Join us September 11th at 9am for our next speaker, Mary Noel Pepys.
Many of us did not know about USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) until it came under scrutiny by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in its recent cost cutting efforts. Now defunded, USAID was the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.
Mary Noel is a senior attorney specializing in the rule of law, specifically international legal and judicial reform. Since 1993 (often with financial support from USAID), she has worked in over 45 countries to successfully develop and judicial reform initiatives promoting transparent and fair justice systems to strengthen and uphold the laws, enhance legal institutions, ensure the independence of the judiciary, advance a competent and ethical practice of law, and increase access to justice for all citizens.
She will discuss USAID, the importance of the rule of law, and present personal reflections on working abroad to support democratic reforms in emerging democracies, including living for five years in six former communist countries from standing in bread lines to not having hot water or heat for weeks because of state regulations. To learn more about Mary Noel, please visit her website.
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Light breakfast, pastries and coffee to be served.
Hillhouse Club is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization.
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
