Politicking While Female: The Political Life of Women Academic Panel

 

The 2018 midterm elections drastically altered women’s political representation. This panel of academics will trace the barriers facing women in political leadership starting from the socialization of young children through the experiences women face winning and serving in elected office.

Moderator

Dr. Nichole Bauer

 

 

Dr. Nichole Bauer is an Assistant Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Political Science & the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. Her research focuses on issues pertaining to women on the campaign trail and the reception by voters. In particular, she investigates how voters evaluate female candidates and how female candidates develop campaign strategies designed to mitigate the potential for gender bias. 

 

 

Panelists

Dr. Rosalyn Cooperman

Dr. Rosalyn Cooperman is an expert in American government, congressional campaigns and elections, and women in politics. Her research examines political behavior of Democratic and Republican party activists, women’s political candidacy in Congress and state legislatures, as well as their campaign finance structures. Dr. Cooperman has firsthand experience working in the political arena; she served as a campaign manager with Hoosiers for Jill Long, as a Lyndon B. Johnson Intern in the office of Congresswoman Jill Long and as a committee aide for the Montana State Legislature.

 

 

 

 

 Dr. Tessa Ditonto

 Dr. Tessa Ditonto is an Assistant Professor in the Dr. Tessa Ditonto researches women and politics, political behavior and political psychology, and focuses specifically on how voters learn about
political candidates and make decisions during political campaigns. She is particularly interested in how voters evaluate female candidates and how gender-based stereotypes influence impression formation, information search patterns and decision-making among voters. Dr. Ditonto is also a faculty affiliate of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics and the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Iowa State University.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Danielle Lemi

Dr. Danielle Lemi is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Latino Public Policy at the Latino Center for Leadership Development and the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where she teaches courses in American Politics. As a scholar of American politics, her current research interests revolve around understanding how identity informs formal politics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Mary-Kate Lizotte

 Dr. Mary-Kate Lizotte is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at Augusta University. Her main area of research is on gender differences in public opinion, voting, and party identification. Much of her work is concerned with the origins and implications of gender differences in public opinion. Her work has been published in various journals and edited volumes, and she has a forthcoming book, Gender Differences in Public Opinion: Values and Political Consequences, with Temple University Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Anna Mahoney

Dr. Anna Mahoney is the Director of Research for the Newcomb College Institute at Tulane University. Dr. Mahoney's research is centered on women’s representation and gendered institutions, which is explored in her book, Women Take Their Place in State Legislatures: The Creation of Women’s Caucuses. She has taught a range of courses at the university level including Introduction to Women’s Studies, American Government, Congressional Politics, American Race Relations, and Women and American Politics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Monica Schneider

Dr. Monica C. Schneider is Associate Professor of Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, OH. Schneider’s research and teaching interests involve US politics, gender and racial politics, and political psychology. More specifically, her focus is on understanding why women and minorities are underrepresented in elective office through an examination of stereotypes and political ambition. Her planned future research will focus on understanding public opinion towards policies benefiting people with disabilities. 

 

 

 

Dr. Wendy Smooth 

 Dr. Wendy G. Smooth is a noted scholar of intersectionality and American politics. She is one of the foremost voices writing on the experiences of women of color as law makers in political institutions and women of color issues in public policy. At The Ohio State University, she is Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for the College of Arts and Sciences. Smooth’s research and writing also reflect significant expertise in legislative studies, institutions, state and local politics and public policy. Her research broadly focuses on what she terms “Inclusionary Politics.”

 Dr. Jennie Sweet-Cushman

Dr. Jennie Sweet-Cushman is the Assistant Director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, where she teaches courses on women in politics, American politics, and public policy. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. At the PCWP, she is responsible for data collection, original research on women, politics, and public policy, and scholarly support for the center’s signature programs including Ready to RunTM campaign training for women. Her academic research focuses on the political psychology of gender differences in political ambition and candidate emergence.