Virginia State Sen. Linda T. “Toddy” Puller ’67
As the keynote speaker at the 11th annual Leadership Colloquium for Professional
Women, Virginia State Sen. Linda T. “Toddy” Puller ’67 spoke
about leadership and perseverance. She encouraged women to run for elected
office.
The daylong program, held Nov. 4 at UMW’s College of Graduate and Professional
Studies, included seminars, networking opportunities and a career-oriented
panel of women executives. The colloquium was sponsored jointly by the University
of Mary Washington and The Virginia Foundation for Women.
Puller, a 13-year veteran of the Virginia General Assembly, has strongly supported
public education, transportation, health care, mental health and veterans’
issues throughout her tenure. A Democrat representing parts of Fairfax and
Prince William counties, she serves on several Senate committees and 10 state
and national commissions and boards.
She has received numerous honors, among them the American Legion Auxiliary’s
Outstanding Woman of Virginia Award and Mary Washington’s Distinguished
Alumnus Award. Puller began her career as a fourth-grade teacher. She is the
widow of Lewis Puller Jr., a Marine who was severely injured in the Vietnam
War and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.