Gloria L. Blackwell

Gloria L. Blackwell is the Senior Vice President of Fellowships and Programs at the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in Washington, D.C. -- a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with more than 170,000 members and supporters, 1,000 local branches, and 800 college and university members. Its mission is to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.

In her current role Gloria is responsible for designing and implementing initiatives to expand women’s and girls’ opportunities in education and training, leadership, and enhancing economic security. She leads AAUW’s flagship $4 million in fellowships and grant programs and designs and executes a comprehensive set of programs to reshape girls’ and women’s experiences in educational and career settings, including salary negotiation workshops, Empower leadership training, and the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. Gloria also serves as AAUW’s United Nations Main Representative – collaborating with global coalitions and UN bodies. She has also served as the Principal Investigator for AAUW’s National Science Foundation-sponsored grant to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM, and led AAUW’s partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative.  

Before joining AAUW she served as the Director of Africa Education Programs at the Institute of International Education (IIE) focusing on improving girls’ access to education in Sub-Saharan Africa and also managed international fellowships programs.  Gloria began her career as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon, West Africa and staff member in D.C. 

Gloria hails from the D.C. metro region and earned an M.A. in Education and Human Development, from the George Washington University, and a B.S. in Foreign Service/International Affairs from Georgetown University, the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She also studied at the American University in Paris, France.

Gloria is committed to supporting opportunities for the educational and economic empowerment of all women and girls.