Morton-Kenney Reception and Lecuture with Cheri Bustos

Join the Institute for this fall's Morton-Kenney Lecture series.

Cheri Bustos, a former Illinois congresswoman from the 17th district and a member of the House Democratic leadership, will be this year’s Morton-Kenney speaker.

Ms. Bustos will participate in a conversation with Institute Director John Shaw. They will discuss Ms. Bustos’s career as a journalist and healthcare executive, her decade as a member of Congress, and her current work for a global public strategy firm.

Ms. Bustos is expected to reflect on her rise to a key House Democratic leadership position, chairmanship of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, and decision to return to private life. She will also reflect on the current state of Congress, the complexity and cost of modern political campaigns, and the stern challenges now confronting American democracy. 

Cheri Bustos is a former journalist and healthcare executive who served in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2023, representing the 17th District. She was a senior member of the House Democratic leadership team.

She heads the Illinois office of Mercury, a global public strategy firm, and co-chair of the firm’s Washington. D.C. office. This spring, she was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

Reception: 5:00 p.m. - Morris Library 1st floor Rotunda
Program: 6:00 p.m. - Morris Library Guyon Auditorium

The Institute and SIU School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology sponsor this program.