The Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics (PCWP) hosted its annual Elsie Hillman Chair in Women and Politics event Tuesday, March 18, honoring CNN NewsNight anchor Abby Phillip. The event was free and open to the public and gathered a crowd of roughly 700 people to the Campbell Memorial Chapel on Chatham’s campus, as estimated by PCWP director Dr. Dana Brown.
“We have never seen a crowd like this in all the years we have held this program,” Brown said. Among the attendees were a number of local elected officials like Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.
Phillip has a background in political reporting, previously working as a White House correspondent and for news outlets including The Washington Post, ABC News and Politico. She gave a speech and then sat down for an audience question-and-answer session with Brown: the conversation geared toward modern-day sociopolitical challenges under a new presidential administration. A student reception was held prior to the event in which Phillip spoke individually with Chatham students.
“Abby Phillip was chosen [to be chair] knowing that we would be within the first 100 days of a presidency,” Brown said. “We wanted a speaker who could share a non-partisan perspective on either presidency. [Phillip] is an award-winning journalist who is well-known for her non-partisanship and professionalism.”
The Elsie Hillman Chair in Women and Politics was created to honor Elsie Hillman who was a philanthropist and politician from Pittsburgh.
According to the PCWP’s website, “The purpose of the [chair] is to bring nationally renowned political leaders, scholars and activists to Chatham University and the Pittsburgh community to enrich the experiences of students and educate citizens about the role of women in the political process.”
The event has been held annually since the 2011-2012 academic year and has hosted elected officials, journalists, historians, activists and political consultants.
It’s “a wonderful opportunity to raise the consciousness of women and politics,” Brown said. “The chair is an opportunity to highlight the important work women are doing in the space of politics and public policy. I hope that it acts as a point of inspiration and education for our entire community.”
