WoSV

Dr. Claire Nelson is a Futurist, Sustainability Engineer, Social Entrepreneur and Storyteller. As the only Black woman in her engineering classes at University of Buffalo and Purdue University, Dr. Nelson broke through barriers of gender and race to become the first woman engineer hired at the Inter-American Development Bank in 1981 and the first Jamaican woman to earn a Doctorate in an Engineering Discipline in 1989. She also became a pioneer in transforming the dialogue in inequity for Blacks in Latin America and for the voice of the Caribbean American community. For her leadership, she was commended in the US Congressional Record and honored as a White House Champion of Change.

What’s a challenge you’ve faced and how did you get through it?

I stuttered for most of my adult life. When I decided to fight for the rights of Black people in Latin America, I became the voice of the voiceless. I began to speak truth to power. Today I am a keynote speaker and count the UN, the OAS and White House among places where I’ve spoken about development with equity.

What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?

Having engineered the participation of the international financial institutions at the UN World Conference on Racism in 2000–2001. Additionally, I crafted the language for the section on The Role of International Financial Institutions and the Role of Transnational Corporations, which was included in the Durban Plan of Action adopted at the 2001 Conference in Durban, South Africa.