2019 Wendell Ford Lecture to Highlight Increasing Role of Women in Public Policy

 LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 16, 2019) — The University of Kentucky’s 2019 Wendell Ford Public Policy Lecture will commemorate next year’s 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage with a special program: “The Increasing Role of Women in Public Policy.” Hosted by the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, the event will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the UK Student Center’s Worsham Cinema.

The program will feature remarks from former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who also served as the 21st U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama. Previously, Sebelius was the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009 — the second woman to hold that office.

Joining Sebelius on the program are long-time Washington journalist Margaret Carlson and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.

Carlson is an opinion columnist for the Daily Beast. She was also a regular panelist for CNN's Capital Gang from 1992 until its cancellation in 2005. Carlson is best known for being the first female columnist at Time magazine. She joined Time in January 1988 from The New Republic, where she had been managing editor. In 1994, Carlson became the first female columnist in the magazine's history.

Linda Gorton, the longest continuously serving member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, was elected mayor of Lexington in November 2018. A native of Ohio, she has lived in Lexington most of her adult life. In addition to her 16 years on the council, Gorton remains a dedicated volunteer in the community. She is also a long-time member of the Martin School Board of Visitors.

“This year’s program will be extremely informative and enlightening,” Ron Zimmer, executive director of the Martin School, said. “Given the record number of women seeking and holding elective office at all levels of government, and the upcoming centennial of the suffrage movement, these presentations will be extremely timely.”

David Adkins, executive director and CEO of the Council of State Governments, will introduce the program with an overview of the growth in the number of women holding elective office since ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed the right of women to vote on Aug. 18, 1920.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, you can visit the Martin School website.