Marina von Neumann Whitman ’49

Economist Marina von Neumann Whitman '49 has been a trailblazer over her entire career, in not just one sector but many: academia, government and corporate. When she was growing up, it was highly unusual for a woman to pursue the male-dominated field of economics, yet Marina did just that, earning her Ph.D. at Columbia in 1962 and teaching at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Michigan. It was unheard of for a woman to be tapped for service on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors – another glass ceiling Marina blithely broke. Private industry, too, saw her shatter stereotypes when she was appointed senior vice president of General Motors in the 1980s, after first serving as GM’s chief economist. Her promotion to SVP made Marina the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. automotive industry, which was, as she puts it, “a notoriously male preserve.”

It is hardly surprising that numerous think tanks and task forces, both domestic and international, have tapped Marina over the years for work on economics, particularly international trade and investment. Her leadership has also led to seats on numerous corporate boards, dating back to the 1970s – often as the first female to hold a seat. 

Along the way, Marina always made time to mentor other women. As she put it in a Class Note in this Magazine a few years ago, “I struggled daily to strike the right balance between my professional life and my role as a wife and mother.“ Marina has woven some of these life lessons into her 2012 autobiography, The Martian’s Daughter (whose title is a reference to her famous father, one of the brilliant Hungarian-born scientists nicknamed “Martians”). In describing her book, Marina says, “My story, although the intimate account of one life, is also a mirror that reflects the reshaping of opportunities for women in American society over my lifetime.”

Marina moved away to New York when she was in fourth grade, “So my time at Shady Hill was cut short. Still, I proudly count myself as a member of the Class of 1949. I loved Shady Hill, with its emphasis on curiosity, and plentiful time outdoors.”