WEDO formally welcomed its new Executive Director, Xuan Nguyen, at a reception held at WEDO’s office in New York. More than 50 friends and colleagues gathered as WEDO board member, Nafis Sadik, introduced Xuan, highlighting her long commitment to women’s rights—first as director of ADAPT, a human trafficking prevention program in Vietnam, as executive director of the Refugee Women’s Network and later as Director of Health and Human Services at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Xuan, in her remarks, emphasized the importance of reaching out to grassroots women as WEDO goes forward with its mission. She also acknowledged the contributions of her predecessors to the women’s movement: “I stand on the shoulders of the remarkable women who built WEDO.” Xuan drew laughs from the crowd when she made reference to WEDO founder Bella Abzug, who was famous for her signature hats, saying that not only would she have big shoes to fill as WEDO’s new Executive Director but also big hats!

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