"My first day on the job I was the minority leader on the City Council. I was the only Republican in New York City government at the time," Molinari said. "It presented a wonderful challenge to me. I had no time to be a freshman."
She went on to serve in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1998, and she was the keynote speaker on behalf of presidential nominee Bob Dole in the 1996 Republican Convention. After stepping down from her House seat, Molinari hosted a short-lived weekend news program on CBS.
Marguerite Sullivan began her career as a journalist. Based on her experiences growing up, she said she "felt that [she] had no place as a woman in politics." Reporting on political events in Washington led Sullivan to find her calling in public service. "I felt that [as a journalist] I didn't make a difference at all," Sullivan said. Sullivan served under both former Presidents Reagan and Bush. She also spent four years as a cabinet member for New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (R). The move to state politics was an important transition for Sullivan. "It's really on the state and local level where one has a huge impact on politics," Sullivan said. Kemmis also found his calling in grassroots-level politics. He became interested in government during his youth in Montana, and he came to Harvard to study politics during the Vietnam War era. He returned to Montana and became mayor of Missoula. "I grew up as a Democrat with a big 'D', but it was democrat with a small 'd' that solidified my interest in politics," Kemmis said. Currently, Kemmis serves as the director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West. Many students at the forum were excited about working with the fellows this semester. "I think it's going to be a really good semester with something for everyone," said Chair of the IOP study groups committee C.J. Mahoney '00. "It was fascinating to hear what [the panelists] had to say," said Luis A. Campos '99.