On Wednesday, Feb. 19, former U.S. representatives Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and David Skaggs (D-CO) visited Iowa State University as the 2025 Mary Louise Smith Chairs in Women and Politics. Their presentation, a conversation moderated by Catt Center director Karen M. Kedrowski, was at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. The event was free and open to the public.
Hartzler and Skaggs visited campus as representatives of Congress to Campus, the flagship program of FMC, a bipartisan organization of current and former United States senators and representatives. Congress to Campus provides college students the opportunity to talk with former members of Congress about bipartisan cooperation, civil discourse, and public service.
Hartzler represented the 4th Congressional District of Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2023. Before beginning her career in public service, Hartzler taught high school home economics for 11 years. She then served in the Missouri General Assembly as a state representative from 1995-2001. Following her service in the statehouse, she served as state spokeswoman for the Coalition to Protect Marriage and as chair of the Missouri Women’s Council. Hartzler earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in education from the University of Central Missouri. A life-long farmer, Hartzler is part owner of Hartzler Equipment Company and Hartzler Farms, Inc. with her husband and other family members.
Skaggs served as the U.S. representative from the 2nd Congressional District of Colorado from 1987-1999 and in the Colorado House from 1981-1987. In Congress, he organized an effort to encourage greater civility and bipartisan cooperation that resulted in the House Bipartisan Retreats. After leaving Congress, he founded the Center for Democracy & Citizenship. Skaggs is currently a lawyer and senior advisor with Dentons US LLP, and recently ended 13 years as chairman of the board of the U.S. House’s Office of Congressional Ethics. Skaggs earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the Yale Law School. He served on active duty in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1968-1971 and remained active in the Marine Reserves until 1978, attaining the rank of major.
In addition to the Feb. 19 event, the visit by Hartzler and Skaggs included informal meetings with students and visits to classrooms on Feb. 20 and a session at the Ready to Run® Iowa afternoon workshop on Feb. 21.
The lecture, hosted by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, was co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, Cyclone Civics, and the Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government).