Women and the WPA (part 1 of 10): Administration

Women could earn top administrative posts in the WPA (1935-1943), at the federal, regional, and state levels. Three of the most prominent female administrators were Hallie Flanagan, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ellen Woodward.

Above: Hallie Flanagan was in charge of the national WPA Theatre program. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. 

Above: Mary McLeod Bethune was a director in the National Youth Administration which, during its first four years of existence, was a subdivision of the WPA. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Above: Ellen Woodward ran the WPA's Division of Women's and Professional Projects. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.