Two years ago, upon hearing Dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, Vikram Amar, speak about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact at the League of Women Voters of Florida’s 36th Biennial Convention, Kathleen Ridder Crampton ’62 became enthralled by the notion and prospect of a nationwide popular election of the President of the United States.

 

“I’d always considered the Electoral College a vestige of a bygone era,” Crampton says. “With more involvement and deeper understanding, I’ve become a fervent advocate.”

 

At the heart of Crampton’s involvement is her role as Chair of the League of Women Voters of Florida’s National Popular Vote initiative, in which she regularly collaborates with fellow alumna Cynthia Archbold ’77, Co-Chair of the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County’s National Popular Vote initiative, and is primarily tasked with developing a network of geographically-based leaders—like Archbold—across the state. She is also one of the founders of Floridians for National Popular Vote, which focuses on getting bills passed in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate, partnering with members of the Legislature to file bills, and securing support from other legislators.

 

Previously named an Outstanding Woman Leader in Florida by the Commonwealth Foundation, Crampton, who earned three master’s degrees and Certified Financial Planner designation throughout the course of her distinguished, decades-long career in the healthcare industry, simultaneously serves on five boards, including that of WomenCorporateDirectors, co-founded by Susan Schiffer Stautberg ’63, co-author of Women on Board: Insider Secrets to Getting on a Board and Succeeding as a Director.

 

The time management skills Crampton developed at The Shipley School under legendary Headmistress Margaret Bailey Speer’s leadership (“To organize my time, I became adept at scheduling, even including a time slot to prepare the next day’s schedule.”) have certainly served her well over the years.