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The Status of Women in Politics with Kelly Dittmar and Shagah Zakerion


As we head into the 2022 Midterm Election we invited Kelly Dittmar, Director of Research and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics to talk to us about the status of women in politics.


Join us as we talk to Kelly about the status of women in politics, and how we can harness women's political power together.

Special thanks to VEST Member Shagah Zakerion, Executive Director at Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation for moderating this session.


About Kelly Dittmar

Kelly is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–Camden; and Director of Research and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is the co-author of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Representation Matters and author of Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns. Dittmar’s research focuses on gender and American political institutions. Dittmar was an American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellow from 2011 to 2012. At CAWP, she manages national research projects, helps to develop and implement CAWP's research agenda, and contributes to CAWP reports, publications, and analyses. She also works with CAWP's programs for women's public leadership and has been an expert source and commentator for media outlets including MSNBC , NPR, PBS, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Dittmar earned her B.A. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI and her Ph.D. from Rutgers University-New Brunswick.


About Shagah Zakerion


Shagah Zakerion, is the Executive Director of the Lobeck Taylor Operating Foundation (LTOF). Prior to joining the LTFF team, Shagah served as Executive Director of Tulsa’s Young Professionals (TYPROS) and The Forge business incubator. She also served as Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager for Williams, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Tulsa.

She serves on the board of advisors for Resonance Center for Women and the board of directors for the Khalid Jabara Foundation, Sally’s List, and Gaining Ground Literacy. As a three time cancer survivor, Shagah is passionate about eliminating cancer and serves several organizations on that mission, including sitting on Stephenson Cancer Research Center’s board of advocates and community advisory board.


Available on Spotify, Apple and Google Podcast.



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Show Notes:


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