Gender and Politics: Keynote Conversation with Maura T. Healey

Join us for a keynote and Q and A with Massachusetts governor Maura T. Healey and award-winning political journalist Alison King. Healey and King will discuss their perspectives on gender and politics, focusing on both systemic issues and personal experiences. In an intimate, conversational setting, they will talk about attaining and holding office; the role of the media; supporting community, families, and young people; and being, at times, the only woman in the room.

We plan to post the recording on our website in early May.

Speakers

Maura T. Healey is the 73rd governor of Massachusetts and the first woman and first LGBTQ+ person to be elected to the position. She is committed to making Massachusetts more affordable, competitive, and equitable. In her first year in office, she signed into law Massachusetts' first tax cuts in 20 years, including an expanded child and family tax credit. She has also introduced a historic housing bill, invested heavily to make child care more affordable and accessible for families, protected reproductive rights, appointed the nation's first cabinet-level climate chief, made community college free for students aged 25 and older, and made universal school meals permanent. Governor Healey previously served two terms as Massachusetts Attorney General. She is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and Northeastern University School of Law and played professional basketball in Austria.

Alison King is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the broadcasting industry. She spent most of her career covering politics in New England including leading the local, state, and regional political coverage for NBC Boston/NECN from 1995 until her retirement from TV in March 2023. She has covered seven presidential elections and interviewed every Republican and Democratic presidential candidate since 1996. King has also reported and produced three documentaries, including one about the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Most recently, she executive produced and reported on the docu-series, "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire." King has won several awards for her reporting including from the Emmys, Gracies, and Associated Press. She received her BA in English from Colgate University and a MA in journalism from New York University.

Program

The conference agenda is subject to change and may be updated periodically.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

4 PM  
Welcome

Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School; and professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences 

4:10 PM         
Keynote Conversation

• Maura T. Healey, governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Discussant: Alison King, Institute of Politics Fellow and Goldsmith Fellow, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; former political reporter, NBC Boston/NECN

4:55 PM              
Audience Q&A

5:15 PM                     
Close of program

This event is cosponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Harvard Radcliffe Institute gratefully acknowledges the Perrin Moorhead Grayson and Bruns Grayson Dean's Leadership Fund for Academic Ventures, which is supporting this event.

See "Gender and Politics: Navigating Power and Perception” for event information on the full-day conference on Friday, April 26, 2024.