Donna Shalala | Mini Moments With Big Thinkers

Donna Shalala

Former TC faculty member Donna Shalala is President, University of Miami; where she also serves as Professor of Political Science. 

Shalala has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  She served as President of Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1980 to 1987 and as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1987 to 1993. 

Shalala served in the Carter administration from 1977-80 as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  In 1993 President Clinton appointed her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). She held that post for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history.  The Washington Post subsequently described her as “one of the most successful government managers of modern times.”  

In 2007, President George W. Bush handpicked Shalala to co-chair with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors, to evaluate how wounded service members transition from active duty to civilian society. In 2009 she was appointed chair of the Committee on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. 

in 2008, President Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award; and in 2010 she received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, which recognizes individuals for outstanding dedication to improving the health and life chances of disadvantaged populations in South Africa and internationally.  In 2011, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.  


To learn more about Donna Shalala read:

• Educating The Public About Public Education (guest essay by Shalala in TC Today magazine) 
• Donna Shalala Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom 
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Learn more about TC's Departments of Education Policy & Social Analysis (EPSA) and Health andBehavior Studies.The latter includes the College's programs in Diabetes Education and Management,Health Education, Nursing Education, and Nutrition.