Dr. Catherine Shevlin Pierce

MA 1964, History
HDR 2005

Adjunct Faculty, Center for Global Affairs, New York University; Former Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Catherine Shevlin Pierce has worked in international social and economic development for the past three decades, initially at the World Bank and subsequently at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She has assisted governments and civil society organizations in designing and implementing programs addressing the interaction between population trends, natural resource use, and the environment. Her work has underscored the importance of human rights and the promotion of women’s empowerment as key building blocks in achieving social and economic development goals. She has lead training initiatives for government officials and UN colleagues on promoting women’s visibility and voice in social and economic development initiatives. As the Director of the UNFPA Technical Services Team for the Pacific from 2000 to 2003, Pierce advised governments and non-governmental organizations on policies to respond to the unique challenges facing small island states in an era of globalization. Elected to the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), Pierce has written widely on the interaction between demographic trends and social and economic prospects. She has taught courses on international relations and on humanitarian assistance, and works with organizations addressing the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Pierce is a 1995 CLA Distinguished Alumna and 1996 Purdue Old Master.