Recorded on November 7, 2009.
This first lecture in a new annual tradition at the Festival features US Senator Claire McCaskill from Missouri. After serving the state of Missouri as a state legislator, Jackson County prosecutor, and state auditor, McCaskill made history in 2006 as the first woman elected to the United States Senate from Missouri. The Democratic senator currently serves on the Senate Armed Services, Commerce, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, and also chairs the newly formed Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight. On the rise in Washington, she is also a darling of the social media site Twitter, through which she dishes to followers and constituents on defense budgets and senatorial schedules, as well as on the everyday details of her life. In her lecture, Senator McCaskill shares her perspective on public service, policies, and progress forward.
This annual lecture honors the late Joanne H. Alter’s pioneering work on behalf of women interested in social action and public service.
