Anita Perez Ferguson, Ph.D. to Speak at University of Findlay.
Written by WKTN Staff on October 10, 2019
Nonprofit and governmental leadership, diversity, and public policy expert Anita Perez Ferguson, Ph.D., whose focus on female empowerment has assisted individuals and organizations throughout the world, will serve as this year’s University of Findlay’s Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. Her free public presentation, titled “Preparing for an Uncertain Future: The Road Worth Taking,” will be held Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union’s Multipurpose Room.
Perez Ferguson, a scholar-practitioner and Fielding Graduate Institute graduate, is director of the Hank Lacayo Institute for Workforce and Community Studies at California State University Channel Islands. Her doctoral research focused on the diversity and network profiles of Fortune 500 directors.
Perez Ferguson was appointed by President Clinton to Inter-American Foundation chair and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She formerly served as the National Women’s Political Caucus president and as White House liaison to the U.S. Department of Transportation. She currently serves on the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Board of Directors, co-chairs the organization’s Public Policy Initiative, and is a member of the Finance and Investment committees.
In 1993, following two congressional campaigns in California, Ferguson served as the Democratic National Committee training director. In conjunction with groups such as the United States Information Agency, the National Democratic Institute, the Asia Foundation, and Vital Voices, Perez Ferguson has provided leadership and political skills training to women in the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
From 1996-99, Perez Ferguson was a weekly contributor to WAMC National Public Radio in New York. She has been certified by Toastmasters International, and is a graduate of the Gallup Leadership Institute for CEO’s. Hispanic Business magazine named Perez Ferguson one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States. She also participated in the California Listens Documentary Project.
Her first book, titled “A Passion for Politics: Encouraging Women in Leadership,” was published in 1999. A key chapter of her latest book, “Women Seen and Heard,” co-authored by Dr. Lois Phillips, was published in the premier edition of the Women’s Policy Journal of Harvard, JFK School of Government. Other articles have appeared in various journals and collections including Community Action Digest, Latina Style magazine, and A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America’s Most Powerful People.
Perez Ferguson has been a featured speaker for a wide variety of organizations including the National Association of Community Action, Lucent Technology, National Hispania Leadership Institute, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the American Political Science Association, the International Downtown Association, and many colleges and universities. She is a lecturer for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation at Princeton, is a contributor to NPR Radio, and is past present of the National Women’s Political Caucus.
While visiting the University as a Visiting Fellow, Perez Ferguson will also be visiting classes and meeting with students. She will represent UF’s 10th Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow.
This year’s Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow alumnus is Clay Fogle, Pharm.D. ’19. Program assistants are Emily Teague from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Sara Plaugher from the College of Pharmacy; and Bree Essien from the College of Sciences.
Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow student ambassadors include:
College of Business: Fuyao Meng, accounting major; Laura Harper, accounting major; and Makenna Ricker, accounting major.
College of Education: Kobe Baker, early childhood education major; Lindsey Klausing, AYA integrated math education and pure mathematics major; and Abbey Dempster, early childhood education major.
College of Health Professions: Savannah Anspach, nursing major; Moustafa Selim, biology and nuclear medicine major; and Majeed Hawsawi, Master of Science in Health Informatics.
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Brenen Auer, psychology major; Addison Lamb, Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing; and Hanna Benefiel, Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing.
College of Pharmacy: Emily Remark, pharmacy candidate; Tyler Copus, pharmacy candidate; and Lorin Wise, pharmacy candidate.
College of Sciences: Kathryn Eriksen, biology major; Kylie Miller, pre-veterinary medicine; and Tyler Ebbeskotte, biology major.
For more information about the University of Findlay’s Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program, contact Marie Loudon-Hanes, Ph.D., professor of art history, at loudon-hanes@findlay.edu or at 419-701-8713.
