Melanne Verveer
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Melanne Verveer, born on June 24, 1944, in Pottsville,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, is the executive director of th
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security at Georgetown University
She also holds positions as a founding partner o
Seneca Point Global
a women's strategy firm, and as a co-founder o
Seneca Women
Verveer co-authored the book "Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose" with Kim Azzarelli. From April 6, 2009, to May 8, 2013, Verveer served as the first
United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues is the ambassador-at-large who heads the Office of Global Women's Issues in the United States Department of State, with the rank of Assistant Secretary. The position was created by the Barack O ...
, a position established by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. During her tenure, she directed the
Office of Global Women's Issues The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues is located within the United States Department of State. In 2009, Melanne Verveer was appointed to be the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. From September 2013 to May, 2017, Ca ...
. Previously, Verveer served as the chair and Co-CEO of
Vital Voices Vital Voices Global Partnership is an American international, 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organiza ...
Global Partnership, which she co-founded with
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
in 2001. Vital Voices is a global
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
that supports emerging female leaders who are advancing economic, political and social progress in their societies. During 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 ...
, Verveer served as Assistant to President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
and Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. Among her duties was overseeing Hillary Clinton's global initiatives on women's rights as human rights. Prior to serving in the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, she was executive director of
People for the American Way People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...
, a progressive advocacy group, where she was involved in the passage of
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
legislation. Earlier, she was Coordinator for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs for the U.S. Catholic Conference. She served on the staff of US Senator
George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...
and Representative
Marcy Kaptur Marcia Carolyn Kaptur ( ; born June 17, 1946) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Ohio's 9th congressional district. Currently in her 22nd term, she has been a member of Congress since 1983. A member of the Democr ...
. She is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
, the Trilateral Commission and the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
Advisory Council on Gender and Development. She served as the 2013 Humanitas visiting professor at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. In 2008, the President of
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 ...
awarded her the
Order of Princess Olga The Order of Princess Olga () is a Ukraine, Ukrainian civil decoration, featuring Olga of Kiev and bestowed to women for "personal merits in state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charity and other spheres of social activities, fo ...
. She holds several honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S.
Secretary's Distinguished Service Award The Secretary's Distinguished Service Award is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented at the discretion of the secretary of state in recognition of exceptionally outstanding leadership, professional competence, and sig ...
.


Personal life

Verveer was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. She is married to Philip Verveer, a Washington communications lawyer who served as Ambassador and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy. They have three children and two granddaughters.


Public service


Clinton administration

Verveer served as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton (1993–96) and then as Assistant to President Clinton (1997–2000). (See:
Executive Office of the President of the United States The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The office consists o ...
) As a member of the White House Senior Staff, she provided advice and implemented a wide range of substantive policies, including judicial selection and legal services, arts policies, healthcare, and women's issues. She was instrumental in the adoption of the
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) is a federal statute passed into law in 2000 by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Clinton. The law was later reauthorized by presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump. In ad ...
and led the effort to establish the President's Interagency Council on Women. First, as Deputy Chief of Staff (1993–1996) and then as Chief of Staff to the First Lady (1997–2000), she served as Mrs. Clinton's chief assistant for her international activities. These included overseeing her global initiatives on women's rights as human rights, democracy-building micro-enterprise, girls' education, and other development programs. She organized the first lady's foreign trips to over 70 countries. She helped to create the US government's Vital Voices Democracy Initiative to promote women's economic and political progress. The initiative grew out of the US response to the UN's
Fourth World Conference on Women The Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace was the name given for a conference convened by the United Nations during 4–15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. At this conference, governments from around the ...
, which took place in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
in 1995. It was in Beijing that Hillary Clinton made her historic Women's Rights Are Human Rights speech." Verveer was responsible for much of the planning for the US participation in the Beijing conference. In her White House memoirs, Clinton notes, "A true policy wonk who loves the complexities and nuances of issues, Melanne had worked for years on
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...
and in the advocacy world. I used to joke there wasn't a single person in Washington she didn't know. Not only was she a legend in the nation's capital; but so was her Rolodex. … There is no way to catalog the many projects that Melanne masterminded. … She also became a key player on the president's team, advocating for policies affecting women, human rights, legal services, and the arts."


Obama administration

In 2009, President Obama nominated Verveer as the first
United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues is the ambassador-at-large who heads the Office of Global Women's Issues in the United States Department of State, with the rank of Assistant Secretary. The position was created by the Barack O ...
at the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
. She was confirmed by the Senate in April 2009. She served as Ambassador from 2009 to 2013, working closely with Hillary Clinton to coordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women and girls, traveling to nearly 60 countries, including
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
,
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
. She worked to fully integrate women's participation and rights into U.S. foreign policy and to mobilize concrete support for women's political and economic empowerment through
public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...
, participation in bilateral strategic dialogues, and the agendas of multilateral organizations and policy initiatives. During Clinton's tenure, women's issues were recognized as integral to foreign policy. Several new policies were adopted, including Secretarial Policy Guidance on Gender Equality and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Their work recognized the role of women's economic participation in multilateral organizations, including leadership on "Women & Economy in APEC. Verveer also met frequently with women who were on the front lines of the " Arab Awakening". President Obama appointed Verveer as Ambassador to the Commission on the Status of Women. She also served as the Co-Chair of the US-Afghan Women's Council. To mark
Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with Internationa ...
at the White House in 2013, President Obama recognized Verveer's achievements and noted that he was making the position of Ambassador for Global Women's Issues permanent. He issued a
presidential memorandum A presidential memorandum (from Latin ''memorare'', 'to remember') is a type of directive issued by the president of the United States to manage and govern the actions, practices, and policies of the various departments and agencies found under ...
to that effect. Obama said, "We're also seeing an expanded opportunity for women to reach their full potential around the world. That's in large part because four years ago, a former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a tireless advocate for women herself, designated an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues whose sole job it is to make sure that women and girls are a central part of every aspect of our foreign policy, that their concerns are considered at the highest level of our diplomatic decision-making. For four years, the incredible Melanne Verveer held that role. We're so grateful for her service, along with the millions of women around the world that she helped to amplify and helped to fight alongside on the causes that are so important."


