Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalalawas the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. She was the president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, from 2001 through 2015. Previously, she was the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1988 to 1993. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush in June 2008. Shalala currently serves as the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPublic Servant
Date of Birth14 February 1941
CountryUnited States of America
In fairy tales, the children are saved by caring adults. We need more caring adults in the lives of our children.
We have not yet concluded that needle-exchange programs do not encourage drug use.
We can't afford as a nation - not because of money but because of our social fabric - to have large numbers of people who are not working.
Every year, I am reminded of the kids who aren't in the freshman class and aren't graduating. I remember every single one of them. That is the worst of times for me, to see the future snuffed out.
I have to admit, in January and February I was in an absolute fuzz. I had no one on board. It wasn't that I didn't know what I was doing, but we didn't have all the pieces put together.
We need to drive down requirements for the schools. In the 19th century, we increased the quality of the schools by higher education saying, 'You can't come in unless you have these skills, unless you've taken these courses.' We did that in Wisconsin when I was there, it helped to transform the secondary school system.
I compensate for big risks by always doing my homework and being well-prepared. I can take on larger risks by reducing the overall risk.
Our young people are out on the streets looking for parties, a place to dance, looking for a scene. No institutions are providing them with alternatives, fun things to do that don't necessarily have alcohol at the center.
Asking the government to help you for short periods of time is different than asking the government to take care of you for the rest of your life.
By putting people around me who will calm me down and slow me down and make sure I work through an issue.
I have long ties to the women's community.
We know the parental support, community support, makes a difference. It's not just the metrics of testing and putting pressure on the schools and on the teachers.
I'm pretty disciplined and am almost always on schedule.
I try to deal with my serious reading before work.