A sought-after commentator, her views are
aired nationally on PBS' 'To The Contrary', an all-women news analysis series
in which she serves as a regular panelist. She also appears on CNN news
shows, Crossfire, the Today show, Good Morning America, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.
Her editorials have appeared in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post,
Des Moines Register, Chicago Tribune, to name a few.
Ms. Natividad’s commitment to promoting
women, nationally and internationally, stems from her decade-long involvement
with the National Women's Political Caucus, a 30-year-old bipartisan
organization dedicated to electing and appointing more women to public office.
Widely recognized for her outstanding leadership of the Caucus, she was
elected President in 1985 and re-elected in 1987, the first Asian American
ever to head a national political organization.
During the nineties, she assumed the
chairmanship of the National Commission on Working Women, which works on
economy equity issues affecting women through groundbreaking research and
training programs. Her commitment to women’s economic empowerment has
extended to the global arena, where she has provided a forum through the
Global Summit of Women to exchange best practices in accelerating women’s
economic progress.
Long known for her coalition work, Ms.
Natividad serves on the boards of numerous organizations, from nonprofits such
as the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Association of
Corporate Directors to corporate advisory boards for Cigna and Wyndham
International. She brings to each of these groups her policy expertise,
skills in network building and creative program development. In 1994,
she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Sallie Mae, a Fortune
100 company, by President Clinton.
A native of the Philippines, Ms. Natividad
is also a leader in the Asian American community, where she has focused her
energies in politically empowering a group frequently referred to as “the
invisible minority.” She served as Deputy Vice Chair of the Democratic
Party's Asian Caucus from 1982 to 1984, and has continued to organize numerous
Asian American groups at all levels. She was the Executive Editor of the
first-ever
Asian American Almanac that was published by Gale Research in 1995.
Ms. Natividad’s work has been honored by
numerous media organizations. In 2004, she was selected by Women’s eNews
as one of the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century.” She was named in
1997 as one of “25 Most Influential Working Mothers” by Working Mother
Magazine; in 1993 as one of the “74 Women Changing American Politics” by
Campaigns & Elections Magazine; and recognized by A. Magazine as
one of the top 25 influential Asian Americans. Ms. Natividad was also
named in 1988 as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in America” by Ladies
Home Journal.
She has received numerous organizational
awards ranging from the 2001 “Women of Genius” by Trinity College (Wash.,
D.C.) to the 1995 "Magnificent 7" award from Business & Professional Women/USA
to the 1985 Women Making History Award presented by the Women's Congressional
Caucus. She has been awarded a Doctorate in Humane Letters by Long Island
University, from where she graduated valedictorian in 1971; and by Marymount
College (New York) in 1994 for her global work on behalf of women.
Ms. Natividad resides outside of
Washington, DC with her husband Andrea Cortese. They have one son in
college, Carlo Natividad Cortese.
