Julia Chang Bloch is a Chinese American diplomat, and the first U.S. Ambassador of Asian descent. Born in China in 1942, Bloch immigrated to the United States at age nine, and grew up in San Francisco. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964, and a master’s degree in Government and East Asia Regional Studies from Harvard University in 1967. Her extensive career in international affairs and government service began in 1964 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sabah, Malaysia. In an interview for Youku.com, Bloch shared her motivations for pursuing...

United States Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland is a 35th Generation New Mexican, an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna and one of the first two Native American Women elected to Congress. On March 15, 2021, she was sworn in as the First Native American Cabinet Secretary. Haaland was born in Winslow, AZ, in 1960 to two military parents. Her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal during Vietnam, and her mother was in the Navy. Haaland attended 13 different public schools during her childhood, and ultimately graduated from Highland High...

The following post was contributed by Meridian Board Chair, Ann Stock, who sat down with Global Communications Fellow Abby Haley to discuss the women who have inspired her path to leadership and how she leads by example for other women today. This post is part of the HERspectives series honoring Meridian’s leading ladies in Women’s History Month. Who is your biggest female inspiration or mentor? It’s got to be Hillary Clinton! I worked for her twice: five years at the White House as its Social Secretary when she was First Lady, and then three years at the State Department...

Ms. Ekenia Chifamba, a 2019 alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), is a girls rights activist and the Founding Director of Shamwari Yemwanasikana. Shamwari Yemwanasikana (which is Shona for “Exclusive Friend of the Girl Child”) is a community based, non-governmental organization in Zimbabwe that seeks to promote the rights and empowerment of the girl child in the home, school and community. This blog post is part of a series highlighting and celebrating women leaders in our network during Women’s History Month. Who is or has been a female inspiration, mentor or hero figure to...

Ms. Musenge Musomali is a 2018 IVLP alumna, and the founder and Executive Director of the Liberated Hearts Foundation (LIHEF), focused on promoting effective and interactive dialogue with communities on issues related to gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is also the author of the book Glow After Pain which draws on her personal experience with gender-based violence and its effects. This blog post is part of a series highlighting and celebrating women leaders in Meridian’s network during Women’s History Month. Who is or was a female inspiration, mentor or hero figure to you? My female...