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Biographical Profile of Elizabeth Dole
As President of the American Red Cross, Elizabeth Dole continues a remarkable public service career in which she has served six United States Presidents and has been named by the Gallup Poll as one of the world's ten most admired women.
A native of Salisbury, North Carolina, Mrs. Dole graduated with distinction from Duke University. She received her law degree from Harvard Law School, and also holds a master's in education and government from Harvard.
Mrs. Dole headed the White House Office of Consumer Affairs under both Presidents Johnson and Nixon. It was there that she began a career-long dedication to public safety, for which she received the National Safety Council's Distinguished Service Award in 1989.
Mrs. Dole's resume includes five years as a member of the Federal Trade Commission. She served two years as Assistant to President Reagan for Public Liaison.
In February 1983, Mrs. Dole joined President Reagan's Cabinet as Secretary of Transportation - the first woman to hold that position.
During Dole's four years at Transportation, the United States enjoyed the safest years in its history in all three major areas - rail, air, and highway. Some of Mrs.Dole's many safety initiatives included a new regulation which required air bags or automatic safety belts in all new cars and spawned safety belt laws in 36 states and the District of Columbia. She led the crusade to raise the drinking age to 21; directed the overhaul of the aviation safety inspection system; and imposed tougher aviation security measures at the U.S. airports, which led to tightened security measures around the world. She also oversaw the sale of CONRAIL, the government-owned freight railroad which returned $1.2 billion dollars to the U.S. Treasury.
Mrs. Dole was sworn in by President Bush as the nation's 20th Secretary of Labor in January, 1989. As Labor Secretary, Mrs. Dole served as the President's chief adviser on labor and work force issues. She has worked to help shatter the "glass ceiling" for America's working women and minorities, increase safety and health in
the workplace, upgrade the skills of the American work force, and improve relations between labor and management, playing a key role in bringing the parties together to resolve the bitter 11 month Pittston Coal Strike.
In 1993, Women Executives in State Government honored Mrs. Dole with their Lifetime Achievement Award for her many achievements in helping women and minorities break through the "glass ceiling."
Also this year, Mrs. Dole was selected for induction into the Safety and Health Hall of Fame International for her numerous transportation, workplace, and blood safety accomplishments. In 1993 she also received the North Carolina Press Association's first "North Carolinian of the Year" Award.
As President of the American Red Cross, Mrs. Dole oversees nearly 30,000 staff members and more than 1.5 million volunteers who comprise the world's foremost humanitarian organization. Mrs. Dole was a member of that volunteer force in 1991, taking no salary her first year.
The American Red Cross provides 52% of America's blood supply. While blood is "overwhelmingly safe," to quote the Food & Drug Administration, four months into her presidency, Mrs. Dole secured approval of the organization's Board of Governors to launch a sweeping $148 million state-of-the-art blood system which will be able to quickly and efficiently incorporate medical technology as it evolves.
Following two years of record-breaking natural disasters, Mrs. Dole launched an aggressive relief campaign that raised $172 million dollars in 1992 to assist victims of disasters including Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. |
