beacon Street, provided a ceremonial color guard.

Abdullah and Healey made their way to a first-floor meeting room for a business roundtable featuring "representatives of Massachusetts' leading industries" focused on shared "economic ties," Healey's office said.

Massachusetts imported $15.3 million in goods from Jordan in 2023, according to the governor's office. Top imports from Jordan include apparel, electric machinery, and fruit and edible plant parts.

The Bay State's top exports to Jordan include optic, photo, medical, or surgical instruments; vegetables, fruit, and nuts; and electric machinery, sound equipment, and TV equipment. Massachusetts exported $7.3 million in goods to Jordan in 2023, according to Healey's office.

Participants were invited from the health care, life sciences, technology, financial services, and higher education industries, the governor's office said, in addition to Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao; Jeevan Ramapriya, executive director of the Mass. Office of International Trade and Investment; Alaa Batayneh, director of the Office of His Majesty; and Dina Kawar, Jordan's ambassador to the United States.

The list of attendees featured:  Dr. Raymond Liu, vice president of Mass. General Brigham Global Advisory;  Dr. Kerry Ressler, chief scientific officer of Harvard McLean Hospital;  Jeff DiLullo, chief regional leader at Philips North America;  Christopher Viehbacher, president and CEO of Biogen;  Dr. Grace Wang, president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute;  Dr. Peter de Menocal, president and director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution;  Dr. John Shaw, vice provost for research at Harvard University;  Dr. Julie Chen, chancellor of UMass Lowell;  Dr. Duane Boning, vice provost for international activities, Mass. Institute of Technology;  Ms. Rachel Gonzalez, general counsel of GE Vernova;  Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics;  John Hart, co-founder and director of Vulcan Forms;  Daniel Kraft, president and CEO, International Forest Products / The Kraft Group;  and Mostapha Tahiri, executive vice president and COO of State Street Corporation.

The BBC featured Jordan at No. 13 on its recent list of 25 places to travel in 2025, touting "some of the world's most breathtaking desert landscapes" and noting that Jordan "has been quietly building up its reputation as the Middle East's go-to destination for outdoor adventure-seekers."

Abdullah is no stranger to Massachusetts. He attended the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield as part of the Class of 1977, according to the school, and later graduated Deerfield Academy as a member of the Class of 1980.

Deerfield Academy has said Abdullah's time there "inspired him to pursue significant education reforms in Jordan, including the opening of King's Academy," a boarding school modeled on Deerfield.

King of Jordan since 1999, Abdullah reigns over a constitutional monarchy and also has "guardianship" over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, according to Jordan's Department of Palestinian Affairs.

He is bound next for Washington, due to meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House. The meeting follows Trump's recent comments that Jordan should accept the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, Reuters reported.

The king's visit to Boston was originally scheduled for December but was postponed because of weather and flight issues.