Melanne Verveer

In 2009, President Obama nominated Melanne Verveer to be the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. In that capacity, she worked with the Secretary of State to coordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She led efforts to integrate women’s rights and participation into U.S. foreign policy. President Obama also appointed Verveer to serve as U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. 

Today she is the Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security. The Institute seeks to enhance national and global security by documenting the crucial role women play in peace-building and security through research and scholarship and by engaging global leaders from government, civil society and the private sector in conversations on the urgent issues of our time. She also serves as Special Representative on Gender Equality for the OSCE Chairmanship. 

Ambassador Verveer is the founding partner of Seneca Point Global, the global women strategy firm. SPG partners with leading companies and institutions to design, implement and measure integrated strategies that focus on women and girls and drive sustainable results – whether social, economic or both. She is the co-author of the book, FAST FORWARD: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose. Prior to her role at the State Department, Ambassador Verveer was Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO she co-founded to invest in emerging women leaders. Prior to Vital Voices, she served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady in the Clinton Administration. She also led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women and was instrumental in the adoption of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Prior to her time in the White House, Verveer served in a number of leadership roles in public policy organizations and as congressional staff. 

Ambassador Verveer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. She serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council, the National Endowment for Democracy and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, as well as the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development. Development. She was 2013 Humanitas visiting professor at Cambridge University and in 2017 was selected to deliver the Tanner Lecture on Human Values at Clare Hall College Cambridge where she is an honorary fellow. She has a BS and MS from Georgetown University and holds several honorary degrees. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Distinguished Service. She was named to the NEWSWEEK “150 Women Who Shake the World” list; Fast Company’s “60 Influencers who are Changing the World;” and Enterprising Magazine’s Hall of Fame. She was awarded the Order of Princess Olga by the Government of Ukraine and the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan.