Speakers, Panelists Announced for Sept. 15 ‘Making Democracy Work’ Conference

Amy Widestrom, Ph.D., executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, will offer the morning keynote for Millersville University’s Sustainable Development Goals Conference on Sept. 15 at the Ware Center in downtown Lancaster. “Making Democracy Work: Strengthening Institutions, Engaging Communities, Empowering Citizens” is open to the public. The schedule for the day, which begins at 8:30 a.m., and registration information is available at millersville.edu/ceged/events.

Widestrom will present “Democracy’s Crossroads: Challenges, Strengths and Pathways Forward” at 8:45 a.m. Prior to joining the League, she served as a faculty member and chair of the Department of Historical and Political Studies at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. Her professional background also includes roles in the nonprofit sector, at the Brookings Institution, and with the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

She brings this experience to her work leading the League’s civic engagement, advocacy, and voter education programs and initiatives across the Commonwealth. Her scholarship and teaching focused on American politics, with an emphasis on civic engagement and voting behavior, public policy, campaigns and elections, and the role of women in politics. Widestrom earned a bachelor’s degree in theater and English from Oberlin College and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Syracuse University.

The afternoon keynote, “Constitutional Foundations for Democracy: Why the Constitution Matters Today,” will be delivered by Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, at 12:20 p.m. In her role, she leads the strategy, development and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs and educational initiatives in service of its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue. A leading advocate for civic education and constitutional literacy, Silverbrook writes and lectures on civic learning, the Constitution and its history, and regularly moderates the Center’s podcasts and public programs.

Prior to joining the Center, Silverbrook served as senior director of partnerships and constitutional scholar-in-residence at iCivics and as executive director of the Constitutional Sources Project. She holds a J.D. from William & Mary Law School and graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from The George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Session panelists throughout the day include Rep. Bryan Cutler, who represents the 100^th Legislative District in southern Lancaster County; Ray D’Agostino, Lancaster County Commissioner; Attorney John J. Hare of Marshall Dennehey, member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Historical Commission and the Commission on Judicial Independence; Stephen Medvic, Ph.D., The Honorable and Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor of Government and director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College; Jan Murphy, director of government affairs at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and former capitol reporter for The Patriot-New/PennLive.com; Nivedita Bagchi, Ph.D., professor in Millersville’s Department of Government, Law, and International Relations; Brian Booker, curriculum and instruction specialist at Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13; Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein, deputy director of Spotlight PA; the Hon. Lawrence Stengel, former chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Bill Madway and Dave Wagner, co-chairs of Braver Angels Pennsylvania; and Colby Itkowitz, journalist and board member of the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund.