The U.S. ambassador charged with advancing women's rights around the world will speak at Emory University's Turkish Lecture Series Feb. 3 at 11:30 a.m.

President Obama appointed Melanne Verveer last year as an ambassador-at-large to head the State Department's newly created Office of Women's Issues, where she coordinates programs and influences how U.S. foreign policy affects women's social, economic and political advancement.

Ms. Verveer most recently chaired Vital Voices Global Partnership, a global non-profit she co-founded to build female leaders and boost their participation in business and politics. In the 1990s, she served as then-First Lady Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, where she spearheaded Ms. Clinton's women's rights initiatives.

The lecture is the fifth in a yearly series that has featured Turkish dignitaries and educators. Last year's speaker was Turkey's ambassador to the U.S., Nabi Sensoy, who recently resigned from his post.

Mona Diamond, Turkey's honorary consul general for Georgia, helps host the series in partnership with Emory's Halle Institute for Global Learning and the American-Turkish Friendship Council. Ms. Diamond organized a conference for female entrepreneurs in Istanbul last June.

Click here to register, or contact Evan Goldberg at (404) 727-4060 or by email at evan.goldberg@emory.edu. 

2010 The Agio Press, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without expressed permission.