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Ambassador Constance A. Morella
Former United States Ambassador to the OECD
Ambassador Constance A. Morella was appointed to serve as Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on July 11, 2003, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on July 31, 2003. She was the first US Ambassador to the OECD ever to have served in the United States Congress. During her sixteen years in the House of Representatives, Ambassador Morella developed a national reputation as a leader in efforts to promote economic growth through science and technology and she was a leading advocate for women, children and families. In the Congress, Ambassador Morella served as a senior member of the House Committee on Science and chaired one of its key panels, the Subcommittee on Technology, from 1995 until 2000. In this role, she spearheaded the enactment of landmark legislation to promote technology transfer from federal labs to private industry, and she was a key supporter of biotechnology and advanced scientific research. Ambassador Morella was in the forefront in the Congress on matters of trade and foreign policy. She advocated liberalized trade rules and heightened international engagement. As Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, she advanced efforts to promote access to micro-enterprise capital among women in developing countries. For her many efforts, Ambassador Morella has received numerous awards and recognitions, including outstanding Public Service Awards from the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, and the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights “for selfless and devoted service in the cause of equality.” Ambassador Morella has also served as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is currently Ambassador in Residence at American University’s Women & Politics Institute (WPI). She holds an AB from Boston University, an MA from American University and 10 honorary doctoral degrees.