Caroline Heldman

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - An expert in American political campaigns will discuss how race, class and gender affected voter decisions in the 2012 presidential election at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at California Lutheran University.

Caroline Heldman, chair of the politics department at Occidental College, will present “Deciding Factors: Race, Class and Gender in the 2012 Presidential Election” in Samuelson Chapel.

Heldman was the co-editor of the 2007 book “Rethinking Madam President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House?” Published in the top journals in her field, her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report and Ms. magazine.She is also a political commentator for MSNBC, Fox Business News and Al Jazeera English.

Before coming to Occidental, Heldman taught at Whittier College, Fairfield University and Rutgers University. She also has been a congressional staffer, campaign manager andpolitical activist.

She has also worked as a political reviewer for the Associated Press, a reporter for KPFK Los Angeles and the general manager for Bio-Energy Systems. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.

Heldman drove to New Orleans tohelp rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005 and has returned many times since. She works in a leadership position with Common Ground Relief, a New Orleans organization helping people and communities victimized by hurricanes. She co-founded the New Orleans Women’s Shelter, the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum and Critical Response, a group that provides volunteers for high-risk rescue efforts during disasters.

LU’s Artists and Speakers Committee is sponsoring the free event. The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Road on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, contact Adina Nack at nack@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3438.