Uncommon Woman Breaks International Barriers

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Lourdes Melgar '85 Forges Diplomatic Connections in a Man's World

Lourdes Melgar '85 recalls a pivotal moment in her four-year stint as head of the international division of Mexico's Ministry of Energy:

"In 1999, when there was a major oil crisis, I represented Mexico at intense negotiations with Saudis, Algerians, Iranians, Venezuelans. One of the negotiators didn't want me to talk, because I was a woman. So I confronted him and told him that whether he wanted to or not, he had to negotiate with me. And then an amazing thing happened. The others at the table, all men, said, she's right, she's representing her country, we have to listen to her. After that we had a major breakthrough in the negotiations."

In that challenging situation, Melgar drew on the confidence she developed at Mount Holyoke. "When I was at MHC, there was a phrase you heard a lot—'uncommon women' [It referred to Pulitzer Prize winner and alumna Wendy Wasserstein's play Uncommon Women and Others.] I've often thought of that phrase because there have been many times when I've made decisions that go against what's expected of women."

Melgar's diplomatic career began with a summer internship at Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Had it not been for Mount Holyoke's Career Development Center I would not have gotten that internship. At the end of those ten weeks I knew I wanted to be a career diplomat." After graduating from MHC, she became the first Mexican woman to earn a Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Melgar has served in several diplomatic positions, most recently as minister of the Mexican mission to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.