Isn’t it Lovely to Empower Women & Girls Around the World? Special Guest: Michelle Bekkering
TW: This episode discusses genocide.
“Despair is Dangerous.”
Be inspired to change the world as Tracy and Rachel welcome Washington D.C. powerhouse Michelle Bekkering to the podcast! Sharing powerful illustrations and real-life experiences from a career that has taken her around the globe, Michelle champions both emotions and economics as tools to invite listeners to adopt a global perspective in uplifting and empowering girls and women. Tracy and Michelle discuss the power of storytelling and open, respectful communication, as well as the importance of being culturally and contextually aware and challenging unintentional arrogance in the search for common ground. Rachel and Michelle address the value of also finding local partners and embracing change in one’s own backyard through holding the hand of the person you are helping. Rachel feels connected to the woman in Jordan running for Parliament who recognized the value of a well-timed wink; Tracy ponders incorporating Michelle as the third Isn’t it Lovely? podcast host.
Episode Mentions:
Michelle Bekkering at the US Global Leadership Coalition: https://www.usglc.org/staff/michelle-bekkering/
Michelle Bekkering’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bekkering-11b77684/
EmBe’s Website: https://www.embe.org/
EmBe’s Instagram: @embesf
Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls Website: https://sfmcc.org
Michelle Bekkering currently serves as Director of National Engagement at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC). USGLC represents more than 500 businesses and non-profits across the country who support America’s global leadership. The USGLC works in our nation’s capital and across the country to strengthen America’s civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy to make America’s international affairs programs a keystone of U.S. foreign policy.
Prior to joining USGLC, Bekkering served in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2017-2021, where she nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and the Environment (E3). A policy expert, Bekkering led USAID’s efforts to address some of the most complex, wide-raging development challenges around the world; leading inter-Agency policy processes resulting in the U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education, the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace and Security, and the United States Federal Strategy for Addressing the Global Issue of Marine Litter. Bekkering also provided the U.S. Congress with technical expertise on wide-ranging bipartisan legislation including the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 and the Save our Seas Act 2.0 of 2020. During her service, Bekkering represented the U.S. Government in multiple high level bilateral and multi-lateral policy fora, including the 2017 G7 Development Ministerial, the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the 2017 and 2018 UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, and head of the USG delegation for APEC’s Women and the Economy Forum in 2018.
A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives, Bekkering was a leading architect of the White House led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP); the first whole of U.S. Government initiative designed to economically empower 50 million women by 2025. Bekkering also oversaw the $200 million W-GPD Fund at USAID which in two years catalyzed partnerships with more than 450 partners to reach its goals.
Prior to joining USAID, Bekkering spent most of her career in the international development field. Bekkering joined the International Republican Institute in 2005; a non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing democracy, rights, and governance worldwide. During her twelve years at IRI, Bekkering provided leadership to Institute initiatives in Washington, D.C. and abroad, including serving as IRI’s country director based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Bekkering also oversaw the Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network from 2010-2013; a global initiative designed to increase women’s political participation and leadership. Under Bekkering’s leadership, WDN expanded to more than 70 countries worldwide.
Prior to joining IRI, Bekkering served in numerous positions in the U.S. Government. She worked in the European and Eurasian Affairs Directorate of the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, and on Capitol Hill as an aide to Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46).
Bekkering has served as a trainer, speaker, and accredited election observer on five continents. A committed supporter of character-driven leadership, she is an alumna of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), an alumna mentor for the Women’s Initiative fellowship program at the George W. Bush Institute and a member of the McCain Institute’s Global Leaders Advisory Council.