 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
_______________________________________________________________________ Capt. Lory Manning Discusses Military Sexual Assault Epidemic on Marc Steiner Show WREI Women in the Military Project Director Capt. Lory Manning, USN (Ret.) joined in a panel discussion of military culture in the wake of news that three high-ranking military officers tasked with preventing sexual assault were themselves accused of sexual assault. She was joined on Baltimore's Marc Steiner Show by Dr. Bruce Fleming, Professor in the Department of English at the United States Naval Academy; Dr. Marianne Githens, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Women, Sexuality and Gender Studies at Goucher College; and former Marine Greg Jacob, Policy Director for the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN). _______________________________________________________________________
The German Marshall Fund of the United States with Yale World Fellows on April 26, 2013 convened leaders of global women's networks to exchange best practices for women's advancement at this unique moment in history. WREI President Susan Scanlan and other conference participants commented on progress and pitfalls in the video below:
_______________________________________________________________________ "Baloney!" WREI's Capt. Lory Manning Rebuts Women in Combat Naysayers Capt Lory Manning, USN (Ret.), director of WREI's Women in the Military Project authored a thoughtful, hard-hitting rebuttal aimed at opponents of the scrapping of the DoD's combat exclusion policy for women in the American Civil Liberty Union's Blog of Rights May 15.
BLOG OF RIGHTS Baloney! A Message to the Women in Combat Naysayers By Lory Manning, USN (Ret.) On January 24, 2013, we saw a great victory for U.S. servicewomen when the Department of Defense announced it was ending the ban on women serving in combat units and occupational specialties. As the Pentagon and the armed services begin implementing the change in policy, there are many issues that must be resolved, and we'll be keeping a close eye on the process. In an ongoing blog series, we will bring you voices of military experts, veterans, and other stakeholders who will discuss these issues and the need to fully integrate women in the armed forces. Today marks an important milestone for US servicewomen: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is scheduled to receive detailed plans from the Services showing how they will implement the Pentagon's repeal of its policy prohibiting women from serving in ground combat units and jobs. Like many others who have long argued against the old exclusionary policy, I'll be watching the process and encouraging the Pentagon and the Services to truly bury the old policy and move swiftly towards the full (not a partial or half-hearted) integration of women into our armed forces. But, to my dismay, there are still those who criticize the Pentagon's decision to end the ground combat exclusion policy. Their arguments are often based on a worn ideology about the role of women and a lack of knowledge or appreciation of the contributions servicewomen have already played in combat operations. For example, some argue that direct ground combat goes beyond the experience of being "in harm's way." That's true, but what the naysayers don't understand is that women have been going far beyond being "in harm's way" throughout the duration of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In reality, thousands of women have engaged in ground combat since the early days of those wars. These women continue to live in the field under the same conditions and carry out the same duties as the men. Women have served almost 300,000 tours of duty in the Iraq and Afghanistan theatres of war. Over 150 have given their lives, more than 865 have received Purple Hearts, and two have earned Silver Stars for valor under fire. Women have been and continue to be in ground combat, and they have earned the right to serve officially in ground combat units. Another criticism is that tough combat training standards will be lowered by making them "equal" for both genders. I have one thing to say to that: baloney. Women have already been integrated into air and sea combat duties with no lowering of standards. Occupational standards—be they medical, intellectual, or physical—should be, and one hopes are, based solely on what is actually required for individuals to perform the occupational tasks successfully in combat. It's also worth noting that many critics confuse the armed services' physical fitness standards, which are normed by age and sex and vary from service to service, with occupational or combat fitness standards. Physical fitness standards are measures of individual fitness only and are not used to determine fitness for any specific military occupations. Occupational standards, which are under discussion when we are talking about women entering ground combat occupations, are the same regardless of age or gender, as should they be. Women and men are currently held to the same occupational standards for all military occupational specialties and Navy ratings. Men and women serving in aviation and naval combat occupations meet identical occupational standards. Furthermore, they meet identical standards to graduate from physically demanding training courses such as SERE training and the Army's very tough Sapper Leaders Course. Why would this precedent change for ground combat occupations? Let's be clear: opening ground combat to women isn't about "equal opportunity" or "diversity." It's about enhancing our national security and our warfighting capability. It's about giving every soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine the opportunity to use her individual skills and achievements to serve her country. Women from this country (and many countries) have proven themselves as effective combatants in the current wars and in wars throughout history. It's time the naysayers put their outmoded stereotypes of what a servicewoman can or cannot do to rest. A new day has dawned. _______________________________________________________________________
WREI Salutes Dr. Mariam Chamberlain, 1918-2013 Dr. Mariam Chamberlain died in New York City on April 2, 2013 just weeks before her 95th birthday. Born into an immigrant Armenian family in the Chelsea section of Boston, she was an outstanding woman from her youth onward.
