Elizabeth Stoffregen May
Elizabeth Stoffregen May | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2011 (aged 103) |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, educator |
| Known for | First woman director of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; president of the International Federation of University Women |
Elizabeth Stoffregen May (April 25, 1907 – March 27, 2011) was a distinguished economist, educator, and proponent of women's higher education.
Family
May was born in St. Louis, Missouri, as the oldest among four sisters. Her father, Carl Henry Stoffregen, was the head of Steinwender, Stoffregen & Co., a company specializing in coffee roasting and importation.
Education and early career
Following her graduation from Smith College in 1928, May completed her Ph.D. at the London School of Economics in 1931. She commenced her academic career teaching economics at Goucher College. During the 1940s, she held positions within the Treasury Department and the Bureau of the Budget. In 1947, she took on a role with the American Mission for Aid to Greece, overseeing U.S. economic and military support. After returning to the United States in 1949, she became a professor and academic dean at Wheaton College, serving until 1964.
Between 1961 and 1969, May assumed leadership roles within the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), including serving as president from 1974 to 1977. In 1967, she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as the first woman to direct the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Two years later, in 1969, she co-established the Virginia Gildersleeve International Foundation for University Women.
Retirement
Upon retiring in 1977, May relocated to Harvard, Massachusetts, where she remained active in community planning efforts until her passing in 2011.
External links
- Elizabeth Stoffregen May papers, 1907-2011 housed at the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
- Marion B. Gebbie Archives and Special Collections at Wheaton College. Elizabeth Stoffregen May papers MC.066 [1] (archived)