Fitchburg State University’s ‘Women in Leadership’ discussion to feature Rep. Trahan

FITCHBURG — Fitchburg State University will host U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., for a virtual discussion on the theme of Women in Leadership on Thursday, April 15, at 6 p.m., according to an announcement from the university.

Trahan will have a discussion with Fitchburg State President Richard S. Lapidus, after which there will be an opportunity for members of the virtual audience to ask questions.

“Congresswoman Trahan has been a friendly and familiar presence on our campus and in our community, as a strong supporter of public higher education, and a champion of our efforts to partner with the city of Fitchburg and the community’s economic revitalization,” Lapidus said. “We are honored to welcome her for this discussion on the importance of women in leadership.”

To join the event, go to https://meet.google.com/ows-dtpr-qap. To view a livestream, go to https://stream.meet.google.com/stream/f0744460-76a0-416d-b81f-ff1b2de099b0?pli=1. To join by phone, dial (US) +1 434-481-1221 and enter PIN: ‪104 140 847#.

Growing up in a working-class family in Lowell, Trahan experienced firsthand the principles of sacrifice, hard work, and grit. Her father was a union ironworker, and her mother, a domestic worker, juggled several part-time jobs while raising her and her three sisters, according to the announcement.

The first in her family to graduate college, Trahan earned a scholarship to play Division 1 volleyball at Georgetown University. Like many, she was introduced to public service as a college student in Washington. After completing her bachelor’s degree in comparative and regional studies in international relations, she joined former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan’s staff as a scheduler, eventually working her way up to Chief of Staff.

Sickened by the deep polarization taking hold of Washington, Trahan moved to the private sector as the only female executive at a tech company. Her passion for bringing women into leadership positions led her to be a co-founder of Concire, a women owned and operated consulting firm. In her years spent at Concire, she advised various companies on business strategy and how to create the ideal conditions for employees — especially women — to thrive.

Trahan successfully ran for Congress in 2018, motivated to return to public service after seeing the detrimental gridlock and lack of accountability from the Trump administration. Now, serving as a member of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce, she is determined to advocate for Bay State residents on pressing issues, including making health care more affordable, addressing climate change, protecting kids online, and fighting disinformation in our media, the announcement stated.