After the War, Dr. Chamberlain returned to Harvard University to complete a PhD in economics, one of only two women in her year (1950). Her professional life blossomed at the newly created Yale Growth Center. She also held teaching positions at Connecticut College, at the School of General Studies at Columbia University, and at Hunter College, but spent most of her career at the Ford Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 1956, when Marshal Robinson became president, During what many call the Foundation’s golden years. Over the next decade and a half, the Foundation spent close to $40 million transforming business schools into academically viable institutions. Dr. Chamberlain was instrumental in restructuring undergraduate business education into respectable four-year programs and helped establish the Masters of Business Administration, the MBA degree. In the early 1970s, Dr. Chamberlain became interested in women’s issues. She introduced feminism to the Ford Foundation and assumed an education portfolio, which resulted in $10 million spent to strengthen women’s studies and women’s research centers across the country. Over the next years, Dr. Chamberlain became the center of a network of women in and outside the university that reshaped the academy and the academic disciplines. She supported women’s caucuses that challenged the traditionally male-dominated curriculum, the introduction of women’s studies, the institutionalization of research about women, and the advancement of women in faculty and university administration. Evidence of her success stretches from the Schlesinger Library and Radcliffe Women’s Institute to the Feminist Press at CUNY, The Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) at the University of Arizona, and the Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI) in Washington DC. Susan Scanlan, WREI’s president remembers the crucial role Dr. Chamberlain played as her organization was founded to provide timely data and policy analysis to the Congresswomen’s Caucus, the then-17 women in the House of Representatives and Muriel Humphrey in the U.S. Senate: “I remember the day in 1978 when Mariam first arrived at the Caucus/WREI offices. We were working out of a plush space in the Rayburn House Office Building – the kind of room the all-male leadership envisioned their few female colleagues required in case they succumbed to ‘the vapors.’ Dangling a $50k general support grant that we considered an end-of-the-rainbow amount, Mariam persuaded us to stand on our own two feet: to move off Capitol Hill; recruit an independent board; establish a legal separation from the Congresswomen. It was a painful process that she steered us through with tact, firmness, and gentle humor. In the end, we not only received the $50k grant, we had established a model for how all caucuses and their research arms should set up operations. That was the beginning of a 35-year friendship featuring other important awards and projects that enabled WREI to produce nine editions of our ground-breaking demographic profile, “The American Woman,” and to establish our one-of-a-kind Women in the Military project. When you multiply our accomplishments by all the work Mariam funded at so many other women’s organizations, you’re talking about an historic legacy.” In 1981, Dr. Chamberlain left the Ford Foundation to become founding president of the National Council for Research on Women (NCROW). During NCROW’s first year, she worked at the Russell Sage Foundation, where she coordinated a task force on Women and Higher Education and edited a seminal volume, Women in Academe: Progress and Prospects, (Cornell University Press, 1982). After her initial years at NCROW, Dr. Chamberlain moved from president of to its board. She remained an active board member until her death. Dr. Chamberlain served or has served on the boards of a number of women’s organizations including The Feminist Press, the Women’s Interart Center, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, and the Network of East-West Women. She is the receipient of two honorary degrees: Doctor of Humanities from the University of Arizona and Doctor of Humane Letters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She also held teaching positions at Connecticut College, at the School of General Studies at Columbia University, and at Hunter College, but spent most of her career at the Ford Foundation. Dr. Chamberlain was divorced from the economist Neil Chamberlain and is survived by her niece and nephew, and by two great-nephews. In her tribute, Scanlan noted: “Mariam Chamberlain’s life and work encompassed the great events of the 20th century including the second wave of the women’s movement which she had no small hand in launching.” _______________________________________________________________________
Hot Off the Presses Women in the Military: Where They Stand Eighth Edition
The eighth edition of WREI's Women in the Military: Where They Stand, filled with the latest facts and figures on the history, accomplishments and status of U.S. military women is now available. Visit WREI's order page here to learn more and order your copy OR download the electronic version (PDF) here.
_______________________________________________________________________ Applications Now Open for 2014 WREI Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy Applications are now open for the 2014 WREI Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy. The WREI Fellowships are designed to train women as potential leaders in public policy formation and to examine issues from the perspective and experiences and needs of women. This unique legislative program is administered by WREI, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization located in Washington, DC, and is the only fellowship program directed by, for, and about women. Fellows to come to Washington, DC, for eight months. Following a mandatory two-week orientation to Capitol Hill in January, Fellows meet once a week at issue seminars with women’s advocates, activists, Congressional staff, researchers, and lobbyists. Fellows work a minimum of 40 hours per week from January through August as legislative assistants on policy issues. Students who are currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program at an accredited institution in the United States or who have completed such a program within the past 18 months are eligible. WREI strongly recommends that applicants complete at least nine hours of graduate coursework before applying and have a demonstrated interest in research or political activity related to women's social and political status.