Georgetown University

Verveer is the executive director at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security.


Vital Voices

Verveer co-founded the international NGO, Vital Voices Global Partnership in 2001 to continue the work – begun by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton – to support emerging women leaders in building vibrant democracies and strong economies. Vital Voices focuses on expanding women's participation in politics and civil society, increasing women's entrepreneurship and fighting human rights abuses, particularly the trafficking of women and children. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Network connects thousands of women leaders who have participated in Vital Voices conferences and training programs around the globe. Verveer served as chair of the board and Co-CEO until early 2009. Hillary Clinton addressed the Vital Voices annual awards gala at the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
every year since its inception. In 2013, Clinton honored Verveer for her service to advancing women's progress.


Awards and honors


Recognition

* Foremother Award from The
National Center for Health Research The National Center for Health Research (NCHR) is a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Diana Zuckerman, its current president. Originally founded on December 21, 1999 under the name National Research Center for Wome ...
(2017) * US Secretary of State, Award for Distinguished Service (2013) * Global Partnership for Afghanistan, Seeding the Future Award (2013) * International Center for Research on Women, Champions for Change Leadership Award (2013) * Virtue Foundation, Humanitarian Award (2013) * Earth Day Network, Women Green Economy Leadership Award (2013) * IREX, Founder's Day Award (2013) * Achiana, Leadership Award (2013) * I Live 2 Lead Trailblazer Award (2013) * Global Fairness Award (2012) * Nizami Ganjavi International Award (2012) * Fast Company, 60 Influencers Who are Changing the World (2012) * Francophone Ambassadors Award (2012) * Newsweek, 150 Fearless Women in the World (2012) * Enterprising Women Hall of Fame (2012) * Futures Without Violence, Global Impact Award (2012) * Jewish World Watch, I Witness Award (2012) * Oxford University Said Business School, Womensphere Global Award (2011) * Somaly Mam Foundation Award (2011) * Newsweek, 150 Women Who Shake the World (2011) * Emily Couric Women's Leadership Award (2011) * Interaction Breakthrough Award (2011) * Innocents at Risk, Woman of Courage Award (2011) * Delivered the NYC Bar Association Justice Ginsburg Distinguished Lecture on Women and Law (2010) * AVON Public Service Champions Award (2010) * Boston World Affairs Council (2010) * Christian Herter Memorial Award from the Boston World Affairs Council (2010) * Women's Foreign Policy Group Award (2010) * National Council for Research on Women, Making a Difference Award (2010) * Meridian International Center, Meridian Award (2009) * Birmingham Southern College, Women of Achievement (2008) * President of Ukraine, Awarded the Order of Princess Olga (2008) * Basilian Humanitarian Award (1998) * National Council of Ukrainian Women, Public Service Award (1997) * People for the American Way, First Amendment Award * American Association Of University Women, Woman of Distinction Award


Honorary degrees

* Ulster University, Northern Ireland (2013) * Franklin and Marshall (2013) * Smith College (2013) * Agnes Scott College (2011)


Board memberships

*
Asia Foundation The Asia Foundation (TAF) is a nonprofit international development organization focused on improving lives across Asia. Its programs operate in various sectors, including governance, women's empowerment and gender equality, inclusive economic gr ...
(Board) * Atlantic Council (Board) * Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (Board) * World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development (Board) * National Endowment for Democracy (Board) * Trilateral Commission (Member) * Council on Foreign Relations (Member)


Publications

* "Closing the Internet Gender Gap," Huffington Post * "Why Women Are a Foreign Policy Issue," Foreign Policy * "Lift Up Women to Lift Up the World," CNN * "At Davos: Investing in Women Emerges as a Business Strategy," The Daily Beast * "Our Commitment to Afghan Women," The Huffington Post * "Eleven Words," The Huffington Post * "Celebrating the Power of Collaboration," Business Fight PovertyBalderston, Kris, and Melanne Verveer. "Celebrating the Power of Collaboration." Business Fight Poverty. Accessible at: http://www.businessfightspoverty.org/profiles/blogs/celebrating-the-power-of-collaboration


References


External links


Bio at Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

Seneca Point Global
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verveer, Melanne 1944 births Clinton administration personnel Georgetown University alumni Living people Obama administration personnel People from Pottsville, Pennsylvania United States ambassadors-at-large Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 21st-century American diplomats American women ambassadors 21st-century American women civil servants Chiefs of staff to the first lady of the United States American women founders American founders