Newswise — LSU alumna Donna Brazile, widely considered to be one of the most influential African American women in modern American politics, will deliver the keynote address during LSU's 262nd commencement exercises May 18 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Brazile, a Democratic political strategist, made history as the first African American woman to lead a major presidential campaign when she headed the Gore-Lieberman campaign in 2000. She is currently the chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute, an organization established in 2001 to help protect and promote the rights of all Americans to participate in the political process. She is a weekly contributor and political commentator for CNN, a political consultant for ABC News, and a contributor to NPR's "Political Corner." She is also a columnist for Roll Call newspaper and Ms. Magazine, and is the author of a syndicated column. In addition, Brazile is the author of "Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics," a memoir about her life in the political arena, and co-author of "What We Do Now," published by Melville House in 2004.
Brazile is also the founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates, a political consulting and grassroots advocacy firm based in Washington, D.C.
A 1981graduate of LSU, Brazile was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from LSU in May 2005, and, earlier this month, kicked off LSU's celebration of Women's History Month by delivering a talk on campus titled "Political Action, Engagement and Leadership." She is a native of New Orleans and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the agency that is overseeing the state's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. "We are honored that Donna Brazile has accepted our invitation to deliver the spring commencement address," LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe said. "She is a distinguished alum, political strategist and community leader certain to inspire our graduates to pursue a life of activism." Prior to joining the Gore campaign, Brazile was chief of staff and press secretary to Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, where she helped guide the District's budget and local legislation on Capitol Hill. Brazile has worked for numerous national and statewide campaigns, including several presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Carter-Mondale in 1976 and 1980, Rev. Jesse Jackson's first bid for the presidency in 1984, Mondale-Ferraro in 1984, Rep. Dick Gephardt in 1988, Dukakis-Bentsen in 1988 and Clinton-Gore in 1992 and 1996. Brazile also has experience in the higher education arena, currently serving as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She has served as a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, resident fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics and as the Senator Wyona Lipman Chair at Rutgers University Center for American Women in Politics She has been recognized with several awards and honors, including Washingtonian magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, D.C.; Essence magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in America; and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Award for Political Achievement. LSU's spring commencement will consist of the main ceremony in the PMAC, where Brazile will speak, along with separate diploma ceremonies for each college, where every student's name will be called individually. More information about the ceremonies is available online at http://www.lsu.edu/commencement.
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