Supervisor of Placer County Named To Inaugural 'Women In Government Leadership Program'

To highlight the outstanding contributions of women currently in public office, and to encourage future generations of leaders, the Governing Institute today announces the launch of its new Women in Government Leadership Program. The new initiative will create an ongoing network of accomplished women in state and local government, to share their experiences and act as mentors for other women in public service.

The program officially launched with a leadership conference held Nov. 8-9 on Amelia Island, Fla.

The 25 women in the program’s inaugural class—elected or appointed officials in state or local governments across the country—will be profiled in the March 2015 issue of Governing magazine and will join together throughout the coming year at other events, including a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C.

“We’re making a deliberate and strategic effort to invest resources in supporting these women in government.” said Julia Burrows, director of the Governing Institute. “They deserve this recognition thanks to their remarkable achievements to date. And they will continue to serve their communities with even greater support from this network—by meeting with inspiring and provocative leaders, and by sharing their own best practices with one another.”

The goal, Burrows said, is not just to help the women in the program excel, but to energize more women to take part in public service. “We will work together to inspire and invite the next generation of women considering an elected position in government,” she said.

The program at the Amelia Island event included discussions with former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, former CIA Analyst Cynthia Storer, former Department of Defense CIO Teri Takai, Florida-based global trade expert Sally Patrenos, former Michigan Gov. and president of the Business Round Table (BRT) John Engler, and Tulane University professor Anna Mahoney, an expert in the history of women in politics.

As the program grows in the future, the Governing Institute will continue to foster this ever-expanding community of female leaders, spotlighting their tremendous successes and working to bring more women into the public sector. As one member of the inaugural class put it, the goal is to “seek and empower a bench of strong women” in government for years to come.

Front row: Emily Wattman-Turner (CO), Crystal Peoples-Stokes (NY), Marilyn Strickland (Tacoma, WA), Janet Creighton (Stark County, OH), Madeline Anne Rogero (Knoxville, TN). Second row: Lisa Wong (Fitchburg, MA), Stephanie Miner (Syracuse, NY), Angelique Ashby, (CA), Lauren Matsumoto (HI), Jennifer Montgomery (Placer County, CA). Third row: Marie Lopez Rogers (Maricopa County, AZ), Barbara Bollier (KS), Annise Parker (Houston, TX), Lynn Fitch (MS), Tishaura Jones (St. Louis, MO). Back row: Mia McLeod (SC), Karen Jackson (VA), Kristin Jacobs (FL), Joette Katz (CT), Dee Dawkins-Haigler (GA), Sharon Weston Broome (LA). Not pictured: Sallie Clark (CO), Manju Ganeriwala (VA), Alisha Morgan (GA), Toni Preckwinkle (Cook County, IL)

Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2015

The first cohort – the Class of 2015 – of the Women in Government Leadership Program includes Democrats and Republicans from 19 different states.

The Honorable Angelique Ashby
Mayor Pro Tempore, City of Sacramento, California

The Honorable Barbara Bollier
Kansas State Representative

The Honorable Sallie Clark
Commissioner, El Paso County, Colorado

The Honorable Janet Weir Creighton
Commissioner, Stark County, Ohio

The Honorable Dee Dawkins-Haigler
Georgia State Representative

The Honorable Lynn Fitch
Treasurer, State of Mississippi

The Honorable Manju Ganeriwala
Treasurer, State of Virginia

The Honorable Karen Jackson
Secretary of Technology, State of Virginia

The Honorable Kristin Jacobs
Florida State Representative

The Honorable Tishaura O. Jones
Treasurer, City of St. Louis, Missouri

The Honorable Joette Katz
Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Children and Families

The Honorable Marie Lopez Rogers
Supervisor, Maricopa County, Arizona

The Honorable Lauren Matsumoto
Hawaii State Representative

The Honorable Mia McLeod
South Carolina State Representative

The Honorable Stephanie Miner
Mayor, City of Syracuse, New York

The Honorable Jennifer Montgomery
Supervisor, Placer County, California

The Honorable Alisha Morgan
Georgia State Representative

The Honorable Annise Parker
Mayor, City of Houston, Texas

The Honorable Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Assemblywoman, State of New York

The Honorable Toni Preckwinkle
Board President, Cook County, Illinois

The Honorable Madeline Anne Rogero
Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee

The Honorable Marilyn Strickland
Mayor, City of Tacoma, Washington

The Honorable Sharon Weston Broome
Senator, President Pro Tempore, State of Louisiana

The Honorable Lisa Wong
Mayor, City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Rising Star:
Emily Wattman-Turner
Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of Governor Hickenlooper, State of Colorado

About the Governing Institute

The Governing Institute advances better government by improving performance and outcomes through research, decision support, and executive education to help public sector leaders govern more effectively.

Governing is a division of e.Republic, the nation’s only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.

--Image and information courtesy of the Governing Institute.