About CAWP

Debbie Walsh

Debbie Walsh is the director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. CAWP is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life. 

CAWP’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, innovative programs serving a variety of audiences. As the world has watched Americans considering female candidates for the nation's highest offices, CAWP’s nearly four decades of analyzing and interpreting women’s participation in American politics have provided a foundation and context for the discussion.

Walsh joined the Center staff in 1981. As director, she manages and oversees CAWP’s multi-faceted programs that include:

• leadership and campaign training programs that empower women of all ages to participate fully in politics and public life;
• research  illuminating women’s distinctive contributions, roles and experiences in politics and government; and
• up-to-the-minute information and historical perspectives about women as candidates, public officials and voters;
• national forums for political women that address cutting-edge issues, provide vital information and facilitate creative strategy-building.

CAWP's newest initiative, The 2012 Project, is a national, non-partisan campaign to increase the number of women in legislative office by identifying and engaging accomplished women 45 and older and encouraging them to run for Congress and state legislatures in 2012.

CAWP's latest research report, Poised to Run, provides an unprecedented look at how women reach state legislatures and how women's election to office has changed over time.

Walsh is frequently called upon by the media for information and comment, and she speaks to a variety of audiences across the country on topics related to women’s political participation. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton and her M.A. in political science from Rutgers, where she was an Eagleton Fellow.