Celebrating Our Honorees

2008 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

The Honorable Constance A. Morella
Former U.S. Ambassador and Congresswoman; Retired Montgomery College Faculty Member; Resident Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics

The Honorable Constance A. Morella served as Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) from 2003 until 2007. She is the first United States Ambassador to the OECD ever to have served in the United States Congress.

On her watch as Ambassador to OECD, she was a key participant in the negotiations and agreements leading to a strategy of enlargement to include five potential country members: Chile, Estonia, Israel, Russia, and Slovenia. She also advanced the program to engage with the rapidly developing countries of Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa as well as the Southeast Asia region. Ambassador Morella actively participated in the successful revisions and updates of the Principles of Corporate Governance and worked to strengthen the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.

From 1987 until 2003, Ambassador Morella represented Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She developed a national reputation as a leading advocate for women, children, and families. Previously, she served in the Maryland House of Delegates and is the only woman member of the Maryland General Assembly to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

During her 16 years in the House of Representatives, Ambassador Morella was a leader in efforts to promote economic growth through science and technology, serving as a member of the House Committee on Science and chairing the subcommittee on Technology. She was co-chair of the Congressional Delegation to the U.N. Women’s Conference in Beijing. She chaired the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, advancing efforts to promote access to microenterprise capital among women in developing countries. Ambassador Morella was a member of the Committee on Government Reform, on which she chaired the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia.

For her many efforts, Ambassador Morella has received numerous awards and recognitions including induction into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, outstanding public service awards from the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil rights. The Republic of Italy awarded her the Medal of the Legion of Merit.

Prior to her service in the U. S. Congress and the Maryland House of Delegates, Ambassador Morella was an English professor at Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus from 1970 until 1985. She also served as a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.

Ambassador Morella holds a B.A. from Boston University, an M.A. from American University, and 11 honorary doctoral degrees.

Together with her husband Anthony, an American University professor of law emeritus, Ambassador Morella has raised nine children, including her late sister’s six children.