Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Political strategist Donna Brazile, who ran the 2000 presidential campaign of Vice President Al Gore and is currently a political commentator for CNN, will deliver the annual Arnold A. Saltzman State of the Union Lecture at Hofstra on February 12, 2009 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Monroe Lecture Center Theater, California Avenue, South Campus.

Ms. Brazile, who will speak on the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, will discuss race in American politics today.  The lecture, which is free and open to the public, also is part of Define '09: New Challenges, New Solutions, a year-long series of programs designed to examine the new presidential administration, its policies and initiatives, the challenges we currently face and ways of addressing our country's most pressing issues.

All Define '09 programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Public seating is limited for these events. To register, check seating availability, and for a full list of Define ’09 events go to hofstra.edu/define09 and click on “Events.”

Ms. Brazile has worked on every Democratic presidential campaign since 1984, making history in 2000 as the first African American to lead a major presidential campaign. After running the Gore-Lieberman campaign, she was appointed to serve as chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute (VRI), an organization established in 2001 to help protect and promote the rights of all Americans to participate in the political process. She is also the founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates LLC, a public affairs and grassroots advocacy firm based in the District of Columbia.

Ms. Brazile is the author of Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, a memoir about her life in the political lions' den. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, a weekly contributor and political contributor for CNN, a political consultant for ABC News, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and a regular contributor to NPR's Political Corner. In addition, Brazile writes a column for Roll Call newspaper and Ms. Magazine. She co-authored What We Do Now, a collection of essays recalling the 2004 presidential election, with 24 other influential pundits.

She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and has been a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, resident fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics and the Senator Wynona Lipman Chair at Rutgers University Center for American Women in Politics. Recently, Ms. Brazile was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA)—which has been instrumental in helping guide the state’s rebuilding efforts following the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The State of the Union Lecture was conceived of and endowed by Ambassador Saltzman, who has served the government in policy level diplomatic and economic assignments in five U.S. presidencies, including as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee on National Growth and Development. He is a Hofstra trustee emeritus.

Define '09 builds from the success of Educate '08 and Hofstra’s hosting of the October 15, 2008 presidential debate. Educate ’08 was launched by Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz after Hofstra was named to host the third and final 2008 presidential debate. An estimated 3,500 journalists came to Hofstra from throughout the nation and from around the world to cover the debate, which focused on the economy and domestic issues.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.