WASHINGTON, D.C. - EM's Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resource Management Melody Bell was the keynote speaker at a recent event sponsored by DOE in celebration of Women’s History Month. Bell traced a timeline from the 1909 International Women’s Day to congressional and presidential support starting in 1987 to designate March to highlight the contributions of women in history and in the present day.
Bell highlighted women such as civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafza, the Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Bell, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a former Air Force officer, also discussed women pioneers of aviation and space, such as Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Bessie Coleman, Mae Jemison, Ellen Ochoa, Christa McAuliffe and Sally Ride.
“The lives and work of these women and many more certainly inspire girls and women to achieve their full potential and encourage boys and men to respect the diversity and depth of women’s experience," Bell said.
Bell also shared the story of her own mother, who as a single working mother with four young children, went back to school to obtain her college degree, demonstrating the value she placed on education.
Bell said the women all were defined by their courage, and closed her remarks with a quote from Maya Angelou: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
