Donna Shalala

Donna Shalala
President of the Clinton Foundation
In office
March 6, 2015 – April 25, 2017
Preceded by Bruce Lindsey
Succeeded by Kevin Thurm
5th President of the University of Miami
In office
June 1, 2001 – August 16, 2015
Preceded by Edward T. Foote II
Succeeded by Julio Frenk
18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
In office
January 22, 1993 – January 20, 2001
President Bill Clinton
Preceded by Louis Wade Sullivan
Succeeded by Tommy Thompson
Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, Madison
In office
January 1, 1988 – January 22, 1993
Preceded by Bernard Cecil Cohen
Succeeded by David Ward
Personal details
Born Donna Edna Shalala
(1941-02-14) February 14, 1941
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education Western College (BA)
Syracuse University (MA, PhD)

Donna Edna Shalala (/ʃəˈleɪlə/ shə-LAY-lə; born February 14, 1941) is a politician who served as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. She was the president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, from 2001 through 2015. Previously she was the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1988 to 1993. Shalala currently serves as Trustee Professor of Political Science and Health Policy at the University of Miami, and was President of the Clinton Foundation from 2015 to March 2017.[1][2]

In 2018, she became the Democratic nominee for Florida's 27th Congressional District.

Early life and education

Shalala was born in Cleveland, Ohio of Maronite Catholic Lebanese descent, the daughter of Edna Smith and James Abraham Shalala.[3] Shalala's father sold real estate[4] and her mother, one of the first Arab-Americans to graduate from Ohio State University,[5] was a teacher who worked two jobs and attended law school at night[4] to become a lawyer at 41--and practiced for 50 years, retiring at 91.[5] Donna Shalala has a twin sister Diane Fritel.[6] The sisters played youth baseball where George Steinbrenner coached their team.[7]

Shalala attended West Technical High School where she was the editor of the school newspaper.[6] She went on to receive a bachelor's degree in 1962 from Western College for Women.[lower-alpha 1][9] From 1962 to 1964 she was among the first volunteers to serve in the Peace Corps.[10][11] Her placement took her to Iran where she worked with other volunteers to construct an agricultural college.[10]

In 1970, she earned a Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in Syracuse New York.[12]

Academic career

Shalala began her teaching career as a political science professor at Baruch College (part of CUNY), where she also was a member of the American Federation of Teachers union. In 1972 Shalala became a professor of politics and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, a job she held until 1979.[13] In 1975, Shalala became the only woman on the Municipal Assistance Corporation, a group tasked with saving New York City from a financial crisis.[4] She gained notoriety as the only woman on the Corporation.[4] Concurrently, from 1977 to 1980, she served as the assistant secretary for policy development and research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Carter Administration.[14]

Shalala's first experience with academic administration came on October 8, 1980 when she became the 10th president of Hunter College, serving in this capacity until 1988.[15]

She next served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1988-1993).[16] At the time of her chancellorship, the university included 42,000 students, employed 16,500 people, and had an annual budget of $1 billion.[4] Under her chancellorship and with her support, the university adopted a broad speech code subjecting students to disciplinary action for communications that were perceived as hate speech. That speech code was later found unconstitutional by a federal judge.[17] Also while chancellor, Shalala supported passage of a revised faculty speech code broadly restricting "harmful" speech in both "noninstructional" and "instructional" settings. The faculty speech code was abolished ten years later, after a number of professors were investigated for alleged or suspected violations.[18]

She was the first woman to lead a Big Ten Conference school, and only the second woman in the country to head a major research university.[19]

As Madison chancellor, Shalala, with then athletic director Pat Richter, interviewed and hired football coach Barry Alvarez who went on to become Wisconsin's all-time leader in football wins, with numerous appearances by Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl.[20]

University of Miami

Shalala created a UM fundraising campaign called "Momentum," designed to raise UM's endowment from approximately $750 million to $1 billion; the goal was later increased to $1.25 billion by the end of 2007. In February 2012 the University of Miami announced Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami, with $906 million already raised at the time of the public launch. On October 26, 2012, UM announced that Momentum2 hit the $1 billion mark, on track to reach the fundraising goal of $1.6 billion in 2016.

Drawing on her experience after serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Shalala taught a course covering the United States healthcare system every spring semester.

Custodial wages strike

Shalala faced some criticism for her response to a nationally publicized custodial workers' strike at the University of Miami, which lasted from February 28 to May 1, 2006. Critics called UM's custodial workers among the lowest paid university-based custodians in the nation and alleged they were not earning a living wage. The strike prompted Shalala to raise wages. Shalala was also criticized for living in luxury while the custodians did not have health insurance.[21] Shalala criticized union organizer's tactics, including a sit-in that she said prevented students from attending classes.[21]

Honor society and departure

In the fall of 2007, Shalala was inducted into UM's Iron Arrow Honor Society.

