Former Vermont Gov. Kunin to Speak in Pittsfield
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin, a graduate of Pittsfield High School, will speak on her experiences as a woman in politics on Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at Knesset Israel, 16 Colt Road.
The talk is being sponsored by Women Helping Empower Neighborhoods as a celebration of International Women's Day 2009 and is open to the public.
A closed reception with Kunin, limited to 35 people, will be held at 5 p.m. at the home of Rheba and Bruce Evenchick at 40 Colt Road. (Ticket information below)
Kunin was lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1979 to 1983 and a three-term governor from 1985 to 1993. She served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999.
Kunin has written many articles and books, is a strong environmental activist and is the founder and board president of the Institute for Sustainable Communities. She is presently a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Vermont and St. Michael's College.
Kunin, a University of Massachusetts alumna, is a woman of many firsts: She was the first woman to serve in a legislative position in Vermont, the first woman to be appointed chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the first, and to date the only, female governor of Vermont, and the first woman in the United States to be elected governor three times. She is also the first Jewish woman to be elected governor.
She has documented her political journey, along with the stories of other women in politics, in a new book, "Pearls, Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead."
Tickets to the lecture are $20 and available at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Chapters Book Store will have copies of Kunin's book, which she will sign, for sale after the lecture.
For reservations to the reception from 5-6:30 p.m., call 413-447-7277 or e-mail modeeds@aol.com. The price of the reception and lecture is $50.
