Gloria Duffy
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Gloria Charmian Duffy (born September 4, 1953) is a former
U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, t ...
official, businesswoman, social entrepreneur and nonprofit executive. Since 1996, she has been the president, CEO and a member of the Board of Governors of the
Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to ...
, America's largest and oldest public forum, founded in 1903. From 2010 to 2017 she led the acquisition, financing, design, entitlements and construction of the club's first headquarters building, at 110 The Embarcadero in San Francisco. The grand opening for the club's new building took place on September 12, 2017. The building received a 2016 California Heritage Council award for historic preservation. In February, 2022 Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi appointed Duffy to be a member of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. The Strategic Posture Commission submitted its report to the Congress and the Executive Branch in October, 2023.


Early life and education

Duffy attended public schools in
Lafayette, California Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary ...
, and began working in her family's real estate and land development office while a student at M. H. Stanley Middle School in 1965. She also taught sports to developmentally and intellectually challenged kids at Las Trampas School, through Futures Explored in Lafayette. She graduated from
Acalanes High School Acalanes High School is a public secondary school located in Lafayette, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, within Contra Costa County. Acalanes was the first of four high schools established in the Acalanes Union High Sch ...
in 1971, completing a full curriculum of life science courses. She excelled in Spanish, receiving a medal for her proficiency from the National Society of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. She was the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, ''The Blueprint''. While a student, she served on the Lafayette School District's Drug Education Committee. She also co-founded, with her classmate Dr. Donald Goff, the Lafayette Youth Services Commission, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2021. Duffy holds a 1975 A.B. degree ''magna cum laude'' from
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...
in Los Angeles, where her general studies track was science and human values, her major was interdisciplinary studies, she was a College Scholar and she was co-editor-in-chief of ''The Occidental Weekly'', the campus newspaper. She was on the college's Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee. Duffy holds a doctorate, an M.Phil. and an M.A. in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
, from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in New York, where she was a Presidents' Fellow, studied with the late Marshall D. Shulman, and was a research assistant to
Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzeziński (, ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), known as Zbig, was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was Jimmy Carter's National Securi ...
prior to his appointment as National Security Advisor to President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
. She was also research assistant to Dr. Gordon Adams. Her master's thesis was on the impact of US and Soviet policies in Iran and Iraq in the early 1970s on the two countries' Kurdish populations, completed with support from the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...
in Washington, D.C., where she was a Humanitarian Policy Studies Fellow in the summer of 1976. After completing her coursework at Columbia at the end of 1976, Duffy worked as a resident consultant at the
Rand Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...
in Santa Monica, California and then as Communications Director at the
Arms Control Association The Arms Control Association is a United States–based nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1971, with the self-stated mission of "promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies." The group publishes ...
in Washington, D.C., before returning to academia to complete her Ph.D. In 1980, Dr. Coit Blacker invited Duffy to become an Arms Control Fellow at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
's Arms Control Program (later renamed the Center for International Security and Arms Control or CISAC). Duffy held a Hubert H. Humphrey Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, from the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, which supported the preparation of her Columbia University doctoral thesis while at CISAC, on the impact of US domestic politics on the non-ratification of the
SALT II The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ...
Treaty. She was one of four female fellows Blacker recruited, notable in the largely male international security and arms control field, including
Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...
, who later became National Security Advisor to President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and Secretary of State; the late Janne Nolan, and Cynthia Roberts. Duffy and Rice lived together in a rented house in
Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...
. Nolan began calling the group "the Fellowettes," a name that stuck and the group became life-long friends and colleagues.


