Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman recently spoke about “Women, Leadership, Power and Politics: Overcoming Obstacles"" as part of the Berry College Cecil B. Wright III Integrity in Leadership lecture series.
“Leadership and integrity today has never been more important than it is today in our society,” said Whitman, who served as head of the EPA under President George W. Bush. “To me, leadership isn’t leadership at all without integrity; it’s exploitation.”
Whitman also spoke with students in an environmental class taught by Associate Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Brian Campbell. The class read Whitman’s New York Times Op-Ed piece, “How Not to Run the E.P.A.,” before her visit and discussed her views on how the agency should be run.
In addition to being the first female governor of New Jersey, Whitman is also a New York Times Bestselling Author for her book, “It’s My Party Too.” She was awarded The Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service last year for her work in politics.
The Integrity in Leadership program chose Whitman to be this year’s guest speaker because of her many accomplishments, leadership and perseverance in the political world. The lecture series is named for Berry alumnus and trustee Cecil B. ""Buster"" Wright III in honor of his role as a force behind the Center for Integrity in Leadership and its mentoring program, his financial commitments and his personal character.
Personal responsibility and character have always been at the heart of a Berry education, preparing graduates to serve as principled leaders in the communities where they live and work. The leadership program builds on these strengths to provide students of all majors with an even deeper grounding in values and integrity. A key distinction that makes this leadership program unique from other institutions is the Carper Mentoring Program, which matches students with experienced leaders from the local professional community.
###
Written by Public Relations Student Supervisor Alexi Bell
