Col. Sandra Karsten, recently appointed as superintendent of the Missouri Highway Patrol, will speak Wednesday in Fulton.
As the first woman to lead this agency, Karsten will talk about her career path as a female in a predominantly male profession.
The lecture will be at noon in the Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall at Westminster College. Lunch from Jalisco's Restaurant will be served at the lecture, which is being sponsored by the Remley Women's Center and the Westminster Office of Student Life.
"We are very honored to host Col. Karsten at Westminster College and celebrate her achievements with the Missouri State Highway Patrol," Kasi Lacey, associate dean of Student Life, said. "It will be very powerful for our female students and community members to hear about her journey in such a challenging field."
The first female officer to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel in the Patrol's 84-year history, Karsten commands the entire organization, which employs almost 2,400 people, including 1,221 officers.
She spent nine years as a trooper with Troop F in Callaway County before being promoted to sergeant. Karsten lives in Wardsville with her husband, Tim, who is the Blair Oaks High School industrial arts teacher and wrestling coach.