WREI seeks diversity in its fellowship program and welcomes qualified applicants of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, experience, and academic fields. To learn more about compensation, see our Frequently Asked Questions here. Get to know current and former WREI Fellows here. Download the 2014 Fellowships brochure here and application form here. Deadline for 2014 Fellowship applications is June 14, 2013
_______________________________________________________________________
Video: Susan Scanlan on WREI's History If prompted for a password, please enter: Women's Rights
Courtesy of Todos Los Pueblos Productions Nicole Karsin _______________________________________________________________________ Fulfilling the Suffragists' Dream of Full Equality WREI in Collaboration with NCWO Launches The Seven Year Plan: Owning the Ongoing Unfinished Agenda One hundred years ago in March 1913, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns led the Suffragists in a march from the Capitol to the White House. Seven years later, in 1920, the 19th amendment became a part of the Constitution and women gained the right to vote.
A century is long enough! Walk in their footsteps. Fulfill the Suffragists’ dream. Celebrate the centennial of suffrage with full equality. Join the Seven–Year Plan and mark a path for future generations. The Seven-Year Plan invites all women and men devoted to the advancement of women to complete the Suffragists’ agenda for equality. The Seven-Year Plan raises a critical awareness of women’s struggle for equality; knowledge of women’s rights; and support for local, national and international efforts that insure women’s legal equality and meet women’s needs. The Seven-Year Plan uses social media, print, video, the visual arts and live programming to inform, educate, and communicate about women and equality. The Seven-Year Plan opens avenues for women to find one another, for organizations to speak out on behalf of women’s needs, and for institutions, from schools to libraries and museums, to spread understanding of equality for women. The Seven –Year Plan equips women with knowledge about sexual abuse, trafficking and rape; informs women about their rights in the workplace, and enhances women’s access to reliable health care information. The Seven-Year Plan communicates across the globe to empower girls and women, encourage women’s leadership, and promote peace. The Seven-Year Plan reaches across the generations and differences in religion, lifestyle, gender identity, race, class and political affiliation to embrace all women and supportive men. Join the Seven- Year Plan and become connected for equality! Watch this space for details on how you and your organization can play a vital role in this historic project or contact WREI Senior Fellow Marjorie Lightman, PhD, for more information and to sign on to our Seven Year Plan update mailing list _______________________________________________________________________
Susan Scanlan on Breast Cancer in the Huffington Post: Positive Margins, Positively Unacceptable: How We Can Help Women Get on the Road to Recovery After Breast Cancer Surgery "My family sometimes jokes that we are a sorority that is bound together by our bosoms. My grandmother and mother both died of metastatic breast cancer, my sister was diagnosed when she was 43 years old, and I got the news about six years ago. "Like many women today, I was lucky to be diagnosed early, thanks to increased breast cancer awareness and advancements in detection. More than half of all current breast cancer diagnoses are for early-stage cancers in which the tumor cannot be felt during a breast exam..." _______________________________________________________________________ DoD ends Combat Exclusion for Women WREI's Capt. Manning Widely Quoted in Media Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced plans to lift the ban on women serving in ground combat units, removing one of the military's last major gender barriers and opening up more than 2,30,000 combat jobs to females January 24. "It's about time," Capt. Lory Manning, USN (ret.), director of WREI's Women in the Military Project, told the New Your Daily News. “I'm astonished that they're doing it the right way. Hooray!" she added in and interview with the Omaha World Herald WREI's Women in the Military Project has long joined military women in calling for an end to the official ban, which, for all practical purposes, had been overtaken by events as women 'under cover of euphemism' have been in harm's way in all U.S. wars, especially in the 'wars without front lines' in Iraq and Afghanistan. The combat exclusion had also been a hot topic at the biannual WREI/Alliance for National Defense Women in the Military Conferences. So it's no surprise that Capt. Manning, was called on for expert commentary by the national media when news of the combat exclusion's demise surfaced. See Capt. Manning on CBS News here Here are some excerpts from that interview: Lory Manning, the director of the Women in the Military Project and the Women's Research and Education Institute proclaimed "Hooray" Wednesday evening after learning the pentagon is about to lift its ban on women in combat.
The ban on women in combat limited her navy career. "It not only was a hinderance, it made me less able to do my job," she said.
Manning would fly to aircraft carriers to consult on military issues, but was forced to fly away at night because she was not allowed, as a woman in the Navy, to stay on board.
She has a simple explanation for the decision to change the policy. "It's been made because women have earned it. Women, for the last 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been in ground combat, and it's been a slow time coming but the services and our civilian leadership is finally recognizing them and saying 'yes, what you've done has been good. It's helped the country. Let's make it official. Let's open it all to you. You've already proved you can do it,'" she said. What of the critics who have expressed concerns about the change? The same concerns have been raised repeatedly, she says: Were women strong enough, would fraternization in the ranks compromise the mission, and would the American public support women on the front lines? "Those things are always raised and have never, ever been right," she says Asked if women will volunteer for combat assignments, Capt. Manning told Newsmax: "If you asked someone in 1985 about going to sea, she would have been thinking, 'Girls don't do that and so I don't want to do that,'" Manning said.
