Final answer:
Mary McLeod Bethune was named the director of the Division of Negro Affairs for the National Youth Administration, where she played a pivotal role in advancing African American causes and was a key advisor to President Roosevelt.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mary McLeod Bethune was appointed as the director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration (NYA). This made her the first African American woman to head a federal agency. Through her role in the NYA, Bethune had a significant impact on Black literacy and employment programs and regularly advised President Franklin Roosevelt on racial justice issues. Her involvement with the NYA also positioned her as a leading member of Roosevelt's unofficial "Black Cabinet", which sought to influence the administration on a variety of racial issues during a time of economic hardship and social inequality.
Before her appointment, Bethune achieved recognition as an educator, the founder of Bethune-Cookman College, and an activist for African American voting rights. Her work extended beyond education to help facilitate the entry of African American women into the military through the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Additionally, as a civil rights leader, she founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935.