David Axelrod to speak at Benedictine

David Axelrod, who helped guide Barack Obama's journey from freshman senator to president of the United States, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, on the second floor of the Krasa Student Center at Benedictine University, 5300 College Road, Lisle.

His visit is sponsored by the Center for Civic Leadership as part of its “Presidential Election Series 2012.” The event is free and open to the public.

Axelrod also is serving as the chief campaign strategist for President Obama's re-election bid.

“We are pleased to be able to welcome Mr. Axelrod to our campus,” Benedictine President William J. Carroll said in a written statement. “As a Catholic, liberal arts university, Benedictine is charged with developing an informed electorate.”

Axelrod gained a national reputation for helping to elect African-American politicians, including the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, who became the city's first black mayor in 1983. He also served as a top adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

However, his most defining moment came with Obama's election to the presidency in 2008.

In January 2011, Axelrod left the White House to join Obama's re-election campaign in Chicago.

Established in 2005 under the direction of former Illinois Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan, CCL seeks to shape a new generation of public leaders and responsible citizens. Each year, the Center invites prominent public figures to speak about the importance of active citizenship and public service.

In recent years, CCL has hosted then-state Sen. Obama, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, Washington Post columnists Bob Woodward and David Broder, CNN's Peter Bergen, Children's Defense Fund Director Marian Wright Edelman, University of Chicago legal scholar Cass Sunstein, human rights advocate Paul Rusesabagina and former Illinois Gov. James Edgar.

Benedictine plans to invite a representative of the Republican Party to speak at the university in the fall.