Career

Duffy has had a varied career, including research, journalism, education, business, management, scientific collaboration and research funding, philanthropy, public service at the local and national levels, defense and arms control policy, international arms negotiations, conflict resolution and real estate management and development. She has founded, been President/CEO and chaired the board of a number of projects and organizations, including the CEO of three organizations for a total of 41 years. Organizations she has founded, co-founded, of which she has chaired the board or was President and CEO include the Lafayette Youth Services Commission, Global Outlook,
Ploughshares Fund Ploughshares Fund is a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons, and to prevent conflicts that could lead to their use. Ploughshares Fund is a 501(c)(3) foundation that pools cont ...
, the World Forum of
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
,
CRDF Global Civilian Research and Development Foundation Global (CRDF Global) is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes safety, security, and sustainability through science and innovation. CRDF Global was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 199 ...
, the
Guadalupe River Park The Guadalupe River Park is a city park in San Jose, CA. It is a 120-acre park on the banks of the Guadalupe River for about 2.6 miles in the downtown. It was opened in 2005 after the adjoining section of the river was lined with concrete for ...
Conservancy and the
Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to ...
.


RAND Corporation

From 1977 to 1978, Duffy was a Resident Consultant at the RAND Corporation in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. RAND was supporting the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation (INFCE) for the US Department of Energy. Duffy authored a study for INFCE of Soviet nuclear exports and non-proliferation policies.


Arms Control Association

From 1978 to 1980 she was Communications Director of the Arms Control Association, in Washington, D.C. and editor of its publication, Arms Control Today, which she and her colleagues improved and upgraded.


CISAC at Stanford

Duffy was associated for 38 years with CISAC at Stanford, returning as a fellow in residence from 1985 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1996, teaching, participating in several policy research projects and leading one of them, and editing/authoring two books. She served on the Board of Visitors, renamed the International Advisory Board, of the Freeman Spogli Institute, of which CISAC is a part, at Stanford for 22 years. She reflected on the early history of CISAC, the impact of its work and her colleagues including physicists Dr. Sidney Drell and Dr. Wolfgang Panofsky, Dr. Condoleezza Rice and the other "fellowettes," Dr. Blacker, China scholar Dr. John Lewis, Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry and others at CISAC at its 25th anniversary commemoration in 2009. She also spoke about the impact of the Arms Control Program's founder, and CISAC's first co-director, Dr. John Lewis, at a conference commemorating his legacy, held at Stanford in January, 2018.


Ploughshares Fund

In 1982, Duffy become the first executive director of a start-up organisation,
Ploughshares Fund Ploughshares Fund is a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons, and to prevent conflicts that could lead to their use. Ploughshares Fund is a 501(c)(3) foundation that pools cont ...
, a public foundation initiated in San Francisco by philanthropist
Sally Lilienthal Sally Ann Lilienthal (March 19, 1919 – October 24, 2006), née Lowengart, was an American nuclear disarmament activist who founded the Ploughshares Fund in 1981 during the Cold War in the belief that the threat of nuclear war overshadowed ev ...
, former
Nixon Administration Richard Nixon's tenure as the 37th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974, in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office, the ...
official Lewis H. Butler and others. Ploughshares Fund works directly and provides grants to individuals and institutions working to diminish the threats of nuclear war and nuclear proliferation. She was executive director, 1982–1984, setting up initial grantmaking guidelines and procedures, helping to shape the funding priorities and process, and undertaking a number of special projects. During her tenure, Ploughshares funded a project between the US
Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicag ...
and the
Soviet Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...
to establish and collect data from seismic stations near the Soviet Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, demonstrating that seismic monitoring of low-level nuclear tests was possible. Demonstrating the verifiability of a low-threshold nuclear test ban enabled the United Nations to adopt the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nati ...
in 1996. In the years since, she has been on both the board of directors and the advisory board of Ploughshares Fund. She is currently a member of the advisory board.


John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

From 1984 to 1985, Duffy worked with Ruth Adams at the
MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6 billion and ...
in the creation of its International Peace and Security Program. In 1992 to 1993 she returned to the Foundation to assist in creating a funding program in the former Soviet Union and in the establishment of its
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
office. She was in the 1980s and 1990s on the selection committee for the International Peace and Security Program's research and writing grants.


