Remembering Barbara Jordan: A Moral Voice of the American Political System
A Rountable Discussion with:
Andrew Young, former Ambassador to the United Nations
Lisa Borders, President of the Atlanta City Council
Max Sherman, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin
Councilwoman Lisa Borders moderated a discussion on Congresswoman Barbara Jordan with The Honorable Andrew Young and Dean Max Sherman, editor of the book Barbara Jordan: Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder.
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Location: Andrew Young School, Smart Seminar Room, 7th Floor, 14 Marietta Street, NW
Time: 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. followed by a reception
About Barbara Jordan
"Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas in 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first African-American congresswoman to be elected, and re-elected, from the deep South. Before her election to Congress, she was a Texas State Senator, the first African-American woman to serve there. Jordan captured the attention of the nation during the 1974 Nixon impeachment hearings. As a member of the House Judiciary Hearings she served on the committee charged with hearing and evaluating the evidence bearing on the possible impeachment of then-President Nixon. It was on this committee that her incisive questioning and her impassioned defense of the Constitution made her a respected national figure. In l976, Barbara Jordan became the first woman and first African-American to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1978 she announced that she would not seek re-election and returned to Texas as a full professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She remained there, and became a counselor to Texas Governor Ann Richards."
--National Women's Hall of Fame
Andrew Young Biography
The Honorable Andrew Young is chairman of Atlanta-based GoodWorks International, a specialty consulting group that provides strategic services to corporations and governments operating in the global economy. He serves as a public affairs professor of policy studies at Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Young also is a member of the boards of directors of numerous businesses and organizations, including Delta Air Lines, Argus, Host Marriott Corp., Archer Daniels Midland, Cox Communications and Thomas Nelson Publishing.
He served as president of the National Council of Churches in 2000-2001, and was appointed by the Secretary of Defense as a member of the National Security Study Group. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Young as chairman of the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, a $100 million privately managed fund to provide equity to businesses in 11 countries. Young is an ordained minister, international businessman, sports enthusiast, human rights activist, published author and former public servant. He was elected to three terms in the United States House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District of Georgia, and, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter named him Ambassador to the United Nations. He served two terms as mayor of Atlanta and was co-chairman of the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996.
Young has published two books, A Way Out of No Way (Thomas Nelson Publishing) and An Easy Burden (Harper Collins). His awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Legion d’Honneur and more than 45 honorary degrees from such universities as Yale, Notre Dame, Emory and the University of Georgia. A top aide to Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, Young was involved in the movement's inception and served as vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He presently serves on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change.
A father of four, Young lives in Atlanta with his wife, Carolyn.
Lisa Borders Biography
Lisa Borders serves as President of the Atlanta City Council, having been elected in a citywide special election on August 10, 2004. She was re-elected by an overwhelming margin in 2005’s normal citywide election cycle. Her duties include presiding over Council meetings, appointing committee chairs and participants for Council and maintaining relationships with the Executive branch of government. Her community initiatives include increasing the availability of affordable housing, uncovering transportation solutions to address our region’s traffic challenges and promoting neighborhood safety and preservation.
Lisa is also CEO of LMB LLC, a consulting company advising clients on community reinvestment, external affairs, marketing and communications. Previously, Lisa served as a Senior Vice President of Marketing and External Affairs with Cousins Properties Incorporated, an Atlanta-based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
Prior to joining Cousins, Lisa worked in the health care arena for over 15 years. She served as the Chief Administrator for Atlanta Women’s Specialists and also served as VP-Operations for Healthcap Atlanta (a Physician Practice Management Company acquired by FPA Medical Management).
Lisa has worked in her community primarily focusing on family issues in the areas of education, healthcare and housing. She serves as a trustee at the Westminster Schools, a board member at Clark Atlanta University, and as a director of Saint Joseph’s Healthcare System. She is a member of Leadership Georgia and recruits and interviews students for her alma mater, Duke University, where she also serves on the Board of Visitors. She has recently resigned from the boards of Research Atlanta, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Teach For America, Great Schools Atlanta and The Salvation Army in an effort to devote time to the City.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Duke University (Durham, NC) and a Masters of Science in Health Administration from the University of Colorado (Denver, CO). She has one son, Garry, who has graduated with honors from Georgia State University.
Max Sherman Biography
Max Sherman has policy interests in practical politics, state government, policy development, and ethics in public affairs.
Sherman was Dean of the LBJ School from July 1983 until September 1997. Prior to his appointment at the LBJ School, he was Special Counsel to the Governor of Texas. From 1971 to 1977 he served in the Texas Senate, leaving in 1977 to become President of West Texas State University. He has a J.D. degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in history from Baylor University.
Over the years, Sherman has held numerous national and state appointments to boards and committees studying such topics as higher education (management effectiveness and financing), intergovernmental relations, mental health and mental retardation, hazardous waste management, infrastructure needs and financing, and energy and conservation.
Sherman has served as Vice President of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation (2004 to present); President of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (1988-89); President of AARO (1998); National Committee on Innovations in State and Local Government for the Ford Foundation (1985-98); Commissioner with the Government Ethics Center of the Josephson Institute of Ethics (1989-1998); Chair of the Texas Board of Human Services (1994-1999); and Founding President of the Foundation for Insurance Regulatory Studies in Texas (1991-present).
He has been honored with the Price Daniel Public Service Award (2005) from Baylor University; Public Administration Educator of the Year (2004) award from the Centex Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration; Texan of the Year (1999) award from the Texas Legislative Conference; Austinite of the Year (1997) award from the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce; and Distinguished Alumnus (1992) award from Baylor University.
During his tenure as State Senator, Sherman was recognized by Texas Monthly in 1973, 1975, and 1977 as one of the ten best legislators; the magazine cited his integrity, intelligence, and “genuine sense of public service.”