I've just returned from day two of the Women in Public Service Project Institute, held this summer at Bryn Mawr College.
The project brings together emerging women leaders from around the globe and spends two weeks educating and training this "new generation of women to enter the public sector with the strategic leadership skills, energy and commitment required to tackle today's global challenges."
Founder of the project, and glass ceiling cracker extraordinaire, Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote address in a packed Thomas Great Hall yesterday afternoon. There were "will she/won't she" rumors, although I was certain she wouldn't announce her candidacy as we were first and foremost there in support of the project's delegates.
Regardless, her speech was truly inspiring. At Bryn Mawr College, the first institution in the United States to offer Ph.D's to women, it was amazing to see the convergence of public service and academia. Mrs. Clinton, a graduate of Seven Sister's Wellesley College, began her address saying, "It's great to see so much sisterly love so close to the city of brotherly love."
The entirety of the address centered on the commitment to promote women in public service, something she has become somewhat of a spokeswoman for since she famous declared, "let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all" at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
At Bryn Mawr, Mrs. Clinton spoke about women's rights and women's empowerment in all spheres. She urged the importance for economic equality discussing that when women participate in economies, they grow.
The former Secretary of State offered, "we need more people supporting leaders who themselves are leaders," a sentiment she continues to promote through her actions. And the institute at Bryn Mawr has gathered an incredible group of women leaders who will support their delegates in the coming two weeks, among them Alice Rivlin, Jane Harman and Farah Pandith.
Finally, Mrs. Clinton affirmed, "In 2050 I will be 103 years old and I intend to see that we have succeeded the 50/50 representation."
I hope so too, beginning with President Hillary Clinton in 2016.