Miriam Zoll
Miriam Zoll (UMass ’84) is the principal at the Zoll Consulting Group, a
She is currently serving as a research officer and writer on a global book about Gender and HIV/AIDS, a joint project of UNAIDS, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women. Zoll is a member of the board of the
A journalist for more than 20 years, she won a 1984 UPI Spot News Reporting Award for team coverage of a 4th of July rooming house fire that triggered national debate about the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. Last year she served as editorial director of The New Environmental Activists: Fighting Pollution, Poverty and Racism by Building Natural Assets, an economic-environmental book published by the Political Economy Research Institute and sponsored by the Ford Foundation. Her articles have been published in numerous print and online outlets including The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, The
Zoll has been interviewed about her work by such media outlets as PARADE Magazine, National Public Radio and The Boston Globe. Since 1994, Zoll has worked with national men’s organizations dedicated to highlighting the limitations that traditional male gender roles impose on boys and men. Zoll was instrumental in bringing the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program to the attention of the U.S. military and today that program is required training for all new U.S. Marine Corps recruits.
She has served as an advisor to God Bless the Child Films, Inc., an independent film company that produced “I Am A Man: Black Masculinity in America.” In the late 90s, she collaborated with William Pollack, a Harvard researcher and author of the book, Real Boys, to establish a
national website initiative for
Zoll attributes much of her success to her days spent at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
"I spent three-fourths of my time at The Collegian and loved every minute of it," Zoll said. "I loved being on deadline, interviewing and meeting all the famous people who came to campus. I was able to articulate student interests and seeing my name in print, it was a very exciting time."
Zoll's experience at The Collegian first paid off when she had to interview Bella Abzug, one of the few early women figures in Congress. "I was very nervous when I called. I was put on hold for 20 minutes. When Abzug finally picked up the phone, she told me she didn't have time to talk to me."Luckily, Zoll was able to fall back on her reporting skills and persuade the abrasive Abzug to answer her questions. "It was extremely exciting to talk to such a powerful woman," she said.
Zoll's first major break as a journalist came after college when she worked as a reporter for The Beverly Times, a local newspaper in her town. When 15 de-institutionalized mental patients died in a rooming house fire in
Zoll admitted she didn't always know what she wanted to do with her life. She first spent her days at UMass in and out of classes. "I was here on campus asking, 'Why the hell am I here?'"
When John Lennon was murdered, the reaction of students on campus left a strong impression on Zoll. "The experience shaped my psyche and my conscious. People were crying and holding candlelight vigils. It dawned on me that this was all organized by someone. I began to understand I had opportunity," Zoll said. "I decided I should use my writing skills to invest and flourish in an open community and in society."
Although she has conquered many goals and challenges, Zoll still battles with some of the insecurities. "When all things in life fluctuate, writing is one thing that is my central compass. I get adamant. I force myself to get out and have structure. You must maintain a vision of success and confidence in front of you," Zoll said.