FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 2, 2008

Christine Todd Whitman to headline MUW’s Welty Gala

COLUMBUS, Miss. – New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman will speak
at the Welty Gala on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Mary Ellen Weathersby
Pope Banquet Room on the campus of Mississippi University for Women.

The first female governor in the state of New Jersey, Whitman also
served in the cabinet of Pres. George W. Bush as Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency from January of 2001 until June of 2003.

As governor, Whitman earned praise from both Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was also recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council for instituting the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation.

As EPA administrator, she promoted common-sense environmental
improvements such as watershed-based water protection policies. She
championed regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce
sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent. She also established the first
federal program to promote redevelopment and reuse of previously
contaminated industrial sites, known as “brownfields.”

Gov. Whitman is on the Steering Committee of The Cancer Institute of
New Jersey; the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Fellowships; the
Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations; the Governing
Board of the Park City Center for Public Policy; and is a former member
of the Board of the New America Foundation. She was also the co-chair
for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force, More Than
Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa as well as the
Aspen Health Stewardship Project, which was released in February of
2008. She co-chairs Clean and Safe Energy (CASE) with Dr. Patrick
Moore.

She holds a B.A. from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and is married
to John R. Whitman. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Dr. Gary Bouse, MUW vice president for institutional advancement, said,
"We are delighted to have Governor Christine Todd Whitman as our speaker at this year's Welty Gala. Not only was Gov. Whitman the first female in New Jersey's history to win its highest elective office, but she has had an overall successful career in politics and has authored a book titled
`It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Party... And Bringing
the Country Together Again.’

“With so many accomplishments to date, we are excited about her
expertise in the areas of energy and environment. Under her
environmental leadership, New Jersey has become a greener state. Gov.
Whitman's hard work has resulted in cleaner air, water and land. We are
honored to have such an accomplished female leader on campus for this
event."

For more information and tickets, please call the MUW Foundation at
(662) 329-7148.

Proceeds from the Gala benefit the endowment for the Eudora Welty Chair
in Humanities. The Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation is a sponsor of
the Welty Series.