Christine Todd Whitman
President of the Whitman Strategy Group and former Governor of New Jersey.
Presents an American Experience Distinguished Lecture titled,
"On the Field or in the Stands: Civic Engagement in a Cynical Time"
WATCH THE LECTURE USING THIS VIDEO LINK
At a time when ever-increasing numbers of Americans question whether our politics and civic institutions are capable of meeting the challenges we face as a nation and a people, far too many people question whether they can make a positive difference. Christine Todd Whitman will discuss why she believes the need has never been more urgent for active engagement in the public arena by every American.
September 11, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The University Club / Ballroom B
Christine Todd Whitman is the President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues. WSG offers a comprehensive set of solutions to problems facing businesses, organizations, and governments; they have been at the forefront of helping leading companies find innovative solutions to environmental challenges.
Governor Whitman served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from January of 2001 until June of 2003. She was the 50th Governor of the State of New Jersey, serving as its first woman governor from 1994 until 2001.
As Governor, Christie Whitman earned praise from both Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was also recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as having instituted the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation. As EPA Administrator, she promoted common-sense environmental improvements such as watershed-based water protection policies. She championed regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent. During her tenure, the Agency was successful in passing and implementing landmark brownfields legislation to promote the redevelopment and reuse of “brownfields”, previously contaminated industrial sites.
She is the author of a New York Times best seller called “It’s My Party Too”, which was published in January of 2005 and released in paperback in March 2006.
Governor Whitman serves on the Board of Directors of Texas Instruments Inc. and United Technologies Corporation, and formerly served on the Board of S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. She is a member of the Nuclear Matters Advisory Council and Terrestrial Energy’s International Advisory Board. She holds an Executive Masters Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors.
Governor Whitman also serves a number of non-profit organizations including as Chairman of the American Security Project and Vice-Chairman of the Trustees of the Eisenhower Fellowships. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Responsible Shale Development. She co-chairs the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council and is on the Advisory Boards of the Corporate Eco Forum and The Northeast Maglev (TNEM). She serves as an advisor to the Aspen Rodel Fellowship program and on the O’Connor Judicial Selection Advisory Committee at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. She is a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University and a member of the National Advisory Committees for the Women’s Coalition for Common Sense and the Presidential Climate Action Project.
Prior to becoming Governor, she was the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and served on the Somerset County board of Chosen Freeholders.
Governor Whitman holds a BA from Wheaton College in Norton, MA, and was married for 41 years to the late John R. Whitman. She has two children and seven grandchildren.
The American Experience Distinguished Lecture is sponsored by The Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law & Public Policy and the University Honors College.
