What: Saint Mary's School will present a multi-faceted event for students, faculty and staff featuring a keynote address by political analyst, journalist and best-selling author Cokie Roberts. Roberts will participate in a question-and-answer session with students moderated by WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree, as well as take part in a forum exploring the theme of "How Women are Changing Leadership" with a panel including moderator Frances Schultz, author, TV personality and contributing editor for House Beautiful magazine; Carter Warren Franke, senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase; Hannah Dawson Gage, retired broadcast executive and first female chair of the UNC Board of Governors; Lee Hennessee, managing principal of New York City-based Hennessee Group LLC and one of New York's 50 most powerful women as selected by the New York Post; and Betty Ray McCain, former secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources and first female chair of the N.C. Democratic Party.

When: Friday, November 7, 2008, 10:30 a.m. - 2:05 p.m.

· Student Q & A, Pittman Auditorium, 10:30 a.m. - noon.

· Women's Forum, Smedes Parlor, 12:15 p.m. - 2:05 p.m.

Where: The event will be held at Pittman Auditorium and Smedes Parlor at Saint Mary's School, 900 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, N.C. 27603  

About Saint Mary's School (SMS):

Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina, is an independent, college-preparatory, girls boarding and day school dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for grades 9-12. Founded in 1842 in the Episcopal tradition, Saint Mary's School is the seventh-largest girls boarding and day school in the country. The school offers a comprehensive range of opportunities enabling girls to compete in college and today's global economy. Thirty-nine of the school's nationally recruited faculty and staff live on campus, and 75 percent of the faculty holds advanced degrees in their field. Saint Mary's School offers 16 Advanced Placement courses and a full complement of honors courses, competition in 11 sports and on 16 teams, a comprehensive fine arts program, and signature technology, advising, and co-curricular programs to prepare students for independence and success in college and life. The school's 297 students represent 12 states and eight foreign countries-South Korea, China, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and Panama. For more information, contact the Saint Mary's School Admission Office, 900 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27603, 919-424-4100, or visit the Web site at www.saint-marys.edu.

About Cokie Roberts:

Cokie Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News, providing analysis for all network news programming. From 1996-2002 she and Sam Donaldson co-anchored the weekly ABC interview program This Week. Ms. Roberts also serves as Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio. In her more than forty years in broadcasting, she has won countless awards, including three Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.