The Cornell chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will welcome Cassandra Waldon to campus tonight, April 19. Waldon's talk is titled "Going Global While Remaining True to Your Roots."
Waldon recently was introduced to the national television audience through her stint as a houseguest on the CBS reality series "Big Brother." During her 71 days as one of 10 strangers sequestered in the "Big Brother" house, Waldon demonstrated her keen negotiation, interpersonal and communications skills and became widely known by the media and her housemates as "the voice of reason" on the show.
Waldon is employed as a senior communications officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the anti-poverty agency of the United Nations. Her most recent achievement was the launch of Netaid.org, a ground-breaking online poverty eradication initiative created by UNDP and Internet giant Cisco Systems.
Waldon carried Netaid.org from its embryonic stages to the public debut of its web site, which featured the participation of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former South African President Nelson Mandela. She would later promote Netaid.org through three overlapping concerts starring top celebrities, including Sting, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Wyclef Jean and Michael Douglas.
Prior to joining UNDP, Waldon worked for Africare as its country representative in the Central African Republic (CAR). Africare's activities in the CAR had been at a stand-still for several months due to a general strike. As Africare's spokesperson, trouble-shooter, and top manager, Waldon jump-started the organization's grassroots development work and rekindled strained relations with high-level Central African government officials. This included planning, directing, and overseeing all Africare activities throughout the country, specifically a $900,000 child survival project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Waldon also contributed to the Africare project portfolio by successfully negotiating funding from the United Nations High Commissioner and food production projects to aid 25,000 Sudanese refugees escaping unrest in their country.
PRSSA has expressly invited Waldon to share her perspectives and experiences with the Cornell community on how to develop professional opportunities in the world arena. The transformation of the vast international arena into a closer "global community" presents myriad opportunities for Cornellians seeking to make their mark on the world stage. As a demonstration of the unique paths international careers can take, Waldon will discuss her work during the early stages of Netaid.org and her experiences in Africa.
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