Julia V. Taft
Encyclopedia
Julia Ann Vadala Taft was a United States
official who was involved in international humanitarian assistance, and who served as Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
from 1986 to 1989, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
from 1997 to 2001.
in New York Harbor
. Her father was Colonel
Anthony Vadala, a surgeon
in the Army Medical Corps
, and her mother was Shirley Harris Vadala. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder
, receiving a bachelor's degree
in international politics in 1964, and a master's degree
in international politics in 1969.
After university, Vadala completed a fellowship
at the White House
. She then became an aide to United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
Elliot Richardson
.
Her first marriage, to Fred Malone, ended in divorce. She then married lawyer William Howard Taft IV
in 1974. Together, the couple would have one son, William Howard Taft V, and two daughters, Maria and Julia.
In 1975, President of the United States
Gerald Ford
appointed Julia V. Taft as Director of the Interagency Task Force on Indochina Refugees created by the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
. In this capacity, she oversaw the resettlement of more than 130,000 evacuees from Cambodia
, Laos
, and Vietnam
after the fall of Saigon
.
Taft would spend the next three decades designing and developing refugee programs for the United States Department of State
, the United States Department of Health and Human Services
, the United States Agency for International Development
, and the United Nations
.
From 1986 to 1989, she was the Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
, a part of USAID. There she was responsible for coordinating the efforts of the State Department, the Pentagon
, other government agencies, and non-governmental agencies like CARE and Save the Children
in responding to requests for disaster aide from foreign governments. For example, in 1986, she administered $130 million in U.S. aide sent in response to the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. In 1988, she oversaw the U.S. response to the floods in Bangladesh
that had left 25 million people homeless; smaller floods in the Dominican Republic
and India
; displaced persons in Burundi
; a poisonous gas eruption in Cameroon
; and a locust
plague in Ethiopia
. In the wake of the 1988 Spitak earthquake, she traveled to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic to coordinate U.S. aid.
From 1994 to 1997, Taft was head of InterAction a coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to international aide.
In 1997, President of the United States
Bill Clinton
nominated Taft to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
, and she subsequently held this office from November 10, 1997 to January 19, 2001.
From 2001 to 2004, she was director of the United Nations Development Programme
's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, in which capacity she oversaw the United Nations
response to displaced persons related to the War in Afghanistan
.
Taft died of colon cancer at her Washington, D.C.
home on March 15, 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
official who was involved in international humanitarian assistance, and who served as Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is an organizational unit within the U.S. Agency for International Development that has delegated responsible for directing and coordinating U.S. Government relief assistance overseas. Within USAID, OFDA resides within Bureau of Democracy, Conflict,...
from 1986 to 1989, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
from 1997 to 2001.
Biography
Julia Ann Vadala was born on July 27, 1942, on Governors IslandGovernors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
. Her father was Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Anthony Vadala, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
in the Army Medical Corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
, and her mother was Shirley Harris Vadala. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, receiving a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in international politics in 1964, and a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in international politics in 1969.
After university, Vadala completed a fellowship
Fellowship
Fellowship may refer to:* An academic position: see fellow* A merit-based scholarship, or form of academic financial aid* Fellowship , a period of medical training after a residency...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. She then became an aide to United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
Elliot Richardson
Elliot Richardson
Elliot Lee Richardson was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. As U.S...
.
Her first marriage, to Fred Malone, ended in divorce. She then married lawyer William Howard Taft IV
William Howard Taft IV
William Howard Taft IV is an attorney who has served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is the son of William Howard Taft III and the great-grandson of U.S. President William Howard Taft....
in 1974. Together, the couple would have one son, William Howard Taft V, and two daughters, Maria and Julia.
In 1975, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
appointed Julia V. Taft as Director of the Interagency Task Force on Indochina Refugees created by the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
The Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, passed on May 23, 1975, under President Gerald Ford, was a response to the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War...
. In this capacity, she oversaw the resettlement of more than 130,000 evacuees from Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
after the fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
.
Taft would spend the next three decades designing and developing refugee programs for the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, the United States Department of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
, the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
From 1986 to 1989, she was the Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is an organizational unit within the U.S. Agency for International Development that has delegated responsible for directing and coordinating U.S. Government relief assistance overseas. Within USAID, OFDA resides within Bureau of Democracy, Conflict,...
, a part of USAID. There she was responsible for coordinating the efforts of the State Department, the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, other government agencies, and non-governmental agencies like CARE and Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
in responding to requests for disaster aide from foreign governments. For example, in 1986, she administered $130 million in U.S. aide sent in response to the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. In 1988, she oversaw the U.S. response to the floods in Bangladesh
Floods in Bangladesh
The South Asian country of Bangladesh is prone to the natural disaster of flooding due to being situated on the Ganges Delta and the many tributaries flowing into the Bay of Bengal. The coastal flooding twinned with the bursting of Bangladesh's river banks is common and severely affects the...
that had left 25 million people homeless; smaller floods in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; displaced persons in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
; a poisonous gas eruption in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
; and a locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
plague in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. In the wake of the 1988 Spitak earthquake, she traveled to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic to coordinate U.S. aid.
From 1994 to 1997, Taft was head of InterAction a coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to international aide.
In 1997, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
nominated Taft to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
, and she subsequently held this office from November 10, 1997 to January 19, 2001.
From 2001 to 2004, she was director of the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, in which capacity she oversaw the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
response to displaced persons related to the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
.
Taft died of colon cancer at her Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
home on March 15, 2008.