Kathryn Kolbert, Director

Kathryn Kolbert is the Constance Hess Williams Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College. A public-interest attorney, journalist, and visionary in the not-for-profit world, Kathryn brings to Barnard an extraordinary depth of experience in collaborative leadership, educational programming, and civil-rights advocacy. She has been recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” and by The American Lawyer as one of 45 public- interest lawyers “whose vision and commitment are changing lives." In 1992, Kathryn argued the landmark case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court and has been credited with saving Roe v. Wade with what Jeffrey Toobin has called "one of the most audacious litigation strategies in Supreme Court history.”

Before joining Barnard, Kathryn was the President and CEO of People for the American Way and People for the American Way Foundation, two of the nation’s premier civil rights organizations. During her tenure, People For the American Way's Political Action Committee was cited by the National Journal as the most successful advocacy group of the 2008 election cycle.

For ten years, Kathryn oversaw a program on law and American life at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. She was the executive producer of Justice Talking, an award-winning radio program distributed by NPR, and also directed an educational website called JusticeLearning.org, which received a Webby Award in 2005. Before she became a journalist, Kathryn enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a public interest attorney specializing in women’s reproductive rights. From 1992 to 1997, she directed domestic litigation and public policy programs for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, where she was a co-founder and vice president. She has also served as the State Coordinating Counsel of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project in New York and as a Staff Attorney with the Women's Law Project and Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.

Kathryn graduated cum laude from Temple University School of Law, and received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s School of Arts and Sciences. She has lectured at colleges and universities across the nation and is a frequent commentator on constitutional and women’s rights issues in the national media.

Abigail Sara Lewis is the Program Director of the Athena Scholars Program.  In addition to advising all the students in the Program, she also runs the Athena Mentoring Program, oversees the summer fellowship programs, and is working on creating an entrepreneurial program for the students. Starting in Spring 2012, Abigail will be teaching both Athena required courses, Women and Leadership and the Senior Seminar (with Kathryn Kolbert).

Prior to Athena, Abigail was Assistant Director of Pathways Advising at Douglass Residential College, Rutgers University. She taught in both the History and Women's Studies departments at Rutgers, and worked at New York University, the CUNY Graduate Center, and the NYC Department of Education. Abigail received her B.A. and M.A. in African American Studies from Columbia and U.C.L.A. respectively. She completed her Ph.D. in History at Rutgers in 2008. Her work on the YWCA's Multiracial Activism in the immediate post WWII era was recently published in the anthology, Freedom Rights: New Perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement, (University of Kentucky Press: 2012).

Maria Perez-Martinez is the Athena Center Administrative Assistant. She holds a Master's degree in Publishing from New York University and a Bachelor's degree in English/Drama from Northwestern University. Maria is also a co-founder of GoodChoiceReading.com, a book-reviewing site. In her spare time, Maria is an avid reader and writer; currently finishing an adapted screenplay as well as a young-adult novel. Maria resides in NYC with her husband and two children.

Sara Leger manages events logistics for the Athena Center such as the Athena Film Festival and Leadership Council Meetings. She is also is the Events Manager for Development and Alumnae Affairs at Barnard College. Prior to Barnard, Sara was the Events Coordinator at the world's largest children's cleft charity, Smile Train. Sara received her B.S. in International Marketing Management from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. She has traveled to over 20 countries and enjoys learning from different cultures. In her spare time, she participates in an intensive career mentor program with StreetWise Partners. She can also be found strolling around the city taking photographs of just about anything, or cooking up a storm in her kitchen.

Meet Our 2011 Summer Interns!