Recognizing Michele Manatt for Her Service to the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend Michele Manatt for her service at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM), where she has served on the board since 2021, and for her contributions to our Nation.

A native Washingtonian, Ms. Manatt graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied political economy. After graduation, she returned to the District of Columbia to begin her career in public policy and international affairs.

Ms. Manatt served as a professional staff member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where her portfolio included oversight of the United States' relationships with Canada and Mexico and countries throughout Central and South America. She went on to serve as Senior Policy Advisor to three consecutive Assistant Secretaries of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, helping to manage policy in the region. She continued her public service as Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Since 2006, Ms. Manatt has worked as an independent consultant, providing strategic insight into hemispheric policy and social integration. She contributed to a multiyear initiative with the Americas Society/Council of the Americas to document and explore successful models of Hispanic integration in midsized American cities.

Ms. Manatt has been a leader in public diplomacy. She currently serves on the board of the Diplomacy Center Foundation, the private partner supporting the completion of the National Museum of American Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State's headquarters campus. She was the founding chair of the Council on Women's Leadership at the Meridian International Center, fostering dialogue and leadership development for women in support of Track II diplomacy. She has always been fascinated by the power of fashion. She says diplomats defend U.S. interests not in uniforms, but in suits, blouses, ties and, in her case, scarves.

As a member of the GSPM board, Ms. Manatt has provided strategic counsel to ensure that students benefited from a strong, bipartisan academic environment and were exposed to diverse career paths. Through her family's philanthropy, she has also supported other parts of The George Washington University, including the law school, the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Textile Museum.

Mr. Speaker, as Ms. Manatt concludes her service on the GSPM board, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking her for her contributions to The George Washington University and to our Nation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source