The Harriet Kenderdine Lecture
About Harriet Webb Kenderdine
An active member of the League of Women Voters at the national, state and Lancaster County levels, Harriet Webb Kenderdine (1899-1982) was deeply interested in international affairs. Upon her death in 1982, she left a bequest to the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County for public lectures to empower voters and protect democracy. Millersville University has been proud to host these lectures over the past 4 decades.
2026 SPEAKER: 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.
Event details will be shared soon; check this page for updates.
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.
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History
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:
- 1985 - Paul Warnke, presenter of the first Kenderdine Lecture.
- 1986 - Robert E. White, former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador and expert on Central America, presented "Current Affairs in Latin and South America."
- 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 governor of Vermont, presented “Do Women Leaders Make a Difference?”
- 1993 - Nina Totenberg, NPR’s American legal affairs correspondent, presented “Covering the Supreme Court.”
- 2001 - Dr. Christopher Edley Jr., professor of law at Harvard University and co-director of The Civil Rights Project, presented "Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action and American Values."
- 2008 - Ishmael Beah, author, presented "A Long Way Gone: Story of Redemption and Hope."
- 2015 - Abigail Hurst, PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence, presented "It's On Us: Dating Violence Realities and Responses" in conjunction with the YWCA.
- 2016 - Danny Hayes, professor of political science at George Washington University, presented “Why Women Run from Office, and How that Can Change.”
- 2024 - Dr. Sarah Sobieraj, professor of sociology at Tufts University, presented on her recent publication, Credible Threat: Attacks Against Women Online and the Future of Democracy (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics).
- Stacie Blake, CEO of YWCA Lancaster, spoke on voting access in Lancaster and Pennsylvania as the reception guest speaker to celebrate the return of the lecture series to campus.
- 2025 - Barbara McQuade, University of Michigan law professor and former federal prosecutor, discussed her recent publication, Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.
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The League of Women Voters of Lancaster County
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. We never support or oppose any political party or candidate.
The League of Women Voters has two separate and distinct roles.
- Voters Service/Citizen Education: we present unbiased nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process, and issues.
- Action/Advocacy: we are also nonpartisan, but, after study, we use our positions to advocate for or against particular policies in the public interest.