AAUW State College Centennial Lectureship
As an organization with a legacy of contributions to both the “town” and “gown” sides of the State College community, the AAUW State College Branch created a visible and long-lasting gift in recognition of its 100th anniversary in 2016.
In collaboration with Penn State University, the branch established an endowment to create the AAUW State College Centennial Lectureship to increase knowledge about the advancement of equity for women and girls and to provide an opportunity to engage with the community at large.
The endowment funds an annual speaker at the popular Penn State Forum luncheon series. The goal is to expose the community to women whose vision and leadership have made a positive difference, and who serve as role models for a new generation of leaders.
“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.”
— Sundar Pichai
CEO, Google & Alphabet Inc.
2026 Speaker
The 2026 AAUW State College Centennial Lectureship speaker will be announced soon.
Check back for details on this year’s Penn State Forum speaker sponsored by AAUW State College.
Past Speakers
Since the endowment was established in 2016, AAUW State College has sponsored the following speakers at the Penn State Forum.
Caroline Fitzgerald — 2025
October 13, 2025 — Penn Stater Conference Center
“Barbie, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and the Inevitable Prosperity of Women’s Sports”
Caroline Fitzgerald is the Founder and CEO of GOALS, a consultancy and media platform dedicated to growing women’s sports. Her talk made the business case for women’s sports and discussed how women’s sports are at a tipping point, poised for incredible growth.
Susan Robinson — 2024
October 7, 2024 — Penn Stater Conference Center
“Leadership: Seeing Possibility and Creating Vision”
Susan Robinson is a Penn State alumna, business advisor, inspirational speaker, and entrepreneur who partners with executive leaders and boards of directors on enterprise-wide issues. During her time at Penn State, she discovered she had a genetic visual impairment that left her partially sighted. She shared her story of leadership and overcoming adversity.
Lisa Salters — 2024
March 29, 2024 — Penn Stater Conference Center
“My Journey: From PSU to ESPN and ABC”
Lisa Salters is an Emmy-winning sports reporter for ESPN and a 1988 Penn State alumna. She has broken glass ceilings both as a woman and as a person of color in a mostly male-dominated field.
Dr. Na’ilah Nasir — 2022
December 1, 2022 — Penn Stater Conference Center
“Education for a Multicultural Democracy: Building a future where we all thrive”
Dr. Na’ilah Nasir is the President of the Spencer Foundation, which supports education research nationally. Her research focuses on the racialized and cultural nature of learning and schooling, with emphasis on African American student experiences.
2020–2021: Penn State Forum on hiatus due to COVID-19
Jessica Weiner — 2019
October 15, 2019 — Penn Stater Conference Center
“Generational and Cultural Differences in Branding and Consumer Behavior”
Jessica Weiner is a social entrepreneur, change agent, and CEO of Talk to Jess, LLC. She advises major brands on cultural and generational trends, with a focus on how women and girls are represented in media and marketing.
Dr. Amy Goldberg — 2019
April 16, 2019 — Nittany Lion Inn
“Looking Back: A Reflection on Three Decades of Gun Violence”
Dr. Amy Goldberg is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. She spoke about her experience as a trauma surgeon treating victims of gun violence in Philadelphia, where a person is shot every seven hours.
About the Penn State Forum
The Penn State Forum is a luncheon speaker series that regularly attracts diverse audiences of several hundred people. Speakers are nationally and internationally known leaders in their fields. Events are held at the Penn Stater Conference Center, with a buffet lunch followed by the speaker’s presentation and audience Q&A.
