Campaign School Director to Speak on Women’s Political Progress

Livingston native and veteran political campaign leader Patricia (Patti) Russo will speak on “Women’s History: Celebrating How Far We’ve Come and Forging Ahead” Wednesday March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Livingston Senior Community Center, 2204 Hillside Aveusso is the executive director of The Campaign School at Yale (TCSYale), a campaign training nonprofit that helps women of all parties run for office and lead campaigns that win.

The free talk is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Livingston and is open to all.

RSVP at www.livingstonlwv.org/events.

Women have made strides in political leadership but are still widely underrepresented. Just 28 percent of Congress are female. In New Jersey, women make up 30 percent of the state legislature.

Russo will discuss the advances made, along with the barriers women face to elective office and what they can do to overcome them. Challenges include less access to funding, traditional gender roles, misogyny, and increasing vitriol and threats.

A commitment to parity

“The League of Women Voters of Livingston is committed empowering voters and defending democracy. Part of this commitment is ensuring that women are well-represented in politics,” said Robin Weiss, co-president of the league. “More women leaders are critical to addressing issues that strengthen families and communities. It is our hope that Patti’s talk will remind us of the progress we have made and inspire us to continue to strive for true parity.”

Decades helping women win

TCSYale, a nonprofit unaffiliated with Yale University, is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of its signature Summer Session intensive campaign training. Russo has been executive director since 2011. Her first campaign was in Livingston, NJ under the tutelage of longtime Essex County powerhouse Patricia Sebold. She also served as an intern with Bella Abzug, a founder of the women’s movement and U.S. Representative in the 1970s. At TCSYale, she has helped thousands of women win elections from local committees to the U.S. Congress. Five sitting members of Congress are TCSYale graduates—Erin Houchin (R-IN), Becca Balint (D-VT), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Nikema Williama (D-VT), and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY).

About The Campaign School at Yale

The Campaign School at Yale endeavors to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. It is a not-for-profit nonpartisan, issue-neutral political campaign-training program unaffiliated with Yale University.