Grateful American® Foundation

Dolley’s Diplomacy: Inspiring Women’s Leadership – March 28-29, 2015

March 20, 2015

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Orange, VA — The Montpelier Foundation’s first-ever women’s leadership conference presents an exciting opportunity for young women to learn and enhance the dialogue on women’s leadership in media, education, government, law, and business environments with attention paid to the overlap and important similarities within these arenas.

Sponsored by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier, Running Start, Network of enlightened Women (NeW), and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, the program’s esteemed speakers and panelists will provide high-quality educational and networking opportunities to the 100 female college leaders in attendance.

The program will include a discussion with the audience about Dolley Madison’s leadership role in the early American republic. Dolley, a political force at a time when women were excluded from government and the full privileges of citizenship, pushed the boundaries of her circumscribed life. She became a master of navigating social networks and shaping opinions through her relationships with political leaders and their families.

As a political partner to President James Madison and an influencer in her own right, earning her the title “America’s 1st First Lady,” Dolley’s life helped set the stage for women’s leadership in the centuries to follow. Dolley’s Diplomacy explores the ways in which women continue to push boundaries, shatter glass ceilings, and exert power in all spheres.

“We are delighted to host Dolley’s Diplomacy at Montpelier and advance the discussion on women’s leadership,” said Kat Imhoff, President and CEO of The Montpelier Foundation. “It is fitting to inspire minds and to promote active citizenship with young women leaders at the very place where the US Constitution was imagined.”

More information about the conference, including an up-to-date list of conference speakers and panelists, can be found at www.montpelier.org/dolleysdiplomacy. Follow the conference on Twitter using the hashtag #GoDolley.

About The Montpelier Foundation

Montpelier is the lifelong home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, Architect of the Bill of Rights, and fourth president of the United States and Dolley Madison, regarded as America’s 1st First Lady. Montpelier is administered by The Montpelier Foundation, which seeks to inspire continuing public engagement with American constitutional self-government by bringing to life the home and contributions of James and Dolley Madison. The historic home and grounds are open to visitors and student groups throughout the year, and through Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution, the Foundation provides world-class residential and online educational programs. Montpelier is a National Trust Historic Site.

About the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution

Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution is America’s premier constitutional training center inspiring the public to be stewards of James Madison’s legacy of self-government through world-class on-site and Web-enabled educational programming. The Montpelier Foundation established the Center in 2002 as a national academy to provide seminars for teachers and educators on the US Constitution. With similar success, the Center has begun training those who have a responsibility to implement and protect the Constitution, such as judges, legislators, and police officers. In its next phase, the Center will expand its on-site seminars and conferences and accelerate its online educational programming.

CONTACT: Caroline Godfrey, Communications Associate, The Montpelier Foundation, 540.308.2077,cgodfrey@montpelier.org

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