_______________________________________________________________________ WREI 2013 Fellows Complete Orientation
The 2013 WREI Fellows meet with Ellie Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority during orientation. (L-R) Arianna Baseman, Rachel Hall, Erin O’Quin, Ellie, Angelina Gonzalez-Aller, and Emerald Christopher. _______________________________________________________________________ WREI Salutes House Democratic Women of the 113th Congress
"When WREI was founded in 1977 as the research arm for all the women in Congress, there were 17 Congresswomen in the U.S. House and one woman Senator, Muriel Humphrey. It’s taken 36 years to move from four percent to about 20 percent of Congress. "While this is cause for celebration, it should also be a call to action to recruit, run, and elect greater numbers of qualified women at all levels of government." ---Susan Scanlan _______________________________________________________________________
Women and Veterans Groups Push for Adoption of Shaheen Amendment Providing Service Women with Abortion Coverage in Cases of Rape or Incest A stellar group of retired military officers and national organization leaders from around the country mustered in Washington September 19-21 to muster additional support language that lifts the ban on military insurance coverage for abortions, allowing federal funding for service women and military dependents in cases of rape or incest. The changes to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act were proposed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D, NH) and approved with bipartisan support by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this summer. Though viewed by many on both sides of the aisle as a simple fairness issue -- abortion funding in cases of rape or incest is available to civilian executive branch employees, federal prisoners and members of congress -- the amendment may face opposition in the House of Representatives and/or in conference once the authorization legislation is passed. Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, USA (Ret.) summed up the issue brilliantly: "No matter how one feels about abortion, extending the same compassionate coverage that federal employees receive to our nation’s servicewomen is just plain common sense. After surviving sexual violence and rape, a woman must be able to make the best possible decision for herself and her family. A majority of Americans understand that – now we need the majority of Congress to understand that as well. "This is not about politics; this is about treating our nation’s bravest women with dignity. Congress should make passing the Shaheen amendment a priority. The time for this unjust policy to be overturned is long overdue. Our servicewomen deserve nothing less." Click on a box to view videos
To learn what you can do to help, please visit https://standwithservicewomen.org/.
_______________________________________________________________________ GOP Platform: One Step (Somewhat) Forward, Two Steps Back for Military Women Looks like the Republican Party platform will contain a plank that supports “the continued advancement of military women” while simultaneously curtailing said advancement by “supporting the continued exemption (read exclusion) of women from ground combat units and infantry battalion staffs.” This ignores the 10 year-long practice of military commanders on the ground “attaching” military women to ground combat units whenever military necessity so demands—which has been and continues to be often. Another plank will support the continued application of the Defense of Marriage Act to same-sex civilian spouses of military members which precludes them from receiving the same rights and benefits as opposite-sex civilian spouses. A third plank supports banning the wearing of military uniforms at Gay Pride parades. _______________________________________________________________________ Emerita WREI Fellows Earn Media, Professional Recognition Three former WREI Congressional Fellows on Women and Public Policy have been featured in national publications and a fourth has earned a coveted fellowship. Jo Deutsch made GO Magazine's 100 Women We Love List, Suzan Harkness has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2012-13; Pamela O’Leary and Patricia Rojas-Ungar were spotlighted in The National Journal. Jo Deutsch (Class of 1985-86), Federal Director for Freedom to Marry, was ranked Number 24 in Go Magazine's annual list of 100 Women We Love, a diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials. Read her profile here Suzan Harkness (Class of 2002) is Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Academic Technology in the Learning Resources Division at The University of the District of Columbia. The ACE Fellows Program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single semester or year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision making while participating in administrative activities and learning about an issue to benefit the University of the District of Columbia. See the announcement of the award here. Pamela O’Leary (Class of 2008), executive director at the Public Leadership Education Network was interviewed about her role in the fight for gender equality in Washington, D.C. Read the article here Patricia Rojas-Ungar (Class of 2001), U.S. Travel Association vice president of government relations, was named a top lobbyist of the year by CEO Update and was featured in The National Journal Influence Alley blog. _______________________________________________________________________
The Women’s Research & Education Institute 32nd Annual Capitol Hill Salute Congressional Fellows on Women & Public Policy
View photos here
_______________________________________________________________________
WREI's Capt. Lory Manning Speaks at Fort McNair Women's History Month Program
Capt. Lory Manning, USN (Ret.), director of WREI's Women in the Military Program, spoke on Women's Education, Women's Empowerment as part of U.S. Army Ft. McNair's celebration of Women's History Month. Manning guided the audience through more than a half century of congressional legislation and court cases that not only opened doors to women in the military, but blew the sexual inequality doors off the hinges. She noted that highlights that paved the way for female service members to thrive included the 1948 Women Armed Service Integration Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, the abolition of the draft and making the service academies available to females as critical watersheds in providing a near-level playing field in the military. "Military and civilian [leaders] fought this tooth and nail," Manning explained about how females gained admittance to West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy. "This marked a big change in the military. It showed women were serving in their own right." Read a full account of Capt. Manning's remarks here
_______________________________________________________________________ Remembering Capt. Pat Gormley, JAGC, USN (ret.)
WREI regrets to report the death of Pat Gormley, former director of our Women in the Military Project. Captain Gormley died on February 21st after a valiant fight against cancer.