Global Outlook

In 1985, Duffy founded the independent research institute Global Outlook, based in Palo Alto, California which focused on US-Soviet relations and international security in the nuclear age. She was its president and CEO until 1993. Global Outlook undertook research, public policy advising and public education on issues including arms control treaty compliance and dispute resolution, the political psychology of the nuclear arms race, the sources and implications of "new thinking" about international relations under the
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Commu ...
leadership in the Soviet Union and verification of a chemical weapons treaty. Global Outlook also worked with new parliamentary leaders in the former Soviet countries to assist in their transition to civil society and civilian oversight of national security. Books authored by Global Outlook staff included ''Compliance and the Future of Arms Control'' by Gloria Duffy, Greg Dalton, Matthew State and Leo Sartori; ''Minds at War'' by Steven Kull, and ''Burying Lenin'' by Steven Kull. Global Outlook's project on arms control compliance led to a 1987 hearing before the
United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affair ...
on the validity of cases the
Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...
was making that the Soviet Union was cheating on arms control agreements, at which Duffy and other Stanford and Global Outlook experts testified. Between 1991 and 1993, Global Outlook held six consultations among parliamentary leaders of the new Independent States and American national security and arms control experts, Members of Congress and Congressional staff members. Topics included the role of parliamentary committees in oversight of national security, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and control of nuclear exports, the transition from defense economies to peacetime productivity, legislative oversight of the defense budget, war powers and legislative oversight and the arms trade in a transitional economy. The reports from the conferences were published by Global Outlook. Global Outlook staff and fellows later founded or led organizations, institutes and programs. These include Global Outlook Senior Research Associate and psychologist Dr. Steven Kull who founded and leads several public opinion research organizations, including Voice of the People; Deputy Director Greg Dalton who founded and heads
Climate One ''Climate One'' is a weekly podcast and radio program, aired on more than 60 public radio stations around the U.S. A special project of The Commonwealth Club of California, Climate One is based in San Francisco, California. Through its podcast, ...
, at the Commonwealth Club; Global Outlook Deputy Director Dr. Ruth Shapiro, who founded and has headed several organizations, including the Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society in Hong Kong; Global Outlook Deputy Director Leslie Saul Garvin went on to work in positions at
3Com 3Com Corporation was an American digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney and others. Bill Krause joined as President in 1981. Metcalfe ex ...
and Siemans Corporations and at TechNet, and is a Senior Program Officer at the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University; Leonid Zagalsky, a Russian journalist who joined Global Outlook in 1992 after his
Knight Fellowship The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford is a paid 9-month journalism fellowship at Stanford University. It is one of 20 such programs available in the US for working journalists. It is connected to the School of Humanities and Scien ...
at Stanford, became a Contributing Editor of the
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...
and a project coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, then returned to Russia to produce independent films.; Dr. Matthew State], a research associate at Global Outlook, who is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the
University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...
; Dr. Karen Peabody O'Brien], a research associate at Global Outlook, who went on to work for the W. Alton Jones Foundation, and founded the Advancing
Green Chemistry Green chemistry, similar to sustainable chemistry or circular chemistry, is an area of chemistry and chemical engineering focused on the design of products and processes that minimize or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Wh ...
Institute, and Dr. Kiron Skinner, research associate at Global Outlook, who was the
Director of Policy Planning The director of policy planning is the United States Department of State official in charge of the department's internal think tank, the policy planning staff, with a rank equivalent to assistant secretary. The position has traditionally been he ...
at the US Department of State, co-authored two books on President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, and is the founding Director of the Institute for Politics and Strategy at
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
. Funders of Global Outlook included the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the United States Institute of Peace, The Compton Foundation,
Rockefeller Family The Rockefeller family ( ) is an American Industrial sector, industrial, political, and List of banking families, banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the History of the petroleum industry in th ...
Associates, the Winston Foundation, the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, the S.H. Cowell Foundation, the W. Alton Jones Foundation and the
Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...
. Board members were Dr. Coit Blacker, Chair; Hon. Margaret Carpenter,
Denis Hayes Denis Allen Hayes (born August 29, 1944) is an environmental advocate and an advocate for solar power. He rose to prominence in 1970 as the coordinator for the first Earth Day. Hayes founded the Earth Day Network and expanded it to more tha ...
, the late Dr. Janne E. Nolan and Susan Reed Clark. Advisory Board members were the late George Bunn, the late Dr. Alexander George, Michael Krepon, Dr. Robert Legvold, the late Dr. Wolfgang Panofsky, the late Dr. Marshall Shulman, Colette Shulman, Wayne Silby and the late Dr. Richard Smoke. Global Outlook closed in 1993, after Duffy and Blacker were appointed to positions in the Clinton Administration.


