Madeleine Kunin to Speak April 12

April 08, 2005

PLATTSBURGH, NY __ The American Democracy Project, in conjunction with the Presidential Speaker Series, continues its "Profiles in Commitment Series" at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh with a presentation by Madeleine Kunin, former Governor of Vermont, on Tuesday, April 12 at 4:30 p.m. in the Krinovitz Recital Hall, Hawkins Hall.

The series features public figures who discuss how they became engaged in public life and the meaning of that engagement both for the broader society and for their own lives. Kunin's presentation is titled, "Getting Involved: Can you Make a Difference?"

Kunin received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1990 from the State University of New York. The first woman governor of Vermont (1985-1991), Kunin also served as deputy secretary of the United States Department of Education under President Bill Clinton and was the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland.

She is the founder and former president of the Vermont-based non-profit Institute for Sustainable Growth, an international organization active in environmental education and management.

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Kunin immigrated to the United States in 1940 as an escapee from the threat of Nazi terrorism. Her political memoir, Living a Political Life , was published by Knopf in 1994.

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