Competition´s Patron 2009

Mrs. Coolidge has a double citizenship and at the moment she is an independent consultant (Coolidge Consulting Services) in Prague and Washington. Coolidge Consulting Services are specialising in affairs related to consulting servise in the field of protocol and personal questions, imagemaking, public relations.

Before her return to the Czech Republic, Mrs. Coolidge had been employed in high positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affaires of the USA for nine years, where she worked as Assistant Chief of Protocol and Deputy US Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS). There she worked as the alternating representative and conducted the entire administrative, personal and protocol activities resulting from the position of the USA as the hosting country. She used her ability to fluently speak several languages while providing meetings with high-ranking positioned American and foreign officials. Furthermore, she had looked after all the main social functions entrusted to an American ambassadress in the OAS.

After the Ministry of Foreign Affaires Mrs. Coolidge moved to the United States Information Agency (USIA), where she was for six months in charge of the program for maximal increase of contacts between foreign visitors and American officials, organizations in the private sector and individuals. As Assistant Chief of Protocol Mrs. Coolidge planned and coordinated all of the official activities taking place at the Ministry of Foreign Affaires organized by the Minister of Foreign Affaires or the US Vice President. She was also in charge of choosing and purchasing all of the official gifts passed by the American President, Vice President and the Minister of Foreign Affaires to the heads of foreign states.

As a special Assistent for the Relations with Congress in the Inter-American Bureau, Mrs. Coolidge conducted and realized complex programs for the relations with the Congress.

By request from the Minister of Foreign Affaires of the USA Mrs. Coolidge moved from the White House to the Ministry of Foreign Affaires as a special Assistent to the Minister. She managed the supervising, selecting and attending to correspondence, as well as consulting connected with its engagement in civil and social activities and special events.

Mrs. Coolidge began her career at the White House, where she worked as an Assistant to five U.S. Presidents. During this time she founded and managed the Office of the Presidential Messages. The objective of this office are the Public Relations focusing on business, civil, religious, political and ethic organisation.

Mrs. Coolidge was educated at the prestigious Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C, graduating in 1963, and is an honourable member of several associations. She participates in community service, serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Plaváček Fund, and is a member of the Board of TRIGA, a sponsor of the National Theatre. She is also an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Trustees of the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES).

Why have you decided to become the patron of the „The Czech Busineswomen Awards“ competition this year?

"Every attention paid to the success of a Czech woman in business is a valuable contribution for the future and power of the Czech society.

I haven´t been hiding my full admiration and respect for the Czech women since the return to my homeland. For all that she is able to perfectly manage, though she is often lacking the recognition and compliments she deserves. That´s why I´d like to congratulate the Helas Agency and her long-sighted founder, Helena Kohoutová and Mrs. Jana Švenková, for their effort to high-light the commonly beneficial image of the Czech Woman by pointing at the outstanding examples of female know-how in all fields across our society. I hope that this will remove fear and doubt and empower courage and sedulity among those, who haven´t taken their chance yet.