In celebration of Women’s History Month, Montana State University brings you a special lecture by public health practitioner, policy advocate and non-profit strategist, Dr. Cora Neumann, founder of the First Ladies Global Alliance. Dr. Neumann’s lecture will be held on Wednesday, March 20th at 6:30 p.m. in Inspiration Hall in Norm Asbjornson Hall; her lecture will be titled, Grassroots to Global: The Power of Public Health. On addressing college students about her career, Neumann said this: “I’m very excited to speak to the students at Montana State University. I started the Global First Ladies Alliance when I was a student. Everyone told me I was way out of my league and couldn’t start a global initiative like that when I was just a student. I love to share my story to help students see that they don’t have to take no for an answer when it comes to your vision for change in the world.”

Dr. Neumann has over twenty years of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including working at the U.S. State Department, the RAND Corporation, the Bush Institute, Care.com, and the World Health Organization. Throughout her career, she has designed strategies and brought together local, Indigenous and national leaders to deliver quality, accessible health care and social services to underserved communities.

In 2009, Cora launched the Global First Ladies Alliance (GFLA) in partnership with the offices of First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, and has worked with more than 40 first ladies around the world to support their delivery of critical social services to their populations. In 2023, GFLA partnered with Columbia University to launch an annual executive leadership training with First Ladies, including First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

She currently serves as Chief Community Health Officer at the Native American Development Corporation. Cora brings her sense of public service to her professional life, including serving on the board of Columbia University School of Public Health, and as a former regional Vice President of the Montana Public Health Association. She has a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and doctorate in public health and development from the University of Oxford. Cora grew up and is based in Bozeman, Montana, surrounded by four generations of family, from her grandmother to her two children.

This special event is brought to you by the MSU Women’s Center, Office of the President, Jake Jabs College of Business, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, College of Education, Health and Human Development and Honors Presents.