Swanee Hunt

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Swanee Hunt
Swanee Hunt.jpg
United States Ambassador to Austria
In office
November 4, 1993 – October 18, 1997
Preceded by Roy M. Huffington
Succeeded by Kathryn Walt Hall
Personal details
Born (1950-05-01) May 1, 1950 (age 74)
Political party Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Charles Ansbacher
Relations H. L. Hunt (father)
Helen LaKelly Hunt (sister; 1949)
June Hunt (sister, 1944)
Ray Lee (brother, 1943)[1]
Children Three
Occupation Diplomat, professor
Website swaneehunt.com

Swanee Grace Hunt (born May 1, 1950), Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy, at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, is the founding director of the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at the Kennedy School,[2][3] and former United States Ambassador to Austria.

Life

A daughter of oil tycoon H. L. Hunt, she grew up in Dallas, Texas, and then lived in Denver, Colorado, for many years, where she was active in many community and philanthropic activities. Her several siblings include sisters Helen LaKelly Hunt and June Hunt. She has a BA in philosophy, two master's degrees, and a doctorate in theology. Hunt is also an expert on women in politics, having conducted research, training, and consultations with women leaders in some 60 countries. She is the chair of the Washington-based Institute for Inclusive Security (including the Women Waging Peace Network) which advocates integrating women into peace processes.

In 1981, she co-founded Hunt Alternatives Fund with her sister Helen. The Fund is focused on strengthening youth arts organizations, supporting leaders of social movements, opposing sex work, and increasing philanthropy. Based in Denver until 1997, the Fund was relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1997, when Hunt founded WAPPP at Harvard University. She has also lectured at Harvard's business, law, divinity and education graduate schools.

Swanee Hunt was appointed as ambassador to Austria in 1993, where she was notable for writing a weekly newspaper column and radio program. She also organized women's conferences in Bosnia and otherwise worked to secure peace in the former Yugoslavia.

Hunt is active in Democratic politics (in contrast to most others in the Hunt family, who have historically supported Republican and conservative causes) and, in addition to fundraising events for candidates, she recently convened Unconventional Women, a six-hour program featuring more than 20 female political leaders for an audience of 3000 in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

In 2001, she received the Community of Christ International Peace Award. In April 2007, she was the keynote speaker at the Association of Junior Leagues International Annual Conference. In October 2007, she joined her sister Helen LaKelly Hunt as an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame. She is also a photographer and her photographs have been exhibited in more than a dozen one-woman shows; her musical composition, The Witness Cantata has been performed in six cities.

She was married to the conductor Charles Ansbacher, who died on September 12, 2010. They have three children, among them filmmaker Henry Ansbacher, and three grandchildren.

Awards and honors

Books

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

References

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Ambassador to Austria
1993–1997
Succeeded by
Kathryn Walt Hall