Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues
to speak at Naropa University Commencement

MEDIA ALERT–PRESS CONFERENCE
Contact: Sue Seecof, 303-245-4622, 720-878-2696, sseecof@naropa.edu, www.naropa.edu

On May 8, Ambassador Verveer will speak at a press conference about international women's rights and her work as director of the U.S. Dept. of State's Office of Global Women's Issues. Ambassador Verveer is visiting Colorado to present a speech at Naropa University's commencement ceremony in the late afternoon.

WHAT: Press Conference
WHO: Ambassador Melanne Verveer, U.S. Dept. of State, Office of Global Women's Issues
WHEN: Saturday, May 8 at 2:00p.m. MST
WHERE: Naropa University, Administrative Conference Rm., 2130 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder, CO 80302
WHY: Ambassador Verveer will speak about the Office of Global Women's Issues latest inititatives concerning international women's rights

BOULDER, Colo. (May 4, 2010) — Naropa University’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 8, at 3 p.m. in Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado Boulder will feature a speech by Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Women's Issues. Verveer, the former chief of staff to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was appointed to her newly created position by President Barack Obama in April 2009.

Last week, Ambassador Verveer’s Office of Global Women's Issues launched two important initiatives for Secretary Clinton, the "Secretary's International Fund for Women and Girls " and the "Secretary's Innovation Award for Women's and Girls' Empowerment."

The first initiative will help NGOs around the world address women's needs in six major areas: political and economic empowerment, increasing access to health care and education, ending violence against women, and fully involving women in combating climate change. The second, the Innovation Award, is a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation. It seeks to find the best ideas from around the world for empowering women and girls, and provides grants of up to $500,000 for scaling up those good ideas.

Ambassador Verveer speaks about her commencement address, entitled “Our Place in the World.” “I'm looking forward to my visit to Naropa University. In my work at the Department of State, I see the need, on a daily basis, for cultural understanding, a holistic approach, and a willingness to try innovative solutions, such as women's empowerment, in tackling the entrenched problems of the world. It's a privilege to speak with young people who place a firm importance on these values and who are open to new approaches, new methods and new ideas.”

A total of 230 students will graduate from more than a dozen undergraduate and a dozen graduate degree programs including BA Religious Studies, MFA Writing and Poetics and MA Transpersonal Counseling Psychology. The faculty address will be given by Junior Burke, MFA chair of the Department of Writing & Poetics at Naropa's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. The undergraduate and graduate speakers will be Jennifer Bohn (BA Psychology and Environmental Studies) and Dianna Serquina (MFA Creative Writing).

“At Naropa University, we recognize the inherent worth and value of every human being. Ambassador Verveer has spent her life working to improve the conditions for women all over the world. She has provided leadership for all people, and through her work at the Department of State, she is pioneering the way for all who follow,” says Naropa President Stuart C. Lord.

Ambassador Verveer
For a full biography please go to http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/122075.htm.

A briefing by Ambassador Verveer about Secretary Clinton’s International Women of Courage Award–the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide–to honor women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and advancement.

Ambassador Verveer comments on the 2009 Human Rights report at the Dept. of State Washington, DC, March 15, 2010 at http://www.youtube.com/user/statevideo?feature=mhw5#p/p/ECBF0E4CE42BA121/61/6jETEgIzPY0.

Naropa University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.
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