What was your path/journey after you graduated from Cornell?
In many ways, since Cornell, I did exactly what I had always set out to do - I have made a positive impact in the world through a career in social justice, global development and human rights. I joined the Peace Corps after graduation and served in the Central African Republic. I lived and worked in Haiti with Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. I moved to DC and started in family philanthropy working for Bob Wallace, the son of former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace.
I then moved to PAI, founded in the 1960s by the father of famous VC funder Bill Draper. I led PAI, a global reproductive rights advocacy organization, as its CEO for ten of my 16 years there, before being recruited by girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai to lead her foundation. The next three years, in the throes of Covid and amidst a global reconsideration of racism and equity, were transformative for me as a leader: I witnessed that some still believe girls do not deserve access to education (i.e., The Taliban); I marveled at how the celebrity of a young woman can engine a global movement for equal rights; and I learned the importance of boundaries and work/life balance, as the pandemic upended our ways of being and relating in the world.
My most recent transition, 1.5 years ago, was to lead USA for UNHCR, the U.S. national affiliate for the UN Refugee Agency. It has been among the best professional roles for me, with room to be creative; resources to innovate; and a mission - forced displacement and the rights of refugees - that is an honor to work on and serve.
I have been in Washington, DC, since 1996 (!), falling in love with this city over and over again. I have been happily married to a NYC boy, who I met through a Cornell connection, and our special blend of "Texas Meets Manhattan" has produced two daughters (ages 14 and 17) and has enjoyed the priceless companionship of three canines. We love to cook and entertain; we camp and hike and love the beach; we enjoy time with family (including three still amazing and vibrant grandparents) and we try to never lose sight of our good fortune and the moral imperative we feel to give back and be generous.
What WAS your favorite Class at Cornell? In retrospect, what has proven to be your most useful class from Cornell?
My favorite class at Cornell was with Sheila Jasanoff, who founded the Science & Technology Studies department. Her ability to translate science and technology, and its ethical implications for the world, to a student like me - a creative writer, a policy nerd, a humanities girl through and through - was only possible because she was so thoughtful and intentional about her approach and style. Most useful class? Likely Mary Katzenstein's various government courses, that set the stage for my career and lifelong love of geopolitics.
Which Cornell classmates do you keep in contact with?
So many! Angela Liang, Dana Kroll Carlos, Lauren Schaevitz Rosenthal, Sonya Olshan Meora, Laura Garrity Li, Andrea Forgacs, Jennifer Huang, Joanna Moresky, Leah Santoro, and Rob Blair ‘94, who I met in the Peace Corps.
What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell in Fall 2025?
Explore all that the campus, city and region have to offer. It is a special corner of the world, and chances are high that you will not build your life there after graduation. Get out to Buttermilk Falls, explore nature at the arboretum, run on campus, eat at The Statler, walk on The Commons, go wine tasting. Take school and your classes seriously, but also care for yourself outside of being a student and feed your whole self.