“This is a sad loss for WREI, for the Navy community, and for the thousands upon thousands of U.S. service women for whom she advocated for 40 years. Many of them don’t realize that so many career choices and advancement oppor-tunities are due, in no small part, to the courage, brilliance, and determination of this remarkable woman. Pat has left us too soon but her achievements will be long lasting.”-- Susan Scanlan, President, WREI _______________________________________________________________________
Janet C. Wolfenbarger Nominated as First Air Force Four-star General
Lt. Gen Janet C. Wolfenbarger, vice commander of the US Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and the highest-ranking female officer in the Air Force, has been nominated for the rank of general. If confirmed, she will become highest ranking woman to ever serve in the Air Force. She is the second woman in the U.S. Armed Forces to earn a fourth star. Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in 2008. _______________________________________________________________________
Orientation begins for the Class of 2012!
Carmen Orozco-Acosta from the Class of 2011 welcomes Meenal Khajuria, Karla Dhungana, Elina Alterman, Meredith Beers and Monica Barrera to Capitol Hill on January 9, the first dayof orientation for the WREI Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy, Class of 2012.
_______________________________________________________________________
Women in the Military at the Crossroads Ninth Conference on Women in the Military Combines Real-world Experiences with Academic Insights October 27-28
Go to the 2011 Conference page for details _______________________________________________________________________
Commander Iskra's latest book wins Military Writer's Society of America Gold Medal
"...a tribute to women warriors past and present who served faithfully in the United States armed forces" Commander Darlene Iskra USN, (Ret.), PhD's book, Women in the United States Armed Forces: A Guide to the Issues has won the 2011 Military Writer's Society of America Gold Medal in the non-fiction biography category. The first woman to command a commissioned Navy ship and 2002 WREI fellow is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia College of Missouri and at Brandman University, teaching at the Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, WA. She is scheduled to attend the WREI - Alliance for National Defense Ninth Conference on Women in the Military -- Women in the Military at the Crossroads -- October 27 and 28, 2011, at the WIMSA Memorial in Arlington Virginia. Read a review here Learn more about Darlene Iskra here _______________________________________________________________________
Australia lifts restrictions on Women in Combat WREI's Capt. Lory Manning says U.S. policy still based on 'old cold War concepts'
The formal "U.S. policy on utilization of women has been based on old (outdated) Cold War concepts of what wars look like," said Lory Manning of the Washington-based Women's Research and Education Institute. But "the Australian policy on women has been very similar to the U.S. policy over the years," she added. "It's my guess that the U.S. will be creeping that way too. ... I think (the United States will) at least bring the policy up to match the reality."
See the CNN print story _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________ WREI WIM Director Testifies before Caucus on Women in the Military Retired Navy Captain Lory Manning, skipper of WREI's Women in the Military Project, testified before the Caucus on Women in the Military, joining legislators, active duty service personnel and activists in calling for an end to the Department of Defense's often breached, but still in force ban on women in combat. “It’s widely known,” Capt. Manning stated, “that women in Iraq and Afghanistan have been attached to units rather than assigned to them, in many combat roles originally only done by men. “It’s time to end the bureaucratic fudges that put women in harm’s way without formally recognizing their vital role in the defense of our nation.” Read the Washington Post account of the meeting here _______________________________________________________________________
Farewell Fete for 2011 Fellows
Susan Scanlan hosts a farewell dinner for the 2011 Congressional Fellows on Women and Public Policy at the Bombay Club in Washington. Pictured from left to right are Julie Feeney, Carmen Orozco-Acosta,Natalie Khalatov-Krimnus, Scanlan, Susan Cha and Hannah Katch.
