Higher Education and Democracy Lecture: Janet Napolitano

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Napolitano is a professor of public policy and director of the Center for Security in Politics at the University of California Berkeley. She served as president of the University of California system from 2013 to 2020 and was the first woman to hold that position. Prior to that appointment, she was U.S. secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 2013 and governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009. 

During her time as University of California president, Napolitano helped create and chaired the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, an organization that conducts research, education and advocacy on free speech, civic engagement and other First Amendment issues. She also led initiatives that encouraged students to pursue careers in government and public service. 

As secretary of homeland security, Napolitano oversaw enhancements to aviation security, including Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck and Global Entry. She was the first woman to hold that role and the longest to serve in it to date. 

Napolitano’s Feb. 26 lecture will be followed by a Q&A. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit democracy.psu.edu/events.