FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair will return to Kansas University next month to deliver the 2010 Dole Lecture.

Bair, a Kansas native who received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a law degree from KU, was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2009.

Bair will speak at 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Dole Institute of Politics. The speech is free and open to the public, with seating available starting at 6 p.m. on a first come, first served basis.

She will sit for an interview with Bill Lacy, Dole Institute director.

Bair worked for Sen. Bob Dole’s office for seven years, including on his 1988 presidential campaign.

Lacy said that Bair’s connections to Dole and to KU, along with her decision-making role, made her a natural choice for the lecture.

“I think that her role and the importance of her role have only gone up since ’08 when we really began to find out what kind of (economic) situation we were facing,” Lacy said.

He said the interview will cover topics from her career in public service to her associations with Dole, and will draw on her experiences with the contemporary economic situation.

The FDIC insures bank deposits at levels up to $250,000, and seeks to limit the impact of a bank’s failure on the economy.

Previous Dole lecturers include President Bill Clinton, journalist Tom Brokaw and Sens. Tom Daschle and Bob and Elizabeth Dole.