DoD and Dismantling WMD in the former Soviet Union

Duffy served as
deputy assistant secretary of defense Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...
, Special Coordinator for Cooperative Threat Reduction, and secretary of defense representative and deputy head to the safety, security and dismantlement talks, under Defense Secretaries
Les Aspin Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician and economist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st co ...
and
William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...
and Assistant Secretary
Ashton Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Be ...
, in the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
. Washington Post columnist Al Kamen joked in his In The Loop column that she had the longest title of any Clinton Administration appointee. She was responsible for negotiating the dismantlement and destruction of
weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...
in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
,
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
and
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
. With Ambassador James Goodby and other colleagues, she completed over fifty agreements with these countries for dismantling and disposing of their weapons of mass destruction, managing a $400 million annual budget. She received the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Public Service in 1995. In May 2016, the 25th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar legislation, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter presented Duffy and four other individuals with inaugural ''Nunn-Lugar Trailblazer'' Awards, at a ceremony at the Pentagon.


Civilian Research and Development Foundation

In 1995, while at the Defense Department, Duffy responded to a request from the White House to fund a newly created organization, the Civilian Research and Development Foundation (
CRDF Global Civilian Research and Development Foundation Global (CRDF Global) is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes safety, security, and sustainability through science and innovation. CRDF Global was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 199 ...
), providing the initial $5 million for its budget from Defense Department funds, which was then matched by philanthropist
George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...
. Its creation, through the U.S.
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
, was mandated by the U.S. Congress, led by the late House Science and Technology Committee Chairman
George Brown Jr. George Edward Brown Jr. (March 6, 1920 – July 15, 1999) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from California. He represented suburban portions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County in the United ...
The initial purpose was to provide employment in civilian scientific research to former Soviet WMD scientists who were unemployed or underemployed, and whose skills might be in demand by countries or groups seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction. After leaving the U.S. government, Duffy sat on, then chaired, the board of directors of the CRDF. She was on the board from 1996 to 2009, and chaired the board for ten years, from 1998 until 2008. During this time, the organization grew to raise and spend nearly $300 million in government and private funds, and expanded its operations worldwide. Currently, CRDF Global is a major funder for collaborative scientific research between American scientists and colleagues in other countries. It provides alternative employment for weapons scientists, promotes scientific collaboration on global health problems like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, biosafety and biosecurity, helps emerging countries to develop science and technology based economies, and helps the U.S. to form scientific links in other countries.


Civil Rights, Equity and Justice

Duffy began her work on equity and justice by volunteering for Wilson Riles in his campaign for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, while in high school in 1970. Riles was the first African-American to win statewide elected office in California. In 1972, as a college freshman, she travelled to what was then
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
, in Southern Africa, to study the attitudes of the white minority in Rhodesia and the prospect for majority rule. She turned the interviews for her academic research into a four-part series of articles for The Occidental Weekly, arguing that the hardline and racist white attitudes she documented would lead to conflict and violence. The series, titled "The Country that Doesn't Exist," won a
Los Angeles Press Club The Los Angeles Press Club is an American journalism organization founded in 1913. It honors journalists through its annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and SoCal Journalism Awards. As of 2023, the Los Angeles Press Club hosted ...
student journalism award, in 1974. In 1987, she co-founded the World Forum of Silicon Valley, based in San Jose, to host dialogue among different communities about global issues. Duffy was the first board president until 1993, followed by Santa Clara County Municipal Court Judge Jerome Nadler. The organization was incorporated into the Commonwealth Club in 1997. Beginning in 2020, Duffy initiated and coordinates an Equity and Justice Task Force at the Commonwealth Club.