_______________________________________________________________________ Bidding Farewell to 2010 Fellow Linda Mancillas
Dr. Linda Mancillas will be leaving American University to teach political science at Gwinnett College in Atlanta. At her farewell party: Andrea Casalotti (2010), Carmen Orozco-Acosta (2011), Linda, A.Tianna Scozzaro (2010), Carolyn Hughes (2008)
_______________________________________________________________________ WREI 2011 Fellows Salute
Photos by Sylvia Johnson Photography _______________________________________________________________________
Officer Women’s Leadership Symposium to convene 22-24 September 2011 The Eighth Military Officer Women’s Leadership Symposium will be held September 22-24 September, 2010 at the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. This event is designed to inspire, inform and connect current, future and former women military officers from all the military services regardless of commissioning source. The theme for the 2011 Symposium is “Leading Change: Individually, Locally, Globally.” The theme speaks to the opportunities we have as leaders to play key roles in implementing change in our lives, our organizations, and in the broader world. Choosing to champion change affords the opportunity for authentic leadership, to be one who holds fiercely to the course of personal values and conviction despite the opposing winds of others’ opinions and of convention. Panels and keynotes will include Barriers to Entry: Advancing Women into Key Leadership Roles; Leadership from the Inside Out: Leading Authentically During Times of Challenge; Work-Life Balance: Truth or Fiction, Can You Really Have it All?and; Leading on the Battlefield: Women and War Panel Discussion. There will also be a Remembrance Ceremony in honor of women fallen in combat throughout the ages. The Symposium takes place 23 and 24 September and will end with a workshop on effective mentoring planned especially for women participants of the eMentor Leadership Program but open to all. The event begins on 22 September, with a full day Career Coaching workshop designed to assist women who are making career transitions after their military obligation, women who are considering a career change and women who are interested in improving their career success. The Career Workshop will include a variety of sessions designed to help transitioning women gain a better understanding of: career options and the skills needed to succeed in each industry, the art of conducting a successful job search, creating a winning resume and developing strategies for career success. Opportunities will also be available for attendees to network with top-caliber, military friendly companies specifically interested in military women for their integrity, work ethic and leadership skills. Visit www.AcademyWomen.org for more information, to register for the symposium or to sign up for free membership in AcademyWomen. AcademyWomen membership and events are open to all who support the organization’s mission. Please direct questions to Stefanie Goebel at goebel@academywomen.org. _______________________________________________________________________ Capt. Lory Manning on women in elite combat units
Coming soon to this picture: Women SEALS? Capt. Lory Manning (USN, Ret.), Director, WREI Women in the Military Project, was quoted in a Washington Post article contemplating women's roles in elite military combat units.
Read the entire Washington Post article here _______________________________________________________________________
WREI/IWDC Night O'Chocolate featured on Voice of America Russian language broadcast
________________________________________________________________________ Air Force Major General Margaret Woodward: first woman to lead U.S. air war
March 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Air Force general directing the
airstrikes over Libya has flown aerial tankers into battle and commanded the
pilots of Air Force One -- and is now the first woman to lead a combat air
campaign.
Major General Margaret Woodward, 51, was in charge of the 17th Air Force, a unit that supports humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Africa, when she was ordered to set up the United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya.
________________________________________________________________________ WREI has moved!
Been there, done that... two years have passed since our last move and WREI has moved again. We're now sharing digs with The National Council of Women's Organizations at Eighth and G streets, S.E., near the Navy Yard and Marine Barracks, only a few blocks from the Capitol.
Our new address: Women's Research and Education Institute 714 G Street S.E., Suite 200, Metro stop: Eastern Market Our telephone numbers will remain the same. Updated WREI information for Outlook
________________________________________________________________________
AND calls for changes in policy on women in combat, women in submarines The Alliance for National Defense today released position papers calling on the Department of Defense to modernize policies regarding women in the interest of national defense.
AND called for an expansion military women’s combat roles ‘to reflect the reality on the ground’ and urged that Navy women, both officer and enlisted, be given the opportunity to compete for positions in all platforms (SSN, SSBN, SSGN) of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force.
“Women should be considered for military assignments and duties based on the training, experience, leadership potential and characteristics required to accomplish the mission and the specific requirements/tasks of the job,” the position paper on Women in Combat states. The position paper on women in combat urged sweeping changes in women’s participation in combat operations:
“Women should be considered for military assignments and duties based on the training, experience, leadership potential and characteristics required to accomplish the mission and the specific requirements/tasks of the job,” the position paper concludes. “Performance standards for military jobs should be based on the scientifically developed and empirically verified elements of the job’s tasks and not based on personal opinion.” The complete position papers in PDF format are available for download and review: ________________________________________________________________________ Orientation begins for the 2011 WREI Fellows On January 10th, the Class of 2011 Congressional Fellows on Women & Public Policy began their two-week Capitol Hill orientation. Introducing Susan Cha, Julie Feeney, Hannah Katch, Natalie Khalatov-Krimnus, and Carmen Orozco-Acosta. 2010 Fellows share their 111th Congress experiences with 2011 Fellows who’ll begin in the 112th Congress
First Row: A.Tianna Scozzaro, Julie Feeney, Linda Mancillas, Elizabeth Darnall, Susan Cha Second Row: Natalie Khalatov-Krimnus, Adriane Casalotti, Hannah Katch, Carmen Orozco-Acosta More orientation photos here ________________________________________________________________________
Scanlan represents Virginia at Vision2020, Women’s Equality Convention
WREI president Susan Scanlan signs the Declaration of Equality, endorsed by 102 women leaders from the 50 states and the District of Columbia in Philadelphia on October 22nd. Delegates gathered as part of Vision 2020, a national project focused on advancing gender equity by energizing the dialogue about women and leadership. This event helped launch an action agenda to move America toward equality by 2020, the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment, allowing women’s suffrage.
