CNN's Abby Phillip to Give Kean Distinguished Lecture

CNN Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip, who served as White House correspondent from 2017-2019 and moderated CNN’s 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa, will give a Distinguished Lecture this month at Kean University.

Topics will include diversity, inclusion and Black voices in politics.

An accomplished journalist who also anchors Inside Politics Sunday, a weekly in-depth conversation on the nation’s top political stories, Phillip will speak at 4:30 p.m. on February 28 at Kean’s North Avenue Academic Building (NAAB) Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required.

“We are thrilled to welcome Abby Phillip to our Distinguished Lecture series at Kean University. She is not only a leading presence in network coverage of national politics, she is an important voice on diversity and inclusion and a wonderful professional role model for our Kean students,” said Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. “Her message and her work dovetail with Kean’s commitment to equity and inclusion and are especially important as we celebrate Black History Month.”

To reserve a seat at the Abby Phillip lecture, click here.

Darlene Repollet, a former corporate human resources executive who, like her husband, is an advocate for equity and inclusion in education and business, will conduct a Q&A session with Phillip as part of the lecture event.

“I'm looking forward to a great conversation that will be equally informative for Kean students and the broader community that the University serves,” Darlene Repollet said.

Kean’s Distinguished Lecture series brings thought leaders and newsmakers to share insights with the Kean community. A Harvard University graduate who earned her degree in government, Phillip will join a list of previous lecturers that includes Pulitzer-prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham, civil rights leader Martin Luther King III, journalist Soledad O’Brien, author Chelsea Clinton and political commentator Bakari Sellers.

Phillip joined CNN in 2017 and provided even-handed and intelligent coverage of the tumultuous years of the Trump Administration. She also anchored special coverage of Election Night in America surrounding the 2020 presidential election, which lasted several days until CNN was the first news outlet to project Joe Biden as the winner.

In January 2021, she anchored the CNN Special Report: Kamala Harris: Making History about the vice-president’s barrier-breaking career and the childhood experiences that helped shape her.

She was named to the TIME 100 Next list in 2021, and received the National Urban League’s Women of Power award. Prior to joining CNN, Phillip served as a national political reporter covering the White House for The Washington Post; was a digital reporter for politics at ABC News; and covered the Obama White House, as well as campaign finance and lobbying, for POLITICO.

“In selecting Abby Phillip, we have continued the proud legacy of Kean’s Distinguished Lecture Series,” President Repollet said.

For more information visit kean.edu/lectureseries.