Mediation and conflict resolution

Duffy has been a mediator and in conflict resolution initiatives including a 1998 effort working, together with Stanford colleagues
Alexander Dallin Alexander Davidovich Dallin (21 May 1924 – 22 July 2000) was an American historian, political scientist, and international relations scholar at Columbia University, where he was the Adlai Stevenson Professor of International Relations and the d ...
and Gail Lapidus and Ambassador
James Goodby James Eugene Goodby (born December 20, 1929) is an author and former American diplomat. Goodby was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in 1951 and served as a second lieutenant in the Air Force ...
, with the national security advisors to the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to build trust and reduce hostility among the three countries. Participants from the Caucasus countries included Gerard Libaridian, national security advisor to Armenian President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan (; born 9 January 1946), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician and historian who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998. A senior researcher at the Matena ...
;
Archil Gegeshidze Archil M. Gegeshidze (born 1956) is a Georgian diplomat and scholar. He is currently the executive director of the Levan Mikeladze Foundation. He was Georgia's ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2016. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. A ...
, national security advisor to Georgian President
Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...
, and the national security advisor to President
Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev (10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was an Azerbaijani politician who was a Soviet party boss in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1982, and the third president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to ...
of Azerbaijan. In 1997, as president of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens Corporation in San Jose, she brought together environmental activists and public agencies at odds over environmental mitigation of a flood control project on the Guadalupe River, leading to a resolution of the issues and forward progress in the flood control project and creating the Guadalupe River Park.


Board service, board leadership, professional committees, advisory boards

Duffy has been a trustee, chair of the board, president of the board, director and advisory board member of some two dozen organizations nationally and locally in the Bay Area. These include the Boards of Directors of: − The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in Chicago −
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) was a global organization promoting the responsible use of computer technology. CPSR was incorporated in 1983 following discussions and organizing that began in 1981. It educated policymakers ...
in Palo Alto, California −Los Gatos Community Hospital, now
El Camino Hospital El Camino Health is a non-profit hospital with 420 beds (Mountain View Main Campus) based on a campus in Mountain View, California. There is a second, smaller hospital campus, El Camino Hospital, Los Gatos, in Los Gatos, with additional satell ...
−She has been a trustee of
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...
in Los Angeles since 2006, and was vice chair of its executive committee. She has chaired the board's academic affairs and executive compensation committees, and co-chaired the board's Student Life and Enrollment Management Committee. −She was a trustee and on the executive committee of
Dominican University of California Dominican University of California is a private university in San Rafael, California, United States. It was founded in 1890 as Dominican College by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. It is one of the oldest universities in California. Dominic ...
, in San Rafael, California. −She is on the Board of the Circle Foundation −She was Board President of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. −She was for 10 years as Chair of the Board of
CRDF Global Civilian Research and Development Foundation Global (CRDF Global) is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes safety, security, and sustainability through science and innovation. CRDF Global was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 199 ...
. −Duffy was for seven years a board director and treasurer of the Compton Foundation, funding on environmental, population and peace issues, where she stewarded the management of $120 million in assets. She is an advisory board member for: −Miracle Messages, which helps volunteers use videos and social media to reunite those experiencing homelessness with their family members and friends, provides them with basic monthly income and connects them with housed neighbors in the community. −Voice of the People, a Washington, D.C., polling and public engagement organization. −She was for over two decades on the international advisory board of the
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Stanford University has many centers and institutes dedicated to the study of various specific topics. These centers and institutes may be within a department, within a school but across departments, an independent laboratory, institute or center ...
at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
− The
Harriman Institute The Harriman Institute, the first academic center in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of Russia and the Soviet Union, was founded at Columbia University in 1946, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, as the Russi ...
at Columbia University −The
Center for Nonproliferation Studies Established in 1955, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly the Monterey Institute of International Studies, located in Monterey, California, is a graduate institute and satellite campus of Middlebury C ...
at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. In addition to her work for the MacArthur Foundation, she has chaired or been a member of committees funding grants, fellowships and scholarships for: −The Truman Scholarships (the national memorial to President Truman) (California/other Western states selection committee member and chair, 10 years) −The Office of the President, Vice President for Research, Lab Fees Grants Program, University of California system (social science panel chair) −The Council on Foreign Relations in New York (CFR Fellows selection committee member) −She has been on the Science, Arms Control and International Security Committee of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
and on the selection committee for the Science and Technology Policy Fellows program. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Lafayette
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
.


