My workaround for this problem was to move from my MacBookPro to an HP laptop running Windows 8 to complete this project.
Because I'm using Adobe CC, I was able to install Illustrator on the Windows laptop. So I open my AI file on the HP, then copy the contents I want to bring into PowerPoint. Then in PowerPoint, I use the Paste Special option (first section in the Home ribbon), then choose Enhanced Metafile (Format). Once the graphic is pasted in, I then Ungroup it to convert it to an editable Microsoft Office drawing object.
You can also right-click and paste picture into PowerPoint, then Ungroup it to get an editable drawing object.
So the short answer is that (as far as I know), this has to be done on a Windows system.