THe Kenderdine
Lecture Series
October 15,2026 - CHRISTINA WOLBRECHT
LECTURE TOPIC: See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People
On Thursday, October 15, University College and the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County will sponsor a lecture given by University of Notre Dame political science professor, Christina Wolbrecht.
From Kamala Harris to Nikki Haley, women in public life are widely expected to inspire young people, especially girls, to follow in their footsteps. Is this expectation fulfilled? Based on See Jane Run, her recent book with David E. Campbell, Christina Wolbrecht explains how and when women in politics help convince young people that women are capable of political leadership, enhance faith in democracy, and inspire political engagement, including a desire to run for office themselves. As role models, women politicians help ensure a more inclusive democracy.
ABOUT CHRISTINA WOLBRECHT
Christina Wolbrecht is a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame where she teaches and writes about women/gender and politics, political parties, and American political development. Her most recent book, co-authored with David E. Campbell, is See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People (Chicago 2025). Wolbrecht's previous books have examined how women used the vote after suffrage and how the American parties polarized around women's rights issues like abortion and the ERA. Her current projects explore the impact of women's suffrage on state policy making and of the women's club movement on the development of American cities.
Learn more about the lecture here - https://www.millersville.edu/universitycollege/kenderdine-lecture/
THe Kenderdine Lecture Series
Harriet Webb Kenderdine (1899-1982) was an active member of the League of Women Voters at the national, state and Lancaster County levels and who had a deep interest in international affairs. When Mrs. Kenderdine died in September 1982, she left a bequest to the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County. She set aside funds for lectures that the public could attend on behalf of the LWV, underwriting the costs as long as the speaker was representative of their ideals, which include empowering voters and protecting democracy. Over the years the lecture series hosted many wonderful speakers:
1990 - Cokie & Steven Roberts, NPR’s Congressional Correspondent presented “U.S. Politics in the 1990s: Challenges Facing the Nation and the World”
1992 - Joan Mondale, author, (married to former US Vice President & Senator, Walter Mondale) presented “Women as a Political Force” and Madeleine Kunin, former VT governor presented “Do Women Leaders Make a Difference?”
1993 - Nina Totenberg, NPR’s American Legal Affairs Correspondent presented “Covering the Supreme Court”
1996 - Conner Cruise O'Brien, former undersecretary of the United Nations presented “Ireland in Context” & Michael Dyson, author & nationally syndicated columnist presented “Race Rules”
1999 - Carl Bernstein, Author and Journalist, presented “The Decline of Politics and the Rise of the Media State”
2001 - Christopher Edley Jr., PhD, Harvard Law Professor & Co-Director of the Civil Rights Project, presented “Not all Black and White: Affirmative Action and American Values”
2016 - Danny Hayes, Professor of Political Science, The George Washington University presented “Why Women Run from Office, and How that Can Change”
2024 - Sarah Sobieraj, PhD, Professor, Department of Sociology, Tufts University presents “The Body Politic:
Women, Digital Harassment, and Democratic Life”2025 - Barbara McQuade, University of Michigan law professor and former federal prosecutor. presents “Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America”
Learn more about the Lectures - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eICWJSGhPVM
This longtime lecture series is possible with the support of Millersville University's
Center for Civic Responsibility & Leadership,
Center for Public Scholarship & Social Change,
President’s Commission on the Status of Women,
the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program, and
American Association of University Women Club