Teaching, books and other publications, Congressional testimony

Duffy has team-taught an arms control course at Stanford University, as well as guest-lectured at various colleges and universities. As communications director for the
Arms Control Association The Arms Control Association is a United States–based nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1971, with the self-stated mission of "promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies." The group publishes ...
, in Washington, D.C., from 1978 to 1980, she was editor of the magazine, ''Arms Control Today''. She oversees ''The Commonwealth'' magazine at the Commonwealth Club, and oversaw publication of ''Each a Mighty Voice: A Century of Speeches from The Commonwealth Club of California'',
Heyday Books Heyday is an independent nonprofit publisher based in Berkeley, California. Heyday was founded by Malcolm Margolin in 1974 when he wrote, typeset, designed, and distributed ''The East Bay Out'', a guide to the natural history of the hills and ...
, 2004. Duffy is the author or editor of a number of books and articles. Her first policy report was ''Power Politics: The Nuclear Industry and Nuclear Exports'', with Dr. Gordon Adams, published by the Council on Economic Priorities in 1978, followed by ''Soviet Nuclear Energy: Domestic and International Policies'', published in 1979 by the Rand Corporation. This was followed by the textbook Blacker and Duffy, ''International Arms Control Issues and Agreements'', Stanford University Press, 1984 and Duffy, ''et al.'' ''Compliance and the Future of Arms Control'', Ballinger, 1988. She has published articles in journals in her field such as ''International Security'', the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'', ''Arms Control Today'' and ''Science'' Magazine, and contributed chapters to many edited volumes on international security and foreign policy. Duffy's chapters in jointly authored books with other scholars have sometimes been based on her lectures or speeches. For example, in 1993, she spoke at the Arab and Israeli-attended Ginosar Conference in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
on possible application of treaty verification measures developed in East–West arms control to Middle East security agreements. This presentation was later published in the book, ''Confidence Building and Verification: Prospects in the Middle East'', edited by Shai Feldman. Beginning with a widely reprinted article about Zbigniew Brzezinski in the ''Washington Post'' in August 1976, "The Man Behind Carter's Foreign Policy," Duffy has written for many newspapers including the ''New York Times'', the ''Los Angeles Times'' and the ''Chicago Tribune''. She was a columnist for the "Christian Science Monitor" in 1980–82, and for
Pacific News Service Pacific News Service (PNS) was an American nonprofit alternative news media organization. PNS ceased operations in 2017. The organization was located in Berkeley, California. History PNS was founded in 1969 by historian and sociologist F ...
in the 1980s. She writes a regular column, ''Insight'', for ''The Commonwealth'' magazine, as well as periodic op-ed pieces for the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'', ''
San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'', on
Medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...
and for other online and print publications. She periodically writes, speaks, holds public forums and works with public officials on issues of protecting elders from financial and other abuse. She is working to establish more stringent local rules of court for probate in California counties that do not currently require attorneys to justify their fees as benefitting a protected person or their estate. The current laxity in rules is leading to significant financial abuse of protected people, their families and their estates. She is on the Attorney Fee Review Team for the Spectrum Institute, which is reviewing flaws and abuses in California's probate system, to make recommendations for reform to the governor and state legislature. Duffy testified in 1987 before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, on arms control treaty compliance, and in 1994 before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. Duffy speaks and writes about ethics, collaboration, consensus-based decision-making and cooperation. Her lectures on these topics include "Getting Things Done" at the Commonwealth Club, her 2017 speech at the
Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown, New York, Jamestown in the western southern tier of New York (state), N ...
, and her sermon, "The Power of Civility" at Lafayette United Methodist Church


