Speaker & Author
Jill Tietjen
Jill S. Tietjen, PE, is an author, international speaker, and an electrical engineer. After more than 45 years in the electric utility industry, her professional focus is now on women’s advocacy, worldwide. A former blogger for The Huffington Post, she speaks nationally on the accomplishments of women, nominates women for awards, and continues to write books (16 published to date), following in the footsteps of her bestselling and award-winning books, Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America and Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies. Her award-winning book, Over, Under, Around and Through: How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles, was released in 2022. Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service, the memoir of Dr. Antonia Novello, the first female and first Hispanic United States Surgeon General, was released in 2024. She is a frequent keynote speaker as her positive energy and her ability to relate to the audience result in inspired and energized listeners. She has been inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame and elected to the National Academy of Construction.
Duty Calls: Lessons Learned From an Unexpected Life of Service
Dr. Antonia Novello was the first female and first Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General. A native of Puerto Rico, her story is one of challenges faced and overcome, of resilience and perseverance, and of shattering glass ceilings and opening doors for future generations of leaders. With honesty and openness, she shares her early battles with childhood illness and her desire to overcome stereotypes, while also chronicling her meteoric rise through various roles in the field of health care, leading to her service as the nation’s top medical officer. From her struggles to her celebrations to her tireless advocacy for the health of young people, each chapter offers a glimpse into the resilience and wisdom that have shaped her life, unveiling the profound lessons she has gathered along the way.
I was inspired by Duty Calls – and you will be, too! Alfred Sommer, MD, Dean Emeritus, Professor Emeritus, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Antonia Novello tells the story of her life – medical challenges, professional successes, painful losses and power at the highest level – all in one nonstop narrative of love and betrayal and bravery. Her story is as much about pain as it is about triumph, but it is mostly about one little sick girl who turns into one powerful visionary. Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics
Order the book here
Watch Dr. Novello and Jill Tietjen on C-SPAN Book TV at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas here
Hear Dr. Novello and Jill Tietjen on Colorado Public Radio here
See Dr. Novello and Jill Tietjen at the El Candil Book Store in Ponce, Puerto Rico here
See Dr. Novello and Jill Tietjen at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey here
“I learned so much from her and I feel like I have some knowledge to really help me feel empowered wherever I go. She was so great, and I would listen to her speak time and time again!”
MARY BARR, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Speaking
Jill S. Tietjen brings to her audiences her unique perspectives of engineer, community leader, and business professional. Her diverse clientele range from business organizations to universities to non-profit organizations. She relates to the audience through examples and anecdotes, serious and humorous.
Books
Jill S. Tietjen has written 16 books to date, following in the footsteps of her bestselling and award-winning books, Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America and Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies. Her award-winning book, Over, Under, Around and Through: How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles, was released in 2022. Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service, the memoir of Dr. Antonia Novello, the first female and first Hispanic United States Surgeon General was released in 2024.
“Jill Tietjen engagingly illustrates pragmatic lessons for success with witty, incisive and poignant anecdotes from her own life and work. She builds rapport with her audiences right from the start, and leaves participants feeling as if they’d just had an intimate chat with a trusted and valuable mentor, not as if they’d been lectured at. You’ll want to hear what Jill Tiejen has to say. You’ll walk away energized and confident, with several new ideas and approaches, and a better sense of how to achieve lasting success through connection, service, and strategic planning.”
Suzanne Franks, Kansas City, Missouri
