AMES, Iowa -- Women have made notable progress politically over the last two years. California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D) became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. Hillary Clinton made a serious run at the Democratic presidential nomination. And Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the first Republican vice-presidential candidate.
But Iowa continues to lag in terms of advancement for women in politics.
"Iowa is one of two states that have never elected a female governor or sent a woman to Congress, with Mississippi being the other," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. "Iowa has also dropped to 28th place in terms of women in the state legislature, with women making up 22.7 percent of the Iowa legislature. So clearly, we have some work to do."
That's why the Carrie Chapman Catt Center and the League of Women Voters of Ames, Iowa, are once again sponsoring Ready to Run Iowa: Campaign Training for Women, on Friday, April 3. The workshop -- which attracted some 45 women in June 2007 and is designed for anyone interested in running for elected office, serving on public boards or commissions, or working on a campaign -- will take place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Scheman Building at the Iowa State Center in Ames.
"The workshop presents a unique opportunity for potential candidates to hear directly from prominent elected and appointed political leaders, campaign consultants and party officials about how to literally get ready to run," said Bystrom. "It offers two tracks -- one for those who have made the decision to run for office and one for those who want to learn more about getting involved politically -- as well as joint sessions on taking a risk, message development and fund raising."
Political leaders who will participate include: State Representatives Lisa Heddens (D-Ames), Renee Schulte (R-Cedar Rapids), Phyllis Thede (D-Bettendorf), Linda Upmeyer (R-Garner), and Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D-Ames); Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey (D); former lieutenant governors Sally Pederson and Jo Ann Zimmerman; and former Republican state representatives Jim Kurtenbach and Tami Wiencek.
Arnie Arnesen -- a talk radio host and former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives who was a candidate for the U.S. Congress and the state's governor respectively --will deliver the morning keynote, titled "Stepping Up, Jumping In, Taking a Risk." The luncheon keynote will be given by campaign consultant Liz Chadderdon, president, The Chadderdon Group, and will focus on message development and media relations. The afternoon keynote, "Fund Raising for Success," will be led by one of Iowa's leading political fund-raisers Nicole Schlinger, president of Capital Resources Inc./Campaign Headquarters.
Some topics that will be covered include launching your campaign, laying the groundwork for public life, navigating Iowa's political parties as a potential candidate, and navigating the routes to public office.
Registration is available online and will cost $75 before March 28 and $100 after that date. The fee includes all sessions and training materials; breakfast, lunch and afternoon refreshments; workshop notebook; and campaign training manual.
Through the support of donors, including gold-level sponsor Mediacom Communications Corporation, scholarships of up to $50 a person are available to Ready to Run Iowa participants. These subsidies and scholarships are designed to offset a portion of travel expenses, hotel accommodations and/or registration fees. Participants need to request a travel scholarship and/or registration subsidy on their registration form and pay the full $75 tuition. Travel scholarships and registration subsidies for up to $50 per person will be refunded following their participation in the workshop.
Ready to Run® was established by the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Almost a quarter of the women in New Jersey's legislature have now attended Ready to Run. When the program started in 1998, the state ranked in the bottom third of all states for the proportion of women in its legislature. New Jersey now ranks 12th.
Additional information may be obtained at http://www.las.iastate.edu/CattCenter/readytorun.shtml, or by contacting the Catt Center at (515) 294-3181, or cattcntr@iastate.edu.
