Auburn’s Critical Conversations series featuring Reshma Saujani

Non-profit leader, author and political activist to visit Auburn’s campus

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Reshma Saujani, influential author, political activist and founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, will visit Auburn University on March 7, as the second speaker in the institution’s spring lineup of the Critical Conversations series.

An attorney and political activist for the Democratic Party, Saujani gained national attention when she became the first Indian-American woman to run for a seat in the United States Congress in 2010. Following her role as the deputy public advocate for New York City, Saujani founded Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization that works to close the gender gap in technology and prepare young women for jobs of the future. Members of the campus and surrounding communities are invited to attend Saujani’s keynote on “Women, Diversity and STEM” at 5 p.m. in the Student Center ballroom.

“Reshma Saujani brings a wealth of experience to our campus and tremendous enthusiasm and passion for advancing female leaders in today’s society,” said Taffye Benson Clayton, Auburn’s vice president and associate provost for inclusion and diversity. “As movements such as #metoo and #timesup continue to shape our nation’s dialogue, it is imperative that we also continue advancing the conversation around the impact of gender gaps, particularly among STEM fields.”

Saujani’s visit follows Robert Shibley’s Feb. 13 lecture on the value of free speech on campus. Remaining speakers for the spring include Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, and New York Times columnist and best-selling author Frank Bruni.

Since its launch in fall 2017, the Critical Conversations speaker series has welcomed influential scholars, authors, political leaders and business executives to campus to share with the campus community the importance of civil conversation and open engagement. More than 3,000 members of the campus community attended the fall series events and engaged in follow-up programming designed to foster dialogue around these issues.

Doors will open at 4 p.m.; plan to arrive early, as seating is limited. The event will be livestreamed at aub.ie/CriticalConversations. Auburn students, faculty and staff are invited to submit questions in advance using the hashtag #AUConvos on Twitter and Facebook.

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