To commemorate 50 years of women’s education at Saint Anselm, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics hosted a panel on April 3, discussing women’s political and civil engagement. The panel speakers, Senator Donna Soucy ’89, Senator Sharon Carson, and Courtney Tanner ’11 were welcomed and introduced by Dr. Sheila A. Liotta and Dr. Christine Gustafson to speak on their experiences as women working in leadership roles in their careers.
The NHIOP event invited students of all grade levels and majors, faculty and staff, and community members outside of Saint Anselm to engage in the panel discussion. Though welcome to everyone regardless of background, the panel’s main objective was to inspire women to find their place and goals for their prospective careers.
The panel commenced with an introduction from Dr. Christine Gustafson, a professor in the Politics department at Saint Anselm and co-chair of the Women’s 50th year committee, who was “sincerely honored to be [your] M.C. tonight, and proud to celebrate your achievements,” Gustafson said.
“Today’s event is an important part of the year-long celebration at Saint Anselm,” said Dr. Sheila Liotta, Vice President of Academic Affairs. Liotta’s introduction followed Gustafson, to talk about the celebration of women being fully admitted to the college 50 years ago. “Today we celebrate the role of the college and specifically the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in facilitating the participation of women in political and civic engagement,” Liotta said.
Gustafson, the panel host, asked the speakers a variety of questions, ranging from their inspirations, role models, past career aspirations and their current career roles. With the multitude of questions asked, each speaker provided insightful advice to the young women in the audience.
Senator Sharon Carson, New Hampshire State Minority Leader said “don’t put limits on yourself,” when it comes to goals and aspirations, and to “be open to opportunities.” As women in the political scene, obstacles that show up alongside opportunities should be embraced, and when it comes to opportunities, “don’t be afraid to take them when they come your way,” Carson said.
Courtney Tanner ’11, Senior Director of Government Relations at Dartmouth Health emphasized the importance of the education that Saint Anselm provided her. “Education is the key, it’s a gateway,” Tanner said and “this place is a foundation for [those doors]”. Emphasizing the importance of the Saint Anselm education that audience members are receiving emphasizes the abilities and skills that students have to receive the career opportunities that they are seeking.
A sentiment shared by all of the speakers was mentioned by Senator Donna Soucy ’89, New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader. Soucy said, “our perspectives are different. Not better, not worse, just different.” The sentiment emphasized the importance of having women in leadership positions, and embodied the importance of the event altogether.
A large number of students attended the event, one of them being Paige Dillis ’26, a Politics and Criminal Justice major from Hanover, Massachusetts. Dillis said she “really enjoyed listening to the panel, I thought it was really interesting to get insight from women who have a lot of different experiences.” The variety of speakers and the differences in their experiences allowed multitudes of perspectives to be shared.
“I also think they’ve helped to foster such a community of women who are interested in politics and are looking forward to learning more about civic engagement,” Dillis said. As a politics major, hearing about the speakers’ experiences in politics “was really inspirational to hear their stories and how their education shaped them,” Dillis said.
Another student at the event, Ellie Duffin ’25 a Politics major from Braintree, Massachusetts and a NHIOP Ambassador said she “really enjoyed the event, especially the fact that we hosted two politicians from both sides of the aisle.”
A Democrat and a Republican sharing the stage brings more depth to the experiences of these women, showing their strong abilities in collaboration as women in these leadership roles. “Senator Carson and Senator Soucey’s respect for each other despite their political differences was very admirable,” Duffin said.
The event ended successfully after receiving a few insightful questions from the audience. Celebrating these women’s achievements and women’s 50th year at the college can help pave the way for current students to reach their career goals and get themselves involved in politics, civic engagement, and other varieties of leadership roles.
