Hear Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman at the Hett Oct. 25

10/3/2011

Lebanon, Ill. — Can Washington be fixed—or is it broken? Former New Jersey Governor and Bush administration cabinet member Christine Todd Whitman will share her opinion on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at McKendree University’s Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. Her 7:30 p.m. appearance is the first in the 2011-12 Distinguished Speaker Series.

Tickets to the event are free but reservations are encouraged. Call the box office at (618) 537-6863 Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. or visit the website theHett.com.

Whitman served in President George W. Bush’s administration as head of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2001 to 2003. She was the 50^th governor of New Jersey, its first woman elected to the office, from 1994 until 2001.

 

Whitman earned praise from Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was recognized for having instituted the nation’s most comprehensive beach monitoring system. As EPA administrator, she promoted watershed-based water protection policies and championed regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent.

Today she is president of The Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues. She also co-chairs the Republican Leadership Council, which she founded with Sen. John Danforth of Missouri to support fiscally conservative, socially tolerant candidates. Her book, It’s My Party Too, was a 2005 New York Times bestseller.

Whitman will be in residence at McKendree as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Scholar from Oct. 24-26, meeting informally with several classes and student groups. On Wednesday, Oct. 26 at noon she will discuss climate change and politics, also at the Hett.

She is McKendree University’s fourth Woodrow Wilson Visiting Scholar. “This is the year of ‘engagement’ at McKendree University. We are encouraging our students to be engaged in the classroom, outside of the classroom by participating in co-curricular activities, and in the greater community and society. Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s messages will fit nicely into our theme by exploring how we can engage in a political dialogue about timely issues,” said Tami Eggleston, associate dean.

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