Governing Institute Announces Women in Government Leadership Class of 2019
Twenty-five honorees selected for annual program to highlight extraordinary elected women and pay it forward to the next generation of women seeking public office
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 19, 2018 – Governing announced the selection of 25 elected leaders to the Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2019. The outstanding women leaders are courageous problem solvers making a difference in the communities they serve and blazing a trail for future women candidates to follow.
Governing Institute’s Women in Government Leadership Program invites elected women leaders from across the nation to be featured in Governing magazine, attend leadership programs to learn job critical skills and pay it forward by mentoring the next generation of women leaders to run for office. The 100 alumnae of the program are actively recruiting women candidates to run and creating initiatives to empower potential officeholders and women already serving in government.
“In this election year, we are gaining momentum with hundreds of women candidates on state and local ballots including many of our WIG alumnae and candidates they personally recruited” said Cathilea Robinett, president of Governing. “However, moving from 23 percent of women in elected office to gender parity will take a long-term investment including the program we have created at Governing. These incredible women are ‘In the Arena’ as President Roosevelt would say. Congratulations to the 25 women selected for the Class of 2019.”
Nominations were received from elected officials, academics, agency staff, and WIG alumnae throughout the year. The honorees were selected by the Governing Institute based on career and educational accomplishments, personal recommendations, a commitment to actively participate and diversity in class membership. Each cohort includes one rising star, a young woman not yet serving in elected office, but with aspirations to run in the future.
The first member of the Class of 2019, Georgia State Rep. Debra Bazemore, was selected in May as the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) Lois M. DeBerry Scholar. The annual distinction honors the pioneering work of Rep. DeBerry of Tennessee and encourages recipients to carry the spirit of leadership forward in support of women in elected office as Rep. DeBerry did for 41 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
“This national women’s political network becomes more powerful with each new member” said Julia Burrows, director of the Governing Institute. “Strong connections are created at the leadership retreats through shared learning and conversation and lifelong friendships are formed. Together, the women provide advice and campaign support, recruit and fundraise for future female candidates and are accelerating the advancement of good governance. Women do make a difference as legislators, problem solvers, and role models. The Women in Government Leadership Program is paying dividends today and for future generations.”.
Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2019
The Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2019 includes women from twenty-two different states holding a variety of elected offices in state and local government.
The Honorable Lashrecse Aird
Virginia Commonwealth Delegate
The Honorable Kirsten Baesler
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Honorable Debra Bazemore
Georgia State Representative
The Honorable Karen Carter-Peterson
Louisiana State Senator
The Honorable Letitia Clark
Councilmember, Tustin, California
The Honorable Kathy Dahlkemper
County Executive, Erie County, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Kimberly M. Foxx
State’s Attorney, Cook County, Illinois
The Honorable Sara Howard
Nebraska State Senator
The Honorable Val Hoyle
Oregon Commissioner for the Bureau of Labor & Industries-elect
The Honorable Rachel Kippley
Commissioner, Brown County, South Dakota
The Honorable Lisa Krasner
Nevada State Assemblymember
The Honorable Kathy Lambert
Councilmember, King County, Washington
The Honorable Liz Mathis
Iowa State Senator
The Honorable Tara Nethercott
Wyoming State Senator
The Honorable Sheila Oliver
New Jersey Lt. Governor
The Honorable Phyllis Randall
Chair-at-Large, Loudoun County, Virginia
The Honorable Rebecca Rhynhart
City Controller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Julie Rogers
Commissioner, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
The Honorable Brigid Shea
Commissioner, Travis County – Austin, Texas
The Honorable Robyn Tannehill
Mayor, Oxford, Mississippi
The Honorable Lena Taylor
Wisconsin State Senator
The Honorable Lovely Warren
Mayor, Rochester New York
The Honorable Karen Weaver
Mayor, Flint, Michigan
The Honorable Nan Whaley
Mayor, Dayton, Ohio
Arienne Jones
Judicial Law Clerk, United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
Rising Star
Each class is chosen from nominations submitted online at www.governing.com/wig. Women must be elected to a state or local office and not on the ballot or running unopposed during the program year.
The 25 honorees will be profiled in the February 2019 issue of Governing magazine and will participate in Governing events throughout the coming year. The Class of 2019 will gather for their first leadership conference November 9-10, 2018 in Palm Springs, California.
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. 
