'Daughters of the Declaration' authors to sing books Thursday in West Chester

The League of Women Voters of Chester County will host a book signing event featuring “Daughters of the Declaration” (Public Affairs, November 2011, $26.99, 352 pp.) co-authors Claire Gaudiani and David Burnett (husband and wife) on Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at Chester County Book & Music Company, West Chester.

About the book:

America's founding fathers established an idealistic framework for a bold experiment in democratic governance. The new nation would be built on the belief that all men are created equal, and are endowed … with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The challenge of turning these ideals into reality for all citizens was taken up by a set of exceptional American women.

Distinguished scholar and civic leader Gaudiani calls these women social entrepreneurs, arguing that they brought the same drive and strategic intent to their pursuit of the greater good that their male counterparts applied to building the nation's capital markets throughout the nineteenth century. Gaudiani and Burnett tell the stories of these patriotic women, and their creation of America's unique not-for-profit, or social profit sector. She concludes that the idealism and optimism inherent in this work provided an important asset to the increasing prosperity of the nation from its founding to the Second World War. Social entrepreneurs have defined a system of governance by the people, and they remain our best hope for continued moral leadership in the world.

CLAIRE GAUDIANI

Click here to read an excerpt from "Daughters of the Declaration."

About the authors:

DAVID BURNETT

Claire Gaudiani, PhD, is an expert on the history and economics of American philanthropy. She served from 1988–2001 as president of Connecticut College, where she was also professor of French. During her tenure at the Yale Law School (2001–2004), she wrote The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism (Henry Holt/Times Books). From 2004 to 2009 she served as clinical professor at the Heyman Center for Philanthropy at New York University. Gaudiani has served as director of numerous corporate and social profit enterprises specializing in corporate governance issues. Her current directorships include The Henry Luce Foundation, MBIA Inc., and The Council for Economic Education. Gaudiani is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of the Rosso Medal for Distinguished Service to Philanthropy from Indiana University. She has received 10 honorary doctorates and three distinguished teaching awards.

For more information about Gaudiani and “Daughters of the Declaration” and her other books visit www.ClaireGaudiani.com. 

David Graham Burnett, PhD, is Claire’s husband of 43 years as well as her partner in Gaudiani Associates. Burnett is a continuing educator who has held senior administrative positions at Indiana University and the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the research division of Pfizer, Inc. in 1988 as director of human resources. In 1999, he became head of the Pfizer Research University, responsible for the management and dissemination of proprietary scientific knowledge across the research division. He retired in 2004, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Graduate School of New York University. He is a graduate of Princeton and Indiana universities.