International relations scholar and alumna Allison Stanger recently was named one of “40 Women To Watch Over 40,” a list that recognizes women who have succeeded in their careers through “innovation and disruption,” and celebrates the wisdom that comes with age and the potential for later achievements.
The list emphasizes the accomplishments and diverse backgrounds of women who are making major professional contributions after the age of 40. It describes Stanger, a professor of international politics and economics at Middlebury College in Vermont, as an “educator and advocate for American principles.”
The “disruption” she is recognized for is her “cutting edge research at the intersection of technology, the law and politics.” The list also describes her as a “vocal advocate for a return to respectful and fact-based civil discourse in the U.S.,” noting when she was injured and hospitalized earlier this year during student protests over a controversial speaker at Middlebury College. Stanger moderated that event.
Stanger plans to do more in the future to “join forces with individuals and organizations to challenge extremism on both the right and the left and foster freedom of speech and inclusivity.”
“I am most definitely not done yet when it comes to standing up for what I believe, especially since I now have an empty nest (last child just graduated from high school this year)!” she said. “The best is still ahead of me.”
Stanger attended Elmhurst College in the early 1980s before earning a bachelor’s degrees from Ball State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
First published in 2013, “Forty Women To Watch Over 40” celebrates women who, according to the list’s website, “are upending the perception that 40 is past your prime. They are reinventing, leaning in, and creating momentum that will be felt by those beyond their community and field of work.” The list is compiled by Christina Vuleta, founder of the cross-generational mentoring platform 40:20 Vision, and Whitney Johnson, an investor and the author of “Dare, Dream, Do and Disrupt Yourself.”