CARBONDALE - An experienced political educator will discuss community leadership, fundraising and other topics later this week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
Nancy Bocskor, a professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, will discuss politics and the importance of civic engagement at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The presentation will be in the Institute lobby, 1231 Lincoln Drive, in the old U.S. Forestry Building.
The presentation is part of the Institute’s “Women in Politics” and “Pizza in Politics” series.
“One of the biggest impediments to any candidate running for office is having enough money to wage a successful campaign,” said David Yepsen, Institute director. “The problem is especially true for women candidates since they often don’t have access to the same networks as men. Nancy Bocskor is a successful fundraiser who can teach people how to raise money and cultivate donors.”
The event is free, but Institute officials encourage registration. To register, contact Institute project coordinator Carol Greenlee at 618/453-4078 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
While on campus Wednesday and Thursday, Bocskor will visit with political science students in a “Campaigns and Elections” course, and also host a workshop on campaign fundraising at the Student Center. She will also visit with political science students who are in a public administration course.
In discussing civic engagement, Bocskor said she will discuss “setting forth on a path to public service.” She said she will cover community leadership and four steps to prepare for running for office, and also how women “are often motivated by different reasons when they decide to run.” She said she will also discuss what women are doing worldwide in politics.
Bocskor teaches both classroom and online courses on fundraising at George Washington University. She is also a faculty member for “Project 2012,” a program hosted by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. She has taught people how to run successful campaigns for a variety of organizations.
She is also the author of “Go Fish: How to Catch (And Keep) Contributors: A Practical Guide to Fundraising.”
Bocskor recently returned from spending six weeks in Russia where she taught a course in “Political Leadership” at the Moscow School of Humanitarian Studies. She was also a guest lecturer at a conference for young political leaders that attracted approximately 3,000 students from 84 nations.
Bocskor began her political career working for then-freshman congressman and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Her experience also includes working as a chief of staff on Capitol Hill, and also as a campaign manager, fundraiser and political educator. She started her own political consulting firm, “The Nancy Bocskor Company,” in 1990.
Bocskor was featured in a Public Broadcasting Service documentary, “Vote for Me: Politics in America,” and has worked as a political analyst for CNN and appeared on C-SPAN.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and business administration from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. Bocskor received Otterbein’s 2010 “Distinguished Alumna Award.”
For more information on the program, contact the Institute at 618/453-4009 or visit paulsimoninstitute.org