Honors and awards

In addition to a Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Public Service and a Nunn-Lugar Trailblazer Award, Duffy is a recipient of: −The
Janet Gray Hayes Janet Gray Hayes (July 12, 1926 – April 21, 2014) was the 60th Mayor#United States, mayor of San Jose, California, elected to two consecutive, four-year terms from 1975 to 1983. She was both the first woman to be elected mayor San Jose, and ...
Award, presented annually to an outstanding woman leader in honor of San Jose's first woman mayor; −A Character Award from the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Boy Scout Council −A Woman of Achievement Award for Public Service from the San Jose Mercury News and the Women's Foundation −A Human Relations Award from
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County form the ...
−A Good Neighbor Award from Miracle Messages −She has been recognized over many years as a leader in business and management by the
San Francisco Business Times American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...
, the Silicon Valley Business Journal and the
Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...
Commission on the Status of Women. −In 2019, she was the San Francisco Business Times’ most admired non-profit CEO in the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
. −Duffy was the 2020 recipient of the Alumni Seal Award as Occidental College's Alum of the Year. −Duffy received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the
University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...
, in 2006. -Duffy and her husband Rod Diridon were Grand Marshals of San Jose's Rose White and Blue Parade, on the 4th of July, 2022.


Personal life and business activities

She is married to Rod Diridon, Sr., former chair of the Santa Clara County board of supervisors and a leader in transportation policy and the development of public transportation systems regionally, nationally and internationally. The
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
and
Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a commuter rail line in California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose, California, San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday r ...
Station in San Jose is named the
Diridon Station San Jose Diridon station is the central passenger rail depot for San Jose, California. It also serves as a major intermodal transit center for Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley. The station is named after former Santa Clara County Supervis ...
, after Rod Diridon. They have two children and four grandchildren. Rod Diridon Jr. served two terms on the Santa Clara City Council, and is currently senior manager of state and local government affairs/West for
Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
In 2023, Duffy marks 58 years of responsibilities as an employee, owner and managing partner in her family's real estate business. From 1967 to 1974, she worked on the Dry Creek Ranch, a working cattle ranch, which her family owned, near
Prineville Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant to establish businesses in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 10,429 at the 2020 census. History Prineville wa ...
in
Crook County, Oregon Crook County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,738. The county seat is Prineville. The county is named after George Crook, a U.S. Army officer who served in the American Civi ...
. She has been a limited partner in a dozen non-family real estate projects. In the mid-2000s, she was a partner in the McCloud Book Gallery, an independent bookstore and art gallery in
Siskiyou County, California Siskiyou County ( ) is a county (United States), county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka, California, Yre ...
. The Book Gallery was founded to create business and employment in McCloud as an alternative to the proposed building of a large water-bottling plant that would have negatively impacted the streams and groundwater at the top of the CA watershed.https://www.commonwealthclub.org/sites/default/files/insight2005-6.pdf Duffy played competitive basketball in high school and tennis in high school and college; and swims, hikes, bicycles, skis, kayaks and practices yoga. She has summited
Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( ; Shasta people, Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk language, Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a Volcano#Volcanic activity, potentially active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. A ...
in California (14,179 ft) and
Mount Chirripó Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
in Costa Rica (12,533 ft).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Gloria 1953 births Living people People from Lafayette, California Occidental College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni United States Department of Defense officials Women government officials Acalanes High School alumni