Wendy Davis, attorney, author and former Texas state senator and 2014 Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate, will present a public talk at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Davis is widely recognized as a leader on women’s health care policy and is best known for her historic 13-hour filibuster in the Texas Senate to kill a legislative effort that would have dramatically reduced women’s access to abortion care services in her state. 

Over her career, Davis has worked to improve public and higher education in Texas. In 2011, she staged a filibuster on the floor of the Texas Senate in an attempt to prevent dramatic funding cuts to Texas public schools. She also co-authored an important law that enabled the growth of high performing charter schools in her state. 

Davis has played a leadership role on many public policy fronts, including efforts to secure passage of the Texas equal pay for equal work law; championing economic development through the use of public/private partnerships; spearheading transportation efforts in her region and throughout the state through the use of innovative funding mechanisms; forging compromise between the oil and gas industry and local communities to allow for the capture of vital minerals while respecting quality of life, water and air; working with financial institutions and public utilities on important consumer protection legislation; championing efforts against voter suppression; and advocating for victims of sexual assault, passing legislation to clear a backlog of over 20,000 untested rape kits.

Though she was unsuccessful in her 2014 bid to become Texas’ first Democratic governor in 20 years, Davis shattered records in both fundraising and volunteer recruitment. 

In 2009, Davis was named the Texas Legislature’s Rookie of the Year by Texas Monthly magazine and Freshman of the Year by AARP, was named to Texas Monthly’s “Top Ten Best Legislators in 2013” and has received numerous awards including the 2013 Women Who Dared award by the National Council of Jewish Women, the 2013 Champion for Social Change award by the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and the 2011 Legislative Star by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.

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