On September 8, 2014, Shalala announced that she would be stepping down at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Shalala during her tenure as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Shalala with President Bill Clinton in 1993

Following a year serving as chair of the Children's Defense Fund (1992–1993), President-elect Bill Clinton nominated United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 1992.[4] The Washington Post labeled her "one of the most controversial Clinton Cabinet nominees".[17] Her nomination went before the Senate Finance Committee in January 1993.[6] At the start of her tenure, the Department of Health and Human Services employed 125,000 people and had a budget of $539 billion.[4]

She served in this role for all eight years of his administration, becoming the nation's longest serving HHS secretary. In 1996, Shalala was the designated survivor during Clinton's State of the Union address.[22]

She was also known for her fervent anti-drug stance. She was the first Lebanese-American to serve in a Cabinet position.[23]

Clinton Foundation

In 2015, Shalala was named to head the Clinton Foundation. She followed her tenure as president of the University of Miami with being named chief executive officer of the Foundation.[24] According to The New York Times, Chelsea Clinton helped persuade Shalala to leave the Miami position, move to New York and head the foundation.[25]

Stroke

Following a September 2015 Clinton Global Initiative event held at the Sheraton New York, Shalala fell ill. It was subsequently reported by a foundation statement that she had suffered a stroke.[25][26]

Other activities

Board member

Donna Shalala is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Soccer Federation.[27] Shalala served as a member of the board of directors of Lennar Corporation from 2001-2012.[28][29] She served on the board of directors of Gannett Company from 2001 to 2011, retiring because of age limits.[30] The Chronicle of Higher Education has reported on the conflict of interest of Shalala sitting on boards of property development companies.[31]

Co-chair of Presidential Commission

On March 6, 2007 President George W. Bush named Shalala and Bob Dole to head a presidential commission called the President's Commission On Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The commission was formed in response to a growing outcry over the care of wounded outpatient soldiers.

President Bush Meets with Co-Chairs of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors

The commission included seven other members, ranging from injured war veterans to the wife of a wounded staff sergeant who suffered burns across 70 percent of his body. Demands for corrective action arose after The Washington Post exposed living conditions in a decrepit Army-owned building just outside Walter Reed Hospital and highlighted obstacles and delays in the treatment of soldiers who suffered serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.[32] The commission subsequently issued several recommendations for improvement of these facilities.

Civic activities

In 1985, Shalala became a founding member of EMILY's List, a political action committee that seeks to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.[33] Shalala served from 2001-2007[28] on the board of the Albert Shanker Institute, a small, three-member staff organization named for the former head of the American Federation of Teachers. She is an honorary board member of the American Iranian Council, an organization that seeks to promote closer U.S. relations with Iran.[34] She served[28] on the board of directors for Gannett Company.

Shalala serves as a co-leader of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center.[35] She serves as a distinguished senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program and the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution.[36] She is also a member of Washington D.C based think tank, The Inter-American Dialogue.[37]

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius greets Shalala, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and former HHS Secretary Louis Sullivan prior to a bipartisan health reform implementation meeting in Washington, D.C. in 2010.

Shalala also served as a panelist on the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, a working group of former high-ranking government officials and academic experts that put together a set of recommendations regarding the United States' defense capabilities against biological threats.[38]

Honors

On June 19, 2008 Donna Shalala was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.[39] In 2010 she received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.[40] She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York in 2011.[41] In 2014, she was recognized by the Harry S Truman Library and Museum with the Harry S Truman Legacy of Leadership Award.[42] Shalala has been awarded more than 50 honorary degrees.[28]

She has been elected to the Council on Foreign Relations; National Academy of Education; the National Academy of Public Administration; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the American Philosophical Society; the National Academy of Social Insurance; the American Academy of Political and Social Science; and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.[41]

