Speaker Bios

Bay Buchanan

The Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute named Bay Buchanan the 2007 Woman of the Year during its annual Women's Mentoring Luncheon at the 34th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Buchanan is president of The American Cause, an educational foundation dedicated to advancing traditional conservative issues. 

Buchanan served as the campaign chairman for all three of her brother Pat Buchanan's presidential campaigns. During the 1996 presidential primary season, she emerged as a national figure steadfastly championing the right to life of the unborn child.

Currently, Buchanan is a regular political analyst for Inside Politics on CNN, where she debates Donna Brazile. From September of 1996 through August of 1999, Bay co-anchored Equal Time, a political talk show initially on CNBC, then MSNBC. In addition, she worked as a political analyst for Good Morning America throughout the general election in 1992. From 1996 to 1997 Buchanan hosted a two-hour radio talk show program covering current events.

Buchanan began her political career as the national treasurer of Ronald Reagan's presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1984. This position catapulted her into a distinguished career beginning in 1981 when President Reagan appointed her to be treasurer of the United States. At the age of 32, she was the youngest person to hold that position since it was established in 1775.

Ronald Reagan called on her again in 1983, this time to chair his Commission on Women Business Owners. In 1988 she co-chaired the California delegation to the Republican National Convention and served as co-chair of the defense subcommittee of the Platform committee. Later, in 1990, she ran for treasurer of the state of California.

A native of Washington, DC, Buchanan has a masters degree in mathematics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and has further studies at several universities, including the University of New South Wales in Australia. In 1981, she received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Samford University. She lives in Virginia and is the proud mother of three sons.

Chriss Winston is currently a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. She is the first woman to head the White House Office of Speech Writing as Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications and Director of Speech Writing for President George H.W. Bush. She also oversaw the White House Offices of Media Relations and Public Affairs.

Winston was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor and Director of Information for the U.S. Department of Labor under President Reagan and held the post of Director of the Office of Public Liaison for the United States Information Agency. She also headed the Washington office of The Tierney Group, then Philadelphia's largest advertising and public relations firm, serving as Vice President.

Today, Winston heads a consultancy, CorporateWord, which provides speech writing, opinion pieces, editorial services, and strategic communications to a wide variety of clients. She is also a Director of the White House Writers Group, a strategic communications firm.

Winston's clients have included BankAmerica, General Motors, Microsoft, the World Bank, Honeywell, Advanta, Pfizer, Aetna, the Business Roundtable, Jones Apparel Group, the National Association of Realtors, the Business Coalition, the Barnes Foundation, Cigna, Masterfoods, and the National Federation of Independent Business as well as major public relations firms, national political figures, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Winston is the author of several books. Her first, Winning the Race: Taking Charge of Breast Cancer, she wrote with Nancy Brinker, founding Chair of the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She also co-authored the autobiography of former Republican Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr., What Color is a Conservative? published by Harper Collins. Her third book, One Hundred Years of Fellowship, published by Regnery Press, tells the story of Washington D.C. through the colorful history of one of its most prestigious clubs. The foreword for the book was written by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Her next book, How to Raise an American, will be published by Random House Crown Forum in March 2007.

In the political field, Winston was Deputy Director of Communications for Bush/Quayle '88, Director of Incumbent Campaigns for the National Republican Congressional Committee, traveling press secretary for former Republican National Chair, Mary Louise Smith, and press secretary for Congressman Jim Leach. She began her political career as press secretary for the Iowa Republican Party.

Winston also served as a County Commissioner for Charles County, Maryland overseeing a $160 million annual budget.

--from www.iop.harvard.edu

Cassy DeBenedetto 

In February 2005, a group of Princeton undergraduates came together to found the Anscombe Society, a student group designed to make the case against the hookup culture.  The group developed quickly on campus, sponsoring social events, over a dozen public lectures, and making some much needed improvements to Princeton's freshman orientation program.  Additionally, the Anscombe Society attracted national attention, bringing the chastity message to the New York Times, Teen Vogue, and numerous other publications.  Among its most recent accomplishments is the intercollegiate conference it hosted at Princeton University in February 2007, entitled "Making Love Last: Finding Meaning in Sex and Romantic Relationships."  The conference was organized in response to the numerous requests the Anscombe society received from students around the country wanting to know how to start similar initiatives on their own campuses.

The Love and Fidelity Network is likewise a response to the needs of these students.  Founded by Cassy DeBenedetto, also a co-founder and former president of the Anscombe Society, the Love and Fidelity Network seeks to use the Anscombe Society at Princeton as a model for other campuses, while at the same time helping students to tailor the love and fidelity message through activities best suited for their particular campus environment.