Pioneering political consultant Donna Brazile to speak at HU Leadership Summit

Hampton, VA - Donna Brazile, the first African American to lead a major presidential campaign, will be the featured speaker at Hampton University’s ninth annual Student Leadership Summit for High School Seniors. The event will take place Nov. 18-20 at Hampton University and at the Hampton Clarion Hotel.

This year’s theme is “Learn to Lead: Real Leaders Use The Lessons of History as a Bridge to the Future.” Participants will examine the leadership lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and how these lessons apply to their futures.

Students will also identify key leaders in the Civil Rights Movement and describe the characteristics of their leadership, identify the personal qualities that create a sense of efficacy, and examine how leaders influence the actions of others. In addition, they will explore the challenges of creating change and develop a personal action plan for self-leadership.

Other activities during the summit include Open House activities, a campus tour, and a banquet. All activities are chaperoned. The cost is $125, which includes two night hotel accommodations, meals, and workshop materials. The registration deadline is Nov. 1, 2005.

Brazile is the founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates, LLC. She is currently chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute (VRI) and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. In 2000, she became the first African American to lead a major presidential campaign when she served as campaign manager for “Gore-Lieberman 2000.”

A weekly contributor and political commentator on CNN’s “Inside Politics” and “American Morning,” Brazile is also a columnist for Roll Call newspaper and a contributing writer for Ms. Magazine.

Brazile is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Washingtonian Magazine's “100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, D.C.” and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Award for Political Achievement.

A veteran of numerous national and statewide campaigns, including Rev. Jesse Jackson's first, historic bid for the presidency in 1984 and Clinton-Gore campaigns in 1992 and 1996, Brazile is a native of New Orleans, La., and earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

In addition to her speech to the high school students, Brazile will also speak to HU students about “Youth Vote: Finding a Place at the Political Table.” This will take place Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. at the Hampton University Museum.

The William R. Harvey Leadership Institute at Hampton University offers the undergraduate student a curriculum option that enhances the regular university experience. It is an intensive, interactive undergraduate minor designed to develop entry-level leaders for the workplace and community who are competent, committed and ethical.

Students admitted to the Institute are designated Leadership Fellows. Fellows will earn a minor in Leadership Studies upon successful completion of the eighteen credit hour program and will receive a $2,500 grant each academic year.

For more information or to register for the Ninth Annual Student Leadership Summit, contact The William R. Harvey Leadership Institute at (757) 728-6698 or visit www.hamptonu.edu/leadershipinstitute.