Jing Lyman Lecture Series

close up of Jing Lyman

Born in Philadelphia in 1928, Jing Lyman became one of the most dynamic and inspiring champions for gender equality to grace the Stanford campus. After graduating from Swarthmore College, she and husband Richard Lyman, along with their four children, moved west to Stanford in 1958. When Richard assumed the presidency in 1970, Jing did not hesitate to carve out a unique position of influence for herself, both within and beyond the Stanford community.

As the women's liberation movement took hold of the nation, Jing made sure to advocate for the women of Stanford in their efforts, focusing especially on increasing the number of women hired to tenure-track faculty positions. Additionally, she personally supported and nurtured the Center for Research on Women (now the Clayman Institute for Gender Research), which was founded in 1974 as the first research institution dedicated solely to gender equality. Jing also dedicated a significant amount of her time to gender equality beyond the Stanford community, founding the national organization Women and Foundations/Corporate Philanthropy (WAFCP), which aims to place women in leadership positions within philanthropic organizations, as well as to secure more funding for women and girls nationwide.

In 2010, the Clayman Institute launched the Jing Lyman Lecture Series, which seeks to commemorate Jing's legacy and recognize both past and current contributions to gender equality.

(All speaker photos by Paige Parsons Photography.)

The Jing Lyman Lecture series recognizes feminist trailblazers who contribute significantly to gender equality in their lifetime. 

Previous Events

Anita Hill speaking at lectern

Anita Hill with "Believing: The First Step to Change"

2024: The Clayman Institute kicks off its 50th anniversary with very special guest Anita Hill, who encouraged guests to embrace hope and recognize progress in the relay race toward gender equality.

four women seated on stage

2022: From the Front Lines

Abortion providers discuss reproductive justice after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade: what has changed in the post-Roe world, and what has stayed the same?

Carla Harris

2017: Carla Harris

Carla Harris is Vice Chairman, Wealth Management, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Known for her path-breaking work as a leader, educator, and speaker who empowers and powerfully engages her audiences, Ms. Harris’ lecture will address “Tools for Maximizing your Career Success.” She will share some of her pearls of wisdom (“Carla’s Pearls”) on how to change perceptions, leverage voices, and use other key strategies to succeed in the workplace.

Kimberlé Crenshaw

2016: Kimberlé Crenshaw

With her groundbreaking work in developing intersectionality, Kimberlé Crenshaw has refocused our understandings of gender and the connections between race, class, gender and social justice. In addition to being a path-breaking scholar, Crenshaw’s most recent work with the African American Policy Forum on the #SayHerName campaign has made visible Black women and girls’ experiences with police brutality.

Paula Giddings

2014: Paula Giddings

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, Professor Giddings' lecture will provide a look back at the contending forces of gender and race and reflect on a revisionist history that forges alliance, not division. She is the author of three books on the social and political history of African American women: When and Where I Enter: The Impact on Black Women on Race and Sex in AmericaIn Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement; and, most recently, the critically acclaimed biography of anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells, Ida: A Sword Among Lions.

Sheryl Sandberg

2013: Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is a trailblazer in the COO role at Facebook. She is an advocate for gender equality in the workplace and in society, encouraging us all to work together to master the dance between work and family.

Sheryl Sandberg is Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. She oversees the firm's business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, where she built and managed the online sales channels for advertising and publishing and operations for consumer products...

Watch her full speech

Gloria Steinem

2012: Gloria Steinem

For over four decades Gloria Steinem has been at the forefront of the women’s movement as a journalist, publisher, author, and political activist.

She is the co-founder and first editor of Ms. Magazine, and was instrumental in founding a dozen other women’s organizations including the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Action Alliance, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Ms. Foundation for Women, Choice USA, and the Women’s Media Center.

Beyond the women’s movement, Steinem has been active internationally working for civil rights, gay rights, and animal rights; and in anti-war movements. She is the author of seven books, and the subject of two biographies.

Watch a recording of Gloria's talk

Katha Politt

2011: Katha Pollitt

"What Do You Mean I'm Not Equal Yet?! Women in the 21st Century"

 "The Nation" columnist, “Katha Pollitt has long and rightly been hailed for her brilliance, wit, and great insight into politics, social issues, and women’s rights.” —Anne Lamott, author of "Traveling Mercies" “Pitch perfect . . . painfully hilarious to read.” —The Boston GlobeKatha Pollitt writes the “Subject to Debate" column in The Nation. She has written essays for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the New York Times, and has appeared on NPR, CNN, NBC, and the BBC. Pollitt was just awarded the American book Award's "Lifetime Achievement" prize, celebrating her contributions both as an essayist and a poet. She is the author of several collections of essays; her most recent books include "Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories(2007)" and her second collection of poetry, "The Mind-Body Problem (2009)".