Darrell West Lecture: Two ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumnae bring bipartisan perspective to campus
Butler County Auditor Nancy Nix (MBA ‘12) and Butler County Democratic Party chair Kathy Wyenandt ‘97 gave tips about running for public office.
Darrell West Lecture: Two ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumnae bring bipartisan perspective to campus
The 2025 Darrell West Lecture in American Politics welcomed Republican Butler County Auditor Nancy Nix (MBA ‘12) and Kathy Wyenandt ‘97, chairperson of the Butler County Democratic Party, back to Oxford to present a bipartisan perspective on running for public office.
This year’s lecture, “Bootcamp in Politics: Running for Local and State Office,” took place on Wednesday, April 9 in a packed Heritage Room. The event allowed both members of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú community and the public a chance to hear each presenter’s career path, including what issues and experiences inspired them to first seek public office, as well as the challenges they have faced along the way. While each presenter represented opposite sides of the political aisle, they also shared commonalities of their goals to work towards the best interests of our citizens and communities. Audience members also had the chance to ask the presenters questions.
Prior to the lecture, undergraduate students from the Department of Political Science as well as those involved with the Menard Family Center for Democracy (the lecture’s two co-sponsors) had an opportunity to participate in a dinner with Nix and Wyenandt. Students could ask further questions about the presenters’ experiences in politics. They also listened firsthand on how the presenters’ ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú education prepared them for their future roles and how the unique opportunities offered by ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú could impact their own futures.
The West Lecture in American Politics was established in 2013 by ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumnus Darrell West ’76 in honor of his experience as an undergraduate student in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Political Science department, and the impact it had on his career. It provides students with the opportunity to engage and think critically about key political issues so they can become the new leaders and change agents of the future.