March 13th, 2009

FARMINGTON, ME (March 13, 2009)--University of Maine at Farmington will host
a panel discussion by prominent women leaders in Maine politics as part of
the University's celebration of women's history month. The event is free
and open to the public and will take place at 4 p.m., Monday, March 23, in
Lincoln Auditorium, UMF Roberts Learning Center.

The panel members--featuring Libby Mitchell, Maine Senate President; Hannah
Pingree, Maine Speaker of the House of Representatives; and Julie O'Brien,
former executive director of the Maine State Republican Party--will speak
about their experiences in politics and public service and how women's
issues have affected their career decisions.

A member of the Maine legislature since 1974, Mitchell is the first woman
in the U.S. to serve as both the President of the Senate and the Speaker of
the House. While in the legislature, she has been an outspoken supporter of
education from kindergarten to higher education and sponsored the
first-in-the-nation legislation to use state funds to expand the Head Start
program. A resident of Vassalboro, she represents Senate District 24,
including Augusta, China, Sidney and Vassalboro.

Currently serving her second term in the state legislature, Pingree has
served as a member of the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial
Affairs and now presides as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on
Health and Human Services. She represents 10 Maine islands and coastal
towns in Knox and Hancock counties and is the daughter of Chellie Pingree,
U.S. Congresswoman.

Prior to her position of leadership with the Maine Republican Party,
O'Brien served four terms in the Maine State Legislature representing part
of Augusta. She is the founder and former executive director of the
Children's Discovery Museum and currently serves on the Board of Directors
of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

The panel discussion will be moderated by James Melcher, UMF associate
professor of political science, and followed by a question and answer
period. It is co-sponsored by the UMF Department of Social Sciences and
Business and Women and Gender Studies program and several student
organizations, including, the History and Political Science Clubs, UMF
College Republicans, and UMF College Democrats.

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For more information, please contact Allison Hepler, UMF associate
professor of history at 207-778-7415, or ahepler@maine.edu; or Julianna
Acheson, interim director of the UMF Women's and Gender Studies program at
207-778-7162, or julianna.acheson@maine.edu.