Sacramento Bee publisher to moderate ‘Women of the West’ discussion at Arizona museum

Sacramento Bee Publisher and President Cheryl Dell will moderate a panel discussion Wednesday in Phoenix on American women in the West.

The discussion, to be held at the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art in Phoenix, will feature former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, both of whom are native Arizonans.

“What it Means to be an American: The Women of the West” will include an historical perspective on women’s roles, plus the emergence of Western women in top executive and leadership positions. Among the questions to be discussed: Are gender roles more flexible in the West? Have women had different opportunities here than in other regions?

The event is co-presented by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and Zócalo Public Square. It kicks off the “What It Means to Be American” program, a three-year initiative by Smithsonian and Zocalo to engage leading thinkers, public figures and Americans. More information on the series is at whatitmeanstobeamerican.org.

A video of Wednesday’s discussion will appear Thursday on the Sacramento Bee’s website.

This story was originally published January 14, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Sacramento Bee publisher to moderate ‘Women of the West’ discussion at Arizona museum."