Profile: Gisela de Alencar Hathaway '96, Brazil
September 2005
Gisela de Alencar Hathaway was inspired to pursue a career in law from a young age by what she calls a “personal drive to help see justice being done.” What she couldn’t have known was just how varied her experiences on this path would be. Among the standouts in her career is her Eisenhower Fellowship experience, which continues to support her drive to achieve. The Fellowship has impacted Hathaway professionally and personally by providing her with cutting-edge information that she utilizes every day in her work, an opportunity to test her knowledge and theories, and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence to take risks.
Hathaway’s varied career has taken her through all three branches of the Brazilian government. Early in her working life, she worked in the Supreme Federal Court as a law clerk for several years. This was followed by several years as a Legislative Consultant in the Brazilian House of Representatives. It was during this period that she did her Fellowship in the U.S. Soon after returning to Brazil, she sought a crucial professional change.
This change came in 2000, when Hathaway took a position with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Brazil office. There she became the Program Officer in charge of the forest portfolio, including the Amazon program, and the global environmental issues portfolio, including alternative energy. According to Hathaway, this career shift ensured she would not become “too comfortable” in her position with the National Congress, and gave her “hands-on managerial experience.” Hathaway went to the UNDP to make certain that she was being constantly challenged and not relying solely on her current knowledge. It was a move that would influence her career for years to come, and one made possible by her Fellowship experience.
“My role since the fellowship has changed often and my Eisenhower Fellowship experience has helped me to be more flexible,” she reflects. “It gave me the readiness to do different things and took me out of the ‘golden cage’ which proved invaluable in working with technicians and energy specialists.” The specific knowledge she gained while on her program was also useful. “Having gained insight in genetic engineering labs was very helpful in my work with the UNDP and in particular in my travel to the Amazon. I was able to apply my lab experiences and my technical information in my conversations, in a more professional manner.”
More broadly, discussions and meetings with scholars and experts in her field helped Gisela to view herself as a valuable asset. Her colleagues at the House of Representatives clearly shared this opinion. After working for UNDP, she returned to the Brazilian House of Representatives but, within a few months, was called upon by the Ministry of Environment to be a member of the National Energy Emergency Task Force to address the pending energy crisis in Brazil. Subsequently, she was appointed as the General Counsel to the Minister of Environment.
In 2003, Gisela left the Ministry of the Environment to return to the House of Representatives as a legislative consultant. Through this appointment, she broadened her expertise beyond environmental issues. She served as the House’s Legal Advisor to the Rapporteur of the Congressional Joint Committee on Money Laundering and International Financial Crimes, the Legal Advisor to the House’s Committee of Inquiry on Banking Laws and Regulations and Consumer Rights, and the Legal Advisor to the Vice-President of the Congressional Joint Committee of Inquiry on Agrarian Reform.
In addition to her distinction as a sought-after legal advisor, Gisela also received an increasing number of requests to be a member of boards including lawyers associations and environmental groups. “People were able to see that I was able to be in charge and to be more responsible for these associations.” Again, she attributes this, in part, to her experience as a Fellow and the development of her knowledge and her self-confidence. “I was more and more expected to give my opinions on different issues, not only where I worked, but also outside organizations. My readiness and expertise was clear to other individuals.” Among the many organizations to which she belongs, Gisela was asked to join the Board of Greenpeace Brazil, which she accepted in 2000. As a member, she was actively involved in the management restructuring and campaign planning of the organization.
In her continuing quest to learn, to challenge herself, and to see justice being done, Gisela is looking forward to being able to conduct research and obtain her S.J.D. She intends to study process and legitimacy issues in dispute settlements involving global financial and trade organizations. Her major focus is international law and dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve issues that span across more than one political jurisdiction. If her career thus far is any indication, we know that this may be her latest ambitious and laudable endeavor, but it is far from her last.