Top political strategist will focus on role of women during KU visit

LAWRENCE — One of the nation’s leading political strategists will discuss the role of women in the 2016 elections during an appearance next week at the University of Kansas.

Celinda Lake, an expert on electing women candidates and framing issues for women voters, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Her topic will be “What Women Want: Public Opinion, the 2016 Election and Why Women Matter.” The event is part of the Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Leadership Lecture series.

Lake’s talk is free and open to the public and will include a question-and-answer period. A reception is planned in the Kansas Union lobby after Lake’s presentation to honor the memory of Marilyn Stokstad, who died in March.

Lake and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment and education. They have worked for institutions including the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Governor's Association, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Communications Workers of America, International Association of Fire Fighters, Sierra Club, NARAL, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, The Next Generation, EMILY's List, VoteVets Action Fund, and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

She is renowned for her groundbreaking research on single women voters in conjunction with the Voter Participation Center and has helped elect numerous women candidates, including U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Carol Moseley-Braun in her historic victory to become the first African-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Lake also works with Nancy Pelosi, the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House.

The Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Leadership Lecture honors two iconic women leaders at KU. Taylor served as dean of women at KU from 1956 to 1975. Stokstad taught art history at KU from 1958 until her retirement in 2002 and wrote the best-selling textbook “Art History.” Both women actively promoted women’s causes and gender equity throughout their careers.

For questions or additional information, contact Barbara Ballard at bballard@ku.edu or 785-864-4900.