Lecturers at the Jefferson Educational Society

Shirley Anne Warshaw is Professor of Political Science at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has been on the faculty for twenty-five years and serves as the Harold G. Evans Chair of Eisenhower Leadership Studies. She received her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University, MGA from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania, and B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Gettysburg College faculty, Dr. Warshaw worked in Pennsylvania state government and served in the Governor’s Office under two governors.

Dr. Warshaw has written eight books on presidential decision-making and numerous book chapters and journal articles.  Her books include The Clinton Years (2004), The Keys to Power: Managing the Presidency (2004 second edition, 1999 first edition), The Domestic Presidency: Decision Making in the White House (1997), Powersharing: White House-Cabinet Relations in the Modern Presidency (1996), Reexamining the Eisenhower Presidency (1994), The Eisenhower Legacy (1992), and most recently The Co-Presidency of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (2009).  Her latest book, The White House Staff: The Engine of Government, will be published in late 2012. Her research focuses on the domestic and international policy implications of decision structures in the White House. 

She has been a consultant to PBS, involved with the presidential debates, editorial consultant, and serves on the Council of Scholars for the Center for the Study of the Presidency.  She served on the 2000 and 2008 Pew Transition Projects for structuring the White House staff (with a focus on the chief of staff’s office). Dr. Warshaw is a frequent speaker on National Public Radio, guest columnist, commentator on radio and television on presidential leadership.  She has worked with the BBC, CNN, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN, National Journal, Congressional Quarterly, the Hearst Newspapers, Cox Newspapers, Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Gannett Newspapers (particularly USA Today), Newhouse Newspapers, New York Times, Washington Post, and a host of others for commentary on issues surrounding presidential leadership.  

Dr. Warshaw serves on the Board of Directors of the Finnegan Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Presidency Research Section of the American Political Science Association, the Board of Directors of the National Capital Area Political Science Association, and the Board of Directors of Pi Sigma Alpha of the American Political Science Association.  In addition, she is the editor of the Stanford University Press series on the presidency. She is an editorial consultant for a variety of research journals and a regular reviewer for several publishing houses.  Her professional affiliations include the Academy of Political Science and the American Political Science Association, among other organizations.  Dr. Warshaw is married to a lawyer and has three children.