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Frank Church Symposium 2025

Women Today: Politics, Perceptions, and Power!

Join us to engage with leading voices on topics like media framing, bodily autonomy, healthcare, and global policies impacting women in power.

April 3-4, 2025 | Pocatello Campus and Online (Hybrid)

For streaming the panels and lectures in Rendezvous ABC, use this Zoom link.
For streaming the keynote address, use this Youtube link.
For additional information on invited delegates and FAQ, see our Facebook page.

Free parking will be available at Reed’s Gym and the Student Union Building, as well as at the Holt Arena where you can either walk or utilize the free on-campus bus.

2025 Schedule

Frank Church Symposium 2025

Women Today: Politics, Perception, and Power

HYBRID - virtual/in-person
(All Schedules are Mountain Time)

Frank Church Symposium Schedule 2025


April 3, 2025

Rendezvous ABC Suites

9 AM: Symposium Introduction Comments

9:30 - 10:45 AM: Panel 1: President’s Panel
Moderator: Barb Allen
Panelists: ISU President Robert Wagner, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, CEO of United Way
Southeastern Idaho Shantay Bloxham, and Idahoan Foods Representative Melissa Aston

11 AM - 12:30 PM: Joseph and Priscilla Hearst Memorial Lecture: A Conversation with
Senator Melissa Wintrow
Lecturer: Senator Melissa Wintrow

12:30 - 2:30 PM: Break

3 - 4:30 PM: Panel 2: Bodily Autonomy and Healthcare
Moderator: Colin Johnson
Panelists: Annie Fukushima, Amanda Lilly, Amna Quyyam, Tahmineh Borhani, and Mindy
Benedetti CEO of Health West

Bilyeu Theatre (Frazier Hall)

6 PM: Keynote Address: Kehkashan Basu, Founder-President of Green Hope Foundation & UN Human Rights Champion
Title: Powering Feminist Sustainable Development


April 4, 2025

Rendezvous ABC Suites

9 AM: Introduction

9:30 - 11:00 AM: Panel 3: Media’s Frame
Moderator: Neelam Sharma
Panelists: Angela Sterritt, Kaitlin Sidorsky, and Sri Craven

11:15 AM: Richard H. Foster Lecture: Electoral Participation of Women in Turkey: Challenges and Opportunities.
Lecturer: Ahu Sumbas

12:30 - 2:30 PM: Break

3:00 - 4:30 PM: Panel 4: Global Discourses
Moderator: Marie Stango
Panelists: TeLisa Daughtry, Kehkashan Basu, and Priya Kapoor

4:45 - 6:15 PM: Panel 5: Women in Power
Moderator: Katrina Running
Panelists: Kristy Drutman, Farhana Hibbert, and Soledad Prillaman

6:30 PM: Closing Remarks