1942
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell is born in Rochester, New York to Carlos de Zafra, Jr. and Dorothea Michelsen de Zafra.
1963
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell graduates magna cum laude from the University of Rochester, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in non-western civilizations, and is elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
1965
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell receives a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and becomes the New England Regional Executive of World University Service in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1967
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell becomes Assistant to the Director of the study abroad program at The City University of New York.
1969
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell enters the Federal civil service as a management intern in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) in Rockville, Maryland.
1970
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell serves as a legislative, program, and management analyst for the PHS.
1974
She becomes the Privacy Act officer and health agencies’ information practices program coordinator, with policy and oversight responsibility from the Office of the Asst. Secretary for Health across all agencies comprising the PHS.
1982
She receives a Special Recognition Award from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services for her leadership role in ensuring that PHS agencies meet statutory deadlines and requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974.
1984
She becomes Information Systems Security Program Manager for the PHS. She then serves on the Board of Federal Information Systems Security Program Managers Forum, chaired by the National Institute of Standards & Technology.
1994
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell receives a diploma in information resources management from National Defense University in Washington, D.C. and a Sustained Superior Performance Award from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
1996
She becomes a senior program analyst and the Science Education Program Director at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
1998
She receives the Equal Employment Opportunity Special Achievement Award from the NIAA for her role in representing the NIAA on the NIH Diversity Council.
1999
She edits “Identification of At-Risk Drinking and Intervention with Women of Child-Bearing Age: A Guide for Primary Care Providers” and “Identification and Care of Fetal Alcohol-Exposed Children: A Guide for Primary Care Providers,” published by the NIH. Then she edits “Personal Steps to a Healthy Choice: A Woman’s Guide.”
2001
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell marries Wilbur M. Atwell, PhD.
2002
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell retires from the federal government.
2006
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell receives the Volunteer Service Award for dedication to students and is the commencement speaker at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
2010
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell becomes credentialed as a long-term care ombudsman representative, serving in that capacity throughout 2011.
2012
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell serves on the Board of the Council of Former Federal Executives for four years.
2013
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell is honored with the Humanitarian Award from Worldwide Branding and she serves on the Lifelong Learning Advisory Council of the University of Rochester.
2017
Ms. de Zafra-Atwell is honored with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who.