2018 U.S. House campaign

In March 2018, Shalala declared her candidacy in the Democratic primary for Florida's 27th congressional district.[43][44] In an interview with CBS Miami, Shalala stated that she supports universal healthcare coverage. However, she also said that she opposes a Medicare For All single-payer healthcare system because she believes that individuals who like their current employment-based healthcare plans should be able to keep them.[45] On August 28, 2018, Shalala won the Democratic primary.[46]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In 1976, Western College for Women merged with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Donna Shalala, former President of the Clinton Foundation: Universal Healthcare: An Idea Whose Time Has Come? Voices in Leadership at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017
  2. ↑ Amy Chozick (March 6, 2015). "Donna Shalala to Lead Clinton Foundation". The New York Times First Draft. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ Frank Northen Magill (1995). Great lives from history: American women series Volume 5. Salem Press.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chira, Susan (December 12, 1992). "THE TRANSITION: Woman in the News; Emphasis On Action: Donna Edna Shalala". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Cohen, Howard (December 2, 2014). "Lawyer Edna Shalala, mother of University of Miami president, dies at 103". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  6. 1 2 3 Vobejda, Barbara (January 14, 1993). "Washingtonpost.com: Shalala: A Lifetime Spent in the Center of Storms". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ Lucas, Mike (July 16, 2018). "2018 UW Athletic Hall of Fame: Donna Shalala". University of Wisconsin. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mergers in Higher Education" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  9. ↑ "At Helm of Nation's Health Donna Shalala Thrives | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "PeaceCorpsOnline web site". Peacecorpsonline.org. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  11. ↑ Vobejda, Barbara (April 15, 1993). "ON A HEALTH KICK". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Curriculum Vitae Donna E. Shalala. University of Miami. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Silhouettes of TC Today cover". Teachers College - Columbia University. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala to Address Graduates at Drexel's Commencement - DrexelNow". DrexelNow. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Secretary Donna Shalala Speaks at the CATS Roundtable Radio Show - John Catsimatidis Official Site". John Catsimatidis Official Site. February 24, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Past presidents and chancellors | Office of the Chancellor". chancellor.wisc.edu. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Donna Shalala biography". The Washington Post. December 15, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  18. ↑ Alan Charles Kors from the July 1999 issue (March 1, 1999). ""Cracking the Speech Code," ''Reason'', July 1999". Reason.com. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Donna Shalala". Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  20. ↑ Ed Sherman from the. "She Left Wisconsin With a Rosy Outlook,". Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  21. 1 2 Goodnough, Abby; Steven Greenhouse (April 18, 2006). "Anger Rises on Both Sides of Strike at U. of Miami". The New York Times. pp. A.18. ISSN 0362-4331.
  22. ↑ "Politicos Gather for State of the Union, but 'Designated Survivor' Will Be in Hiding". ABC News. January 27, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  23. ↑ "UM president Donna Shalala lauded for handling of NCAA investigation". miamiherald. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  24. ↑ Nicholas, Peter; Reinhard, Beth. "Donna Shalala to Lead Clinton Foundation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  25. 1 2 Haberman and, Maggie; Chozick, Amy (September 29, 2015). "Donna Shalala, President of Clinton Foundation, Has Stroke". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Former UM president Donna Shalala suffers stroke". miamiherald. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  27. ↑ Board of Directors - U.S. Soccer
  28. 1 2 3 4 Donna Shalala CV
  29. ↑ "Donna Shalala, Independent Director". Morningstar. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  30. ↑ Clabaugh, Jeff (February 23, 2011). "Donna Shalala leaves Gannett board". Business Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  31. ↑ Conflicts Abound for College Chiefs on Corporate Boards - The Chronicle of Higher Education
  32. ↑ "PeaceCorpsOnline". PeaceCorpsOnline. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  33. ↑ Vaida, Bara; Skalka, Jennifer (June 28, 2008). "Can EMILY's List Get Its Mojo Back?". National Journal. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  34. ↑ "American Iranian Council web site". American-iranian.org. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  35. ↑ Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative Archived August 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., Bipartisan Policy Center
  36. ↑ McDuffee, Allen (April 2, 2012). "Donna Shalala, former HHS secretary, joins Brookings". The Washington Post.
  37. ↑ "Inter-American Dialogue | Donna Shalala". www.thedialogue.org. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Secretary Donna Shalala". www.biodefensestudy.org. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  39. ↑ Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
  40. ↑ Donna E. Shalala Honored With Nelson Mandela Award For Health And Human Rights Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
  41. 1 2 President Donna E. Shalala’s Biography University of Miami
  42. ↑ President Shalala Honored with Truman Award University of Miami
  43. ↑ Scherer, Michael (March 6, 2018). "Former Cabinet secretary Donna Shalala to run for Congress in Miami". Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  44. ↑ Daugherty, Alex; Smiley, David (March 5, 2018). "Donna Shalala is running for Congress in bid to replace Ros-Lehtinen". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Web Video Extra: Full Interview With Congressional Candidate Donna Shalala". CBS Miami. March 8, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  46. ↑ Morejon, Andrea Torres, Liane (August 28, 2018). "Shalala wins Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida..." www.local10.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Louis Sullivan		 United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
1993–2001		 Succeeded by
Tommy Thompson
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