Dr. Martha Burk, Ms. Magazine
May 2, 2014 (Fri) 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
UNM Continuing Education Auditorium

Dr. Burk will give the final talk of the series, synthesizing themes from previous speakers as well as her own experience conducting training workshops for NGOs, the U.S. Department of State, UNESCO, and universities around the world.  We can learn from women on the world stage who have risen to leadership positions in business, government, non-profit and educational sectors. The experiences of women in reaching leadership roles are different depending on economics, culture, state of development, and geography.  Though women in the United States are without doubt in the top tier economically, they lag behind other countries in many other ways. The talk will explore the progress of women in the U.S. as compared to other countries, and factors that have allowed women in other parts of the world to reach a critical mass in leadership where American women have not.  She will also explore how American women can use their political and cultural experience to help women in emerging democracies succeed in taking leadership positions while avoiding some of the early mistakes that were made in the U.S. Strategies that worked and those that did not achieve the long-term goals they promised will be explored.

Dr. Martha Burk is a political psychologist, expert on women’s issues, and co-founder of the Center for Advancement of Public Policy, a research and policy analysis organization in Washington, D.C. She serves as the Money Editor for Ms. Magazine, and is a syndicated newspaper columnist and frequent blogger for Huffington Post. In January 2012 she launched a new national show on public radio, “Equal Time with Martha Burk.” Her latest book Your Voice, Your Vote: The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Power, Politics, and the Change We Need (2012) is a Ms. Magazine book selection. The 2008 edition won NM Book award for best political book of 2008. Burk is a frequent speaker on women’s issues, civil society, and the role of media in shaping public discourse.  Long active in public debate and political analysis, she has served as an advisor on issues that matter to women to a number of state and national figures.

Supported by New Mexico Humanities Council, Sandia National Labs, UNM, Feminist Research Institute & Anderson School of Management