Save the Date: UHart Celebrates Women's History Month
The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement presents a virtual panel discussion on “Women in Politics.” This virtual event will take place on March 8 from 6:30–7:30 pm. This event highlights the profound impact women have on politics, a field which has been historically dominated by men. The discussion will focus on women in politics, working for change, and inspiring and empowering others. Each panelist will share their story, discuss how they discovered their strengths, and navigated obstacles as a woman while continuing to impact change in the world of politics.
Panelists:
Susan Bysiewicz
Connecticut Lieutenant Governor
Sworn in on Jan. 9, 2019, Susan Bysiewicz is serving her first term as Connecticut’s 109th Lieutenant Governor.
Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz’s and Gov. Ned Lamont’s first priority is to grow good-paying jobs and investing in the state’s future.
Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz is continuing her commitment to economic growth that made her a leading voice for Connecticut residents and small businesses while she served as Secretary of the State from 1999 to 2011. As Secretary of the State, she helped thousands of businesses grow, registered thousands of voters, cut bureaucratic red tape, honored veterans, and fought to keep elections fair.
As a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, representing the towns of Middletown, Middlefield, and Durham, Bysiewicz wrote legislation to ban dangerous “drive-through” mastectomies and ensure that women being treated for breast cancer had proper care. She also fought political patronage and wrote the law to ban lobbyists from giving gifts to legislators.
As a business lawyer and a job creator, she has helped over sixty companies access millions of dollars in capital, expand their businesses, and create thousands of jobs in Connecticut.
Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz was raised the proud granddaughter of immigrants who came to Connecticut from Poland and Greece with nothing but hopes for a better future. After many years of factory work, they saved enough to buy a farm in Middletown that became Bysiewicz's childhood home. Growing up and working on the farm, she and her siblings learned the values of hard work, education, and persistence.
Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz graduated from Middletown High School, Yale University and Duke Law School. She is the author of Ella: A Biography of Ella Grasso, Connecticut’s eighty third governor.
Bysiewicz and her husband David Donaldson reside in Middletown.
Suzette DeBeatham-Brown
Mayor of Bloomfield, CT
Suzette DeBeatham-Brown the current Mayor of the Town of Bloomfield is a wife, mother, minister and public servant. She is committed to leaving this world a better place. Suzette has had the opportunity to serve as an Ordained Minister for the Church of God, a Youth Advocate for the Urban League of Greater Hartford, a Chaplain for the Bloomfield Police Department, Chair of the Bloomfield Citizen Awareness Taskforce and Board member of Ascend Mentoring among other boards and committees. She is currently employed with the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District where she is a vital resource for the District and the community.
Suzette earned her MHS in Counseling and B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice. Suzette and her husband Bishop Norris and their three children reside in Bloomfield, CT.
Judy Casperson
West Hartford Town Council (2009-2018), VP Branch Manager of KeyBank, Member of The CT Women’s Council and The Women’s Advancement Initiative Board of Directors
Judy Casperson is the Vice President and Community Business Manager for KeyBank. Her life’s work demonstrates her commitment to community, leadership, education, human services, and advocacy. From an early age, she said yes to opportunities and was one of the first black children to be bussed to school in Colorado. She was the first person of color to be elected to the West Hartford Town Council where she served as Chair of the Human Services Committee. She considered that role, which she served in for eight years, an honor and responsibility.
Today, she continues to focus on women, children, and families. Judy serves on the Board of The Women’s Advancement Initiative, YWCA Hartford Region, and Easter Seals. With past roles at the Aurora Foundation for Women and Girls, The Bridge Family Center, The Playhouse on Park, and the West Hartford Schools Improvement Committee.
Judy’s professional career centers on banking, wealth management, small business ownership, and marketing. She served as the VP bank officer for KeyBank, vice president for Santander Bank, TD Bank, and Webster Bank, program manager for the United Services Organization, senior vice president of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, and supervisor of reservation sales at Frontier Airlines.
Judy graduated from Parks College where she studied international business. She also attended Boise State University and The Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences in Germany.
Moderator:
Jilda M. Aliotta, PhD
Professor, University of Hartford
Jilda Aliotta is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Government. She teaches courses in American politics, law and politics and gender and politics including Law and the Justice System, Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence and Gender, Law and Policy. She is also a member of the University’s pre-law advising committee. Professor Aliotta’s current research focuses on the impact of women and the judiciary. She is working on a biography of Jennie Loitman Barron, the first woman to serve as a full-time judge in Massachusetts. She has also published several articles on judicial decision making. Professor Aliotta grew up on military bases through the United States and in Italy before her family settled in Minnesota. She received a BA in political science from Macalester College and a Ph.D in Political Science from University of Minnesota. Before coming to the University of Hartford, Professor Aliotta taught at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Marquette University, and Miami University (Ohio).
Co-moderator:
Alena Washington '21
Alena Washington is a University of Hartford senior from San Antonio, Texas. She is studying Politics and Government with a minor in Paralegal Studies. After she graduates in May she hopes to work as a paralegal for a few years before going to law school where she plans to become an exoneration attorney.
Registration
Please email questions about the lecture to Brianna D’Arcangelo, Program Coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, at darcangel@hartford.edu.