Agenda
Championing Women Globally
Celebrating the extraordinary efforts of women who are
advancing human rights and equality around the world
with
Ambassador Catherine Russell
United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
11:00 AM–12:15 PM
Kenney Auditorium
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Catherine Russell, US Ambassador-At-Large for Global Women’s Issues
Ambassador Catherine Russell is the second U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. Prior to joining the State Department in August 2013, she was Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, focusing on military families and higher education. During her White House tenure, she coordinated the development of the Administration’s global strategy on gender-based violence. Previously, she was Senior Advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international women’s issues. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Associate Deputy Attorney General. She has also served as Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senior Counsel to Senator Patrick Leahy.
Her Excellency Claudia Fritsche, Ambassador of Liechtenstein
In 2002, Ambassador Claudia Fritsche became the first resident Ambassador of Liechtenstein in Washington, after serving for the previous twelve years as the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations. She was Vice-President and Member of the General Committee of the United Nations General Assembly during its 48th Session, and served as President of the International Association of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations from 1999 to 2002. The Ambassador joined the Liechtenstein Office for Foreign Affairs in 1978, where she served in a variety of diplomatic functions. She represented Liechtenstein on the European Committee on Equality between Women and Men (CEEG) from April 1987 until August 1990, and chaired the Liechtenstein National Committee on Equality between Women and Men.
Susan Ness, Senior Fellow, SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University
A former FCC Commissioner, Susan Ness focuses on transatlantic trade, ICT, and data privacy, as well as women’s economic and political empowerment. For the past five years, she has convened the SAIS Global Conference on Women in the Boardroom, where corporate executives, business leaders, stock exchange officials, and international experts meet to map out practical, business initiatives to accelerate the selection of women to serve on corporate boards. As the head of Susan Ness Strategies, she consults on media/telecom policy and women’s leadership. She is a board member of the Gannett Company, Inc (NYSE-GCI), a member of the Vital Voices Global Partnership board; and a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. Previously she was Vice Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which sets policy for the Fulbright exchange program worldwide.
