September 20, 2005

Staff Report

Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and Environmental Protection Agency Chief under President George W. Bush, kicks off Darden’s 50th Anniversary Speaker Series, with a lecture titled “A Time for Radical Moderates: Bringing American Politics Back to the Center,” on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m., in Darden’s Abbott Center Auditorium. The governor’s talk is free and open to the general public. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"We're delighted Gov. Whitman is coming to Darden,” said Dean Bob Bruner. “Her background as a governor, presidential cabinet member and author gives her a unique perspective on business and world affairs. We're grateful that she’s taking the time to share her thoughts with us as part of our 50th Anniversary Celebration."

Darden’s anniversary celebration will span two years, and incorporate events in more than 50 cities and three continents. The celebration will officially begin after Whitman’s speech with Kickoff Weekend, Sept. 23 through 25, on the Darden grounds. Activities will include a procession for alumni from all 50 classes, and the debut of a new book called A Pictorial History of the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business. (For more information about the weekend, visit http://www.darden.virginia.edu/50th/index.htm.)

Whitman is president of The Whitman Strategy Group, a management consulting firm that focuses on policy and regulatory issues in both the public and private sectors. Whitman is co-chairwoman of the National Smart Growth Council, and serves on the steering committee of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey; the governing board of the Oquirrh Institute; and as a member of the board of the New America Foundation. She is also a member of the newly formed Center for Civic Engagement and Volunteerism Advisory Board at Raritan Valley Community College. She is author of the New York Times bestseller, It's My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America. Whitman currently serves on the board of directors of S.C. Johnson and Son, Texas Instruments, United Technologies and The Millennium Challenge Corp.