Madeline Rogero, former Knoxville mayoral candidate, will speak to the Association of Women Faculty on April 28 during their Spring 2005 gathering. Rogero will discuss the roles of women in Knoxville in a talk titled, “Blooming in Knoxville: Lessons from a Transplant.”
Rogero ran for mayor of Knoxville in the 2003 election. She was defeated by less than 1,700 votes, a margin of about six percentage points. Some of the issues in her campaign included fair wages for a fair day’s work, the need to bring high paying jobs to Knoxville, strong neighborhoods, clean air and water, a revitalized downtown and embracing diversity.
Rogero served two terms on the Knox County Commission from 1990 to 1998. She was also the founding executive director of the non-profit “Knoxville’s Promise — The Alliance for Youth.” Rogero holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from The University of Tennessee.
During the AWF luncheon, Rogero will speak on the many options women have to contribute to civil society in Knoxville. “I’ll be sharing some of my experiences. I want to encourage women to get involved and help make a difference in the community and in politics,” Rogero said.
Board member, Nuria Cruz-Camara, professor of Spanish, suggested Madeline Rogero be chosen for the lecture. “We always try to bring an important figure. Since there aren’t many women who go into politics, we thought (Rogero) would be a good choice,” Cruz-Camara said.
Noriko Horiguchi, professor of Japanese, has been a member of AWF for about a year. “(AWF) creates a forum where women faculty can get together and network. We want to have women’s voices heard on campus,” Horiguchi said.
The UT AWF promotes action to improve the status of women faculty and serves as an advocate for their interests in order to create and maintain a hospitable environment for women faculty.
Cruz-Camara added that the organization “creates a support network for women faculty and lecturers on campus.”
All members of the community are invited to attend the lecture, which will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at the Riverside Tavern on Neyland Drive. The cost per person will be $21, which includes lunch. Payment can be made at the door.
To attend the event, make a reservation by sending an e-mail to Nuria Cruz-Camara at [email protected] by April 24. Making a reservation indicates responsibility for payment.
