Hardy-Fanta Retires as Director of Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

After a career of almost 20 years at UMass Boston and serving as director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPP) since 2001, Carol Hardy-Fanta has retired from the university. 

A dedicated leader and academic, Hardy-Fanta is a creative visionary and a strong advocate of the center’s mission to strengthen and expand women’s leadership in politics and policymaking.  She is a recipient of the 2011 National Council for Research on Women’s Lifetime Achievement Award for the center’s cutting-edge research, and for developing educational and training programs such as the Women’s Leadership in a Global Perspective. These programs look to serve diverse groups of women across the globe. Under her direction, the Graduate Certificate Program in Women in Politics and Public Policy (WPPP) earned numerous awards. Also, her commitment to conduct collaborative research and to make a difference in women’s lives is reflected in her creation of the "New England Women’s Political Forum and the Women, Wages and Work" conference.

Dr. Hardy-Fanta’s efforts to maintain a focus on the intersection of race and gender are reflected in both her policy experience and publications. A highly-esteemed and nationally-recognized scholar, her research interests lie in Latina/o politics.  She has published extensively on the cross-examination of gender, race, and ethnicity in politics and public policy. She is the author of Intersectionality and Politics: Recent Research on Gender, Race, and Political Representation in the United States, a groundbreaking collection of contemporary research essays focusing on African American, Latino/a, and Asian American elected officials. Upon her retirement, she will be working on completing a coauthored book, tentatively titled: Contested Transformation: Race, Gender, and the Changing Face of Political Leadership in 21st Century America. Her areas of expertise also include welfare reform, community organization, reproductive rights, mental health, HIV/AIDS programs, and bilingual education.

Dr. Hardy-Fanta received a BA in Psychology from Occidental College, a MSW from Smith College, and a PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University's Florence Heller Graduate School. A sought-after speaker, Hardy-Fanta has participated in numerous conferences as keynote speaker, panelist, and presenter, while her analyses on issues are highly-valued by the press and scholars alike.

She will continue to have an affiliation with CWPPP as a Senior Scholar, consulting on research initiatives and teaching in the graduate program upon the completion of her book. 

"While she will be greatly missed as Director, Dr. Hardy-Fanta will remain an integral part of our McCormack Graduate School and the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and its important work on politics and gender," remarked Acting Dean Connie Chan.

To honor Dr. Hardy-Fanta's legacy, UMass Boston has established a fund in her name.  This fund will grant an annual merit-based award to selected students in the WPPP program to support them in public policy internships that foster a greater understanding of the intersectionality of gender, race and ethnicity in politics and public policy.  For more details about the fund and to contribute, see www.umb.edu/HardyFanta.

Christa Kelleher, the center's research director since 2007, assumed the role of interim director earlier this month while a search is conducted for a permanent director.