Women in politics have increased nationally and internationally. Currently there are 13 women who are heads of state. Women have also expanded their presence in the work place. What challenges do they face? Find out from four leading experts from the areas of politics, economics and education at the St. Edward’s University Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance UPDATE: Women’s Leadership event on March 3 at 7 p.m. in Jones Auditorium, Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The following individuals come to St. Edward’s as part of the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance UPDATE Series, which continues to provide access to resources and experts from around the globe.

Sherri Greenberg is Max Sherman Chair in State and Local Government, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. Professor Greenberg served in the Texas House of Representatives for ten years. During that time she served two terms on the Appropriations Committee and was chair of the House Pensions and Investments Committee. Professor Greenberg was also the Manager of Capital Finance for the City of Austin from 1985-1989 and a Public Finance Officer for Standard & Poor’s. She has a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and her publications include Identifying Best Practices and Applications, as well as Beyond the Bid. She will be addressing the role of women in politics and public service.

Dorothy O. Helly, Professor Emerita, City University of New York, is an award winning historian of women. She has a doctorate from Harvard University and has been a research associate at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University. She is the recipient of the “Femmy” from The Feminist Press and awards from the Ford Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Her publications include Women’s Realities, Women’s Choices: An Introduction to Women’s Studies and Livingstone’s Legacy: Horace Waller and Victorian Mythmaking. She will address the challenges faced by the women’s movement today, as well as women in higher education.

Sonia Picado is the President of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and one of Latin America’s leading politicians. She is a former member of the Costa Rican congress and former Costa Rican ambassador to the United States. She is one of the few women in the world who have headed up a major political party. She is also the first woman elected head of a law school in Latin America, as well as the first woman elected to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. She chaired the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor and currently serves on the UN’s Commission on Human Security. She has received awards from the UN, as well as a number of countries and universities. She will speak on the role of women in politics internationally, as well as the current status of women’s rights.

Martha E. Smiley is Of Counsel to Winstead, PC, as a member of its Corporate and Securities Department. Previously she served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Policy and Services for Grande Communications and was founder and president of the public affairs company Triad, Inc. She has served on the boards of directors of the Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources, Leadership Austin, Leadership Texas, and Leadership America, as well as the Austin Community Foundation. She has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law. She will speak about women in business and community affairs.

Established through a $3 million gift from Ronya Kozmetsky and her late husband, George, the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance promotes understanding of global issues.

For more information about the Kozmetsky Center: www.stedwards.edu/kozmetskycenter.