This program is presented by Pritzker Military Library with Easter Seals, Inc with additional support from Chicago Foundation for Women.

Moderated by Stacey Baca of ABC 7 News, this distinguished panel discusses the important issues facing female veterans in today's military. As the number of women serving in the military continues to grow, their roles are also evolving, as is the way that the military and Veterans Administration address their service. The panel discusses some of the issues facing female veterans, including their roles in today's combat operations, military sexual trauma, and the transition into civilian society.

Erica Borggren was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs by Governor Pat Quinn on August 5, 2011. As the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA), she is creating a new Women Veterans Program to help address the issue that women veterans often do not self-identify as veterans and do not take advantage of veterans’ benefits to the same extent as their male peers.

An Illinois native and Army Veteran, Borggren previously served as a senior staff member for Army Gen. David H. Petraeus. Borggren was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star as well as the Joint Service Achievement and Iraq Campaign Medals. Following her graduation as valedictorian from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, she was designated as a Rhodes Scholar and the recipient of a Truman Scholarship. She later earned a master's degree in comparative social policy from Oxford University.

Dr. Rebecca J. Hannagan joined the faculty of Political Science at Northern Illinois University in 2006 and became an Associate of Women's Studies and an Associate of the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault in 2010. She specializes in the biological underpinnings of political attitudes and behavior with particular focus on gender differences.

Dr. Hannagan’s research includes a 2011 study with Holly Arrow, Ph.D: “Reengineering Gender Relations in Modern Militaries: An Evolutionary Perspective.” She is currently a Visiting Associate Professor at Portland (OR) State University where she is gathering data from service women regarding their experiences, as well as organizing campus events around the issue of Military Sexual Assault. Her research has been published in Political Behavior, Perspectives on Politics, PS: Political Science and Politics, and other journals and edited volumes. At NIU she teaches courses in Political Psychology, Biopolitics, and American Government.

Kimberly Mitchell serves as the Deputy Director of the Dixon Center. Her 17 years of service in the U.S. Navy included a commission as a Surface Warfare Officer, service aboard several surface Navy combatant warships, and multiple shore tours in Washington, D.C. Her last active duty assignment, which began in 2010, was Deputy Director for the Office of Warrior and Family Support in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dixon Center is a clearinghouse for collaboration, communication, sharing lessons learned, and innovative solutions delivered locally for all who serve and have served in our military. It serves as coordinating agent for the myriad of entities and individuals supporting active military and veterans, and their families, and families of our fallen during transition and reintegration.

*image by Staff Sgt. Chantell Black