BARNARD COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Women’s Reproductive Rights Advocate Kathryn Kolbert
to Head
Athena Center for Leadership Studies
09.08.09
Kathryn Kolbert, Director,
Athena
Center for Leadership Studies
New York, NY – Barnard College announced this week that renowned civil- rights attorney Kathryn Kolbert will lead a key new program designed to significantly broaden and deepen society’s understanding of women and leadership. The Athena Center for Leadership Studies, launching this fall, will draw upon the resources of Barnard, the premier women’s college, as well as partner organizations and successful women around the world to develop this innovative interdisciplinary program that will encompass both academic and experiential study.
A public-interest attorney, journalist, and visionary in the not-for-profit world, Ms. Kolbert brings to Barnard an extraordinary depth of experience in collaborative leadership, educational programming, and civil-rights advocacy. The former president of People For the American Way, a nationwide organization dedicated to progressive activism, Kolbert has been recognized by The National Law Review as one of the“100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” and by The American Lawyer as one of 45 public- interest lawyers “whose vision and commitment are changing lives.” She was credited with saving Roe v. Wade after arguing the landmark case Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992, utilizing what legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin called, “one of the most audacious litigation tactics in Supreme Court history.”
“Kathryn Kolbert’s purposeful, effective leadership and her unfettered devotion to causes that matter will help define the Athena Center and spur a new generation of Barnard women striving to change the world,” said Barnard President Debora Spar, who announced the plan to revitalize leadership studies in her inaugural speech in October 2008. “Her experience and vision will be tremendous assets to Barnard and to the future of leadership as an academic and practical entity.”
Under Kolbert’s direction, the Athena Center will offer Barnard students the opportunity to study diverse approaches to leadership through interdisciplinary courses. A distinguished group of student leaders will be selected as Athena Fellows, and will participate in fully funded, mentored internships with many of New York City’s leading businesses and institutions. The Center will also host prominent women leaders from a variety of careers and backgrounds to speak about leadership from their unique perspectives.
“With a crisis of leadership evident in the public discourse, now is the time to better understand power, influence, and effective leadership,” said Kolbert. “The Athena Center will engage students, faculty, and dynamic women leaders in a dialogue about the evolving role and future of leadership and provide hands-on opportunities for students to lead. It’s an exciting moment for Barnard and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
For ten years, Kolbert oversaw a program on law and American life at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. She was the executive producer of “Justice Talking,” an award-winning radio program distributed by NPR, and also directed an educational website called JusticeLearning.org, which received a Webby Award in 2005. From 1992 to 1997, she directed domestic litigation and public-policy programs for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, where she was a cofounder and vice president. Over the course of her career, Kolbert has also served as the State Coordinating Counsel of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project in New York and as a staff attorney with the Women's Law Project and Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.
Kolbert graduated cum laude from Temple University School of Law, and received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s School of Arts and Sciences. She has lectured at colleges and universities across the nation and is a frequent commentator on constitutional and women’s rights issues in the national media. |