For more information about Vision 2020: http://www.drexel.edu/vision2020/ ________________________________________________________________________ BE A MENTOR IN THE VETERANWOMEN iMENTOR PROGRAM We all hear about the struggles of returning veterans…here’s your chance to make a difference in the life of such a veteran. Consider becoming an online mentor to a woman veteran seeking employment. AcademyWomen is a proud partner of the Veteran Women Project, a program designed to provide a variety of services to assist women veterans in Southwestern Washington find employment. A core element of Veteran Women is an online mentoring program that pairs women veteran clients with volunteer women veteran mentors for 6 month- or one-year online mentoring relationships. Mentors are responsible to develop a mentoring relationship with the mentee and to support her in her job search or preparation for the search via weekly emails sent through the online mentoring platform’s messaging tool.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor in this exciting program, you may apply at: https://pic.imentorinteractive.org/survey/intake/mentor/ or call the program director, Emily Stoutsenberger. at 360-696-8417 for more info. ________________________________________________________________________
VOA interviews Scanlan on 90th annniversary of women's right to vote ________________________________________________________________________
Scanlan vows to fight Social Security cuts WREI President Susan Scanlan says women will "stand as one against any efforts to renege on this enduring and essential social contract by balancing the budget on women’s backs. "Unlike the bankers and financiers of Wall Street who brought us to the brink of economic calamity, your average woman on the street has not received a bailout, " Scanlan wrote in a blog on Retirement USA. "We’re still working at low wage jobs, more than half of which offer no paid vacation, retirement, or sick leave let alone childcare or transportation assistance. Right now, the nurses, teachers, secretaries, grocery store clerks, data processors, hair stylists, and waitresses whom I represent are grateful to have a job, even if they receive only 77-cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn." The blog was part of WAKE UP, Washington!, a new initiative sponsored by Retirement USA working toward a universal, secure, and adequate pension system for all Americans, billed as a time for Americans across the country to tell lawmakers to keep their hands off of Social Security and to fix the real problem – our nation's patchwork private retirement. ________________________________________________________________________ Celebrating Women’s Equality Day with the Troops To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment – granting women the right to vote – Susan Scanlan keynoted ceremonies at Quantico Marine Base and the U.S. Army JAG Corps. These Women’s Equality Day events honor the work and sacrifice of the Suffragists who endured ridicule, poverty, and prison to gain access to the ballot box. August 26, 1920 was the date that Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment – by one vote !
Susan Scanlan with women Marines following her speech at Quantico
_______________________________________________________________________
Susan Scanlan interviewed on Womens Radio Visit Womens Radio and hear the interview Or download a copy of the interview to your computer
________________________________________________________________________ Remembering Juanita M. Kreps
WREI has learned with sorrow of the death of long time board member Juanita M. Krups, who died July 5. She was 89. Although no longer active due to illness, she provided WREI wise counsel and lent her name and reputation to many of our programs. Dr. Kreps joined the WREI Board in 1981, following her service as Secretary of Commerce in the Carter Administration -- one of only four women appointed to such high office. She made it her business to expand opportunities for women in and out of government through her own research as a labor economist, by advocating women’s recruitment and promotion on the many corporate boards she was elected to, and as Dean of the Women’s College at Duke University. It was Dr. Kreps who persuaded Sally Ride to accept WREI’s American Woman Award in 1999, who reviewed our statistical profiles in each edition of The American Woman, and who steered research opportunities on women’s employment our way. Juanita Kreps was a gracious lady, a ground-breaking leader, a respected scholar, and a dear friend. WREI will miss her. Learn more about this extraordinary women here. ________________________________________________________________________
Don't balance the budget on backs of women! Susan Scanlan testifies before Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
WREI President Susan Scanlan, in her role as Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, called on members of the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform not to balance the budget through cuts to Social Security. "Social Security has not contributed one red cent to the deficit..." Scanlan stated in testimony before the commission June 30. "Suggestions about cutting benefits or raising the retirement age represent nothing less than the country’s breaking its word with its most vulnerable citizens. Truly, America is better than that... "I know that you are looking out for our grandchildren. So I’m here today speaking for today’s and tomorrow’s grandma’s. The 12 million members of the National Council of Women’s Organizations are ready, willing, and able to work with you to defeat the deficit. Give us a fair plan that eliminates the Bush tax cuts, ends two unfunded wars, and spreads the sacrifice to those who can afford it. Then we’ll roll up our sleeves to work with you. "But," she warned, 'we will stand as one against any efforts to renege on this enduring and essential social contract by balancing the budget on women's backs." Click here for the complete statement ________________________________________________________________________
Once and current Fellows at WREI’s June 8th, 2010 Capitol Hill reception Front: Irene Lin, Elizabeth Darnall, A.Tianna Scozzaro, Davida Walsh Second Row: Heidi Hollonbeck Robinson, Alicia Butler Dupre, WREI President Susan Scanlan, Linda Mancillas, Amber Shipley, Anh Phan Back Row: Jo Deutsch, Adriane Casalotti, Jacqueline Ayers, Leslie Greenberg, Savannah Lengsfelder, Lisa Maatz, Fatemeh Hosseini, Carolyn Hughes, Debbie Jessup To view more photos from this event, click here To view photos from previous events, click here Click here to meet this extraordinary group of women
________________________________________________________________________ Remembering Dr. Dorothy Height WREI Board Member/President emerita of the National Council of Negro Women
Dr. Dorothy Height, a founder and WREI board member for 33 years, died Tuesday, April 20th, at age 98. Her loss will be deeply felt in both the civil rights and women’s communities. “WREI has benefited from Dr. Height’s leadership since our founding in 1977 as the data/policy analysis arm of the Congresswomen’s Caucus,” said Susan Scanlan, WREI president. “A woman who changed history—and who lived long enough to witness these changes—Dorothy Height’s vision defined and reinforced our mission. She brought a sense of calm, cohesion, and capability to every conversation.” Another special link between WREI and Dr. Height: She was appointed by President Harry Truman to the first board of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service (DACOWITS). Over the years, she provided wise counsel to WREI’s one-of-a-kind Women in the Military project.
