Spotlight On Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala
"...your generation can be anything you want to be. Not only CEOs and sports stars. Not only Supreme Court Justices and scientists. Not only Senators and Cabinet Secretaries. But, yes, you can be President. You can be President! I believe it will happen." Girl Power! is ... Donna Shalala! Donna E. Shalala was nominated by President Clinton and sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Jan. 22, 1993. HHS is the federal agency in charge of health, welfare, food and drug safety, medical research, and income security programs serving the American people. HHS also happens to be the sponsor of the Girl Power! campaign, which was proudly launched by Secretary Shalala in November of 1996.
"You are unique. You are valuable. And, if you put your mind to it, you can succeed." Donna Shalala has always been interested in issues involving health, children, families, minorities, and women. She is best known for her take-charge style and is an expert on the political economy of state and local governments. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 14, 1941, she earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies from Western College for Women in 1962. After graduating in 1962, she volunteered for the U.S. Peace Corps and spent two years in the Middle East, teaching in Iran. The Peace Corps is a U.S. Government agency that places Americans in almost 100 countries across the world who have requested the help of Peace Corps Volunteers. Donna Shalala then returned to the United States to attend Syracuse University, where she received her master's degree followed by a Ph.D. in 1970. After graduating from Syracuse in 1970, she taught political science at Bernard Baruch College until 1972. From 1972 to 1979, Secretary Shalala taught politics and education at Columbia University. In 1975 to 1977, the Secretary helped to reverse the city of New York's financial collapse, serving as Director and Treasurer of the Municipal Assistance Corporation. As Assistant Secretary for policy development and research, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), she promoted women's issues and worked toward the creation of battered women's shelters, mortgage credits for women, and anti-discrimination from 1977-1980. "That's what it takes to be a champion: Determination." Making history again in 1980, Donna E. Shalala became the youngest woman ever to lead a major U.S. college. She served as president of Hunter College in New York City from 1980 until 1988. Adding to her amazing list of achievements, in 1988 she became the first woman ever to head a Big Ten university, the University of Wisconsin at Madison. UW-Madison is also the sixth largest university in the United States! While at UW-Madison, she also managed with success to promote diversity in the student body and staff, ban smoking campus-wide in 1991, and help in the fight against alcohol abuse among students. Business Week named her one of the top five managers in higher education in 1992. Most recently, she co-chaired the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. She heads the HHS with a 1997 budget of approximately $354 billion and 59,000 employees. She is in charge of a variety of programs that include Medicare, Medicaid, and the Clinton administration's initiatives in welfare and healthcare reform. Included among the many wonderful programs for youth, is HHS' Girl Power! campaign. And, with a role model like HHS' Secretary Donna E. Shalala leading the way, it is easy to see what having Girl Power! is all about! |
