Penn Washington Celebrates International Women’s Day
To mark International Women’s Day this Sunday, Penn Washington is proud to highlight the women who make up our team, bringing their experience and insight to the policy challenges facing the United States, which the University of Pennsylvania helps to address through our research and through Penn Washington’s Policy Impact Programs. Reflecting on IWD 2026, we asked the women who lead our center to offer their thoughts and insights on their careers working in policy and higher education.
Dr. Celeste Wallander, Executive Director of Penn Washington:
“The most important guidepost in my professional path was set when I learned that because we make the world we inhabit, we can change it. As is the case for many, this understanding came to me in college, but not in a classroom (much as I learned by going to class). In college I became a voracious reader of science fiction, and the greatest author was Ursula K. Le Guin. I read all her novels, but my life changed the day I read her short story Winter’s King, which portrays a king who must navigate conspiracy and defend the kingdom from brutal politics through the brilliant exercise of power. Argaven, the king, appears in the opening of the short story thus: ‘look first at the young king, a nation’s pride, as bright and fortunate a soul as ever lived to the age of twenty-two: but when this picture was taken the young king had her back against a wall.’
Were you startled as you read the end of that quote? Did all that talk of a King who leads a nation create a picture in your mind of a handsome young man, and then suddenly you learn the King is a young woman? It did for me that day, and I determined to never again make that mistake. That day I learned that the only reason President means He, Professor means He, CEO means He, or Secretary of Defense means He is because we created a world that restricts girls and women from lives they deserve to live by imagining them out of them.
That day was some 45 years ago, and the women who inhabit the world have changed it. My first year as a professor, I was almost always the only woman teaching national security affairs. It is now as common to have a woman professor as a man (although still not in all subjects). I served under the first woman Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and I served under the second woman National Security Advisor, which means we are making progress because she was the second! And I served as the second and (as of today) longest serving woman Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, so we keep knocking down those life-limiting assumptions. And some day, we will not have to even notice whether the president is a woman president: she will just be she, and she can get on with the tough work to be done.”
Elizabeth Klein, Director of Domestic Policy Programs:
“I am forever grateful to women who blazed trails before me, fought for gender equality, and sacrificed to support future generations. Right now, I am particularly thankful for the brave women in uniform who defend our nation, but don’t get the recognition they deserve. Wherever you are in your career, you have the capacity to support those around you, especially marginalized voices, and blaze a trail for the next generation.”
Nikki Hinshaw, Global Policy Programs Coordinator:
“When I was in high school, I read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in a Humanities class. A line from that book goes to the effect of, “we can’t change these things with laws, we must change people’s minds.” That idea fundamentally reshaped how I thought about policy and global impact: change begins with expanding mindsets and amplifying perspectives that are often overlooked in traditional policy mechanisms. My career in building strategic international partnerships in higher education has shown me the power of universities – and the diverse communities they serve – in advancing smart policy on complex, global challenges.“
Sasha Nicholas, Domestic Policy Programs Coordinator:
“When I was younger, I didn’t always believe in myself academically, but when my 7th grade teacher encouraged me to take on an advanced history course, that moment changed my path. I’ve learned that our mindset can be our biggest barrier. You will face obstacles, but don’t join the voices that doubt you. Believe in what you can contribute to your community and go for it. As Olympian Alysa Liu said, what is there to lose?“
Coralyn Maguigad, Events & Administrative Assistant:
“Public policy and education impact every facet of our lives. Without the inclusion of women’s voices, experiences, and expertise, half of the population is underserved and undervalued. Since relegated to the private sphere for most of history, women have developed a unique sensibility to prioritize community and collective care. As we tackle the world’s toughest problems, leaders of all genders should take lessons from the women whose invisible labor built up societies.“
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