AMES, Iowa -- Claudia Kennedy -- the only woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the U. S. Army -- is the fall 2004 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics at Iowa State University.
Kennedy will discuss "Women, Leadership and the Future" at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. The free event is sponsored by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.
"Lt. Gen. Kennedy is admired for her leadership, not only during her 32 years of service in the U.S. Army, but also since leaving the military," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Catt Center. "Noted for standing on principle, she is an exemplary role model for women who aspire to leadership."
Kennedy joined the Army in 1968. During her career, she commanded a company of soldiers, an intelligence battalion, a recruiting battalion and an intelligence brigade. She served as the senior intelligence officer for the U.S. Forces Command, deputy commanding general for the Army Intelligence Center and School, and deputy chief of staff for Army Intelligence. She oversaw policies and operations affecting 45,000 people stationed worldwide and a budget of nearly $1 billion.
Now retired, Kennedy has appeared as a military consultant for NBC and CNN networks and a guest on "Larry King Live" and "Good Morning America."
Kennedy is the author of "Generally Speaking," published in 2001, which reveals how a leader makes decisions, handles crises, manages subordinates and sticks to her guns -- as it introduces readers to a woman who both witnessed and helped influence groundbreaking changes in the role of military women.
She has received several awards for leadership and lifetime achievements and has been named to several national lists of important female role models.
Kennedy's public lecture is part of the Advancing Women Leaders series, sponsored by the University Committee on Women, Women's Leadership Consortium, Office of the Provost and Catt Center. The 2004-05 series consists of three presentations by nationally prominent women leaders, as well as a Women's Leadership Summit on Friday, April 15.
Kennedy is the 11th prominent woman leader to visit Iowa State as the Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics. The chair was created in 1995 to honor Iowa native and longtime political and civic leader, Mary Louise Smith, and brings nationally renowned political leaders, scholars and activists to Iowa State. Smith was the only woman to chair the Republican National Party (1974-1977).