Learn more about Dr. Height's career, accomplishments and honors here ________________________________________________________________________
WREI's Scanlan is PLEN 2010 Mentor Award honoree
WREI president Susan Scanlan accepts a Public Leadership Education Network 2010 Mentor Award at PLEN's 30th anniversary celebration and awards celebration Feb. 25 in Washington. PLEN is the only national organization whose sole mission is educating women for leadership in the public arena. Its member and associate schools include some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities. It was founded in 1978 by then-Wells College president and former Texas State Legislator Sissy Farenthold, a Scanlan heroine. Rep. Judy Biggert of Illinois and Washington attorney Valerie Jackson also won Mentor Awards. International development expert Kristin Haffert was the winner of the PLEN Alumna Leadership Award. _______________________________________________________________________
WREI partners with the Global Summit of Women In January, WREI formed an alliance with Globewomen, Inc., a prominent public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Globewomen links businesswomen worldwide through an international summit, two national conferences, and an online expo of women's products and services. At the three-day 2008 Summit that opened June 5th in Hanoi, Vietnam, more than 1000 business, professional, government, academic, and entrepreneurial women leaders from around the world gathered to exchange ideas, extend markets, and expand equality. Some 50 government ministers from around the world were there to talk about public/private partnerships to enhance women's economic status. Click on the logo to read the latest GlobeWomen newsletter
Globewomen's president is Irene Natividad, who, over an impressive, 30-year career, has headed the National Women's Political Caucus, the National Commission on Working Women, and the Philippine American Foundation.
She is a regular panelist on the popular PBS show, To The Contrary, an all-women news forum. For a more detailed look at Irene's work with the Global Summit of Women and other GlobeWomen projects, please visit www.globewomen.com.
_________________________________________________________________________ Cervical Cancer: Protect Older Women An article by WREI's Susan Scanlan appearing in newspapers around the nation from Florida to Alaska. _________________________________________________________________________ WREI contact information
Women's Research & Education Institute 714 G Street S.E., Suite 200,
Main: 202-280-2720 Direct lines: Susan Scanlan 202-280-2718 Lory Manning 202-280-2719
Metro stop: Eastern Market
_________________________________________________________________________
|
Capt. Lory Manning discusses military sexual assault epidemic on Marc Steiner Show Capt. Manning's article on End of Combat Exclusion New Now Available! Women in the Military: Where They Stand Eighth edition
Thank-you! WREI's former, current and future fellows (and their congressional bosses!)
thank our corporate and individual fellowship funders for their generosity that makes possible WREI's Congressional Fellowships on Women & Public Policy!
 FEDERAL WORKERS PLEASE SUPPORT WREI! Combined Federal Campaign Number: 11295
What's New A listing of Women in the Military Collections Academic and Private Collections
Now available: and Reserve/Guard Statistics as of 30 Sept 2010
Order Proceedings of WREI's 2005 Conference
Capitol Hill Salute Honoring 2007 WREI Fellows
Remembering 1911-2006 and WREI Board Member
Women's Work is Never Done! WREI welcomes your support through a tax-deductible contribution! |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
The first girl marbles champion of Boston, she graduated valedictorian of her high school. With the $50 award for this honor, Dr. Chamberlain registered at Radcliffe College, where she majored in economics. After graduation she followed her professors to wartime Washington, DC, and became a part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA. As part of the “brain trust” assembled by General William (“Wild Bill”) Donovan, Chamberlain calculated air power in Axis countries and was part of President Roosevelt’s entourage when he met secretly with Prime Minister Churchill in Quebec in 1943. 
