12 April 2019 HWS Hosts NY Lt. Gov., State Leaders for Womens Justice

On Tuesday, April 23, Hobart and William Smith Colleges will welcome New York State Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and other panelists from the state government to discuss with the campus and community the 2019 Women’s Justice Agenda.

Developed by the New York State Council on Women and Girls over the past year, the 2019 agenda focuses on reproductive, social and economic justice, building on the 2018 accomplishments related to health, safety, girls, families and the workplace.

The forum, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room in Scandling Campus Center, will include Lt. Gov. Hochul; Kelli Owens, director of women’s affairs in the governor’s office; Monique Owens, Empire State fellow for women’s affairs; and David Turley, director of constituency affairs and LGBTQ affairs.

Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12 will welcome the audience to the forum, followed by an introduction of the participants by Professor of Women’s Studies Betty Bayer. Associate Professor of Spanish & Hispanic Studies May Farnsworth, who is also a member of the Geneva Board of Education, will facilitate a question-and-answer session between the audience and the panelists. A reception will immediately follow.

The events are sponsored by the HWS President’s Office and are free and open to the public.

In 2017, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State, Governor Cuomo established the Council on Women and Girls to recognize and advance women’s rights within the State. The Council provides a coordinated State response to issues that particularly impact the lives of women and girls, focusing on nine areas of impact: education, economic opportunity, workforce equity, leadership, health care, child care, safety, STEM and intersectionality.

The Council is composed of the commissioners and leaders of State agencies who are tasked with ensuring that every future policy and program enacted must take into consideration the rights of women and girls in New York State. A Steering Committee is made of top-level leaders from foundations, academia, non-profits, the media and the private sector.