Ambassador Melanne S. Verveer
given the 2009 Meridian Award

On October 2, 2009, The Honorable Melanne S. Verveer Ambassador-at-Large, Global Women’s Issues was presented with the 2009 Meridian Award for her advancement of America’s global engagement issues and her outstanding leadership on issues that affect women around the world. Previous recipients have included the Hon. Dina Habib Powell and Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker.

The Award was presented by Meridian’s Chairman Governor James Blanchard and Meridian’s President Stuart W. Holliday at the residence of the French Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Pierre Vimont, in a dinner preceding the Meridian Ball.

President Barack Obama appointed Melanne Verveer as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues on April 6, 2009. According to the United States Department of State, Ambassador Verveer coordinates foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women around the world. She mobilizes concrete support for women’s rights and political and economic empowerment through initiatives and programs designed to increase women’s and girls’ access to education and health care, to combat violence against women and girls in all its forms, and to ensure that women’s rights are fully integrated with human rights in the development of U.S. foreign policy.

Ambassador Verveer most recently served as Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit she co-founded. Vital Voices invests in emerging women leaders and works to expand women’s roles in generating economic opportunity, promoting political participation, and safeguarding human rights. Prior to her work with Vital Voices, Ambassador Verveer served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady in the Clinton Administration and was chief assistant to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton in all her wide-ranging international activities to advance women’s rights and further social development, democracy and peace-building initiatives. She also led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women. Prior to her time in the White House, Ambassador Verveer served in a number of leadership roles in public policy organizations and as legislative staff.

Ambassador Verveer has a B.A. and M.A. from Georgetown University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and numerous other organizations.
Source of biographical information: The U.S. Department of State