The Women’s Foundation and University of Kansas’ Institute for Leadership Studies launch the first-of-its-kind partnership to engage and educate Kansas women who want to serve their communities.
KANSAS CITY, MO – A first-of-its-kind partnership is launching in Kansas to encourage more women to serve in civic leadership roles, including both appointed and elected positions. Ready to Run® at the University of Kansas’s Institute for Leadership Studies and the Women’s Foundation’s Appointments Project® will launch the Women’s Leadership Series with three webinars beginning on Tuesday, May 12 at noon. The webinar series, entitled “Pathways to Service 2020: Finding your Civic Voice,” is designed to engage and prepare Kansas women to lead and serve their communities through civic leadership.
“Research shows us that women typically need to be asked several times before they run for political office,” said Mary Banwart, director of the KU Institute for Leadership Studies, “We hope to make that ask of more women and, through these programs, help them build the confidence and the skillset that they need to serve in civic leadership roles in their communities and in Kansas.”
“The evidence is overwhelming that when women lead, everyone wins,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “We created the Appointments Project because we recognized that women weren’t just underrepresented in elected leadership roles, they were also being passed over for influential appointed positions as well. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the KU Institute for Leadership Studies on this first-of-its-kind initiative that will expand opportunities for aspiring women leaders and take us one step closer to closing the leadership gap once and for all.”
The webinars will feature leading women’s voices and key thought leaders who strive to bring parity and diversity to our civic and elected positions in the state of Kansas. The webinar schedule is below:
May 12, 12-1pm: Amplifying Women’s Voices: Representation & Civic Leadership
May 19, 12-1pm: Women’s Voices on Civic Boards & Commissions: Appointments Project®
May 21, 12-1pm: Taking your Voice Online: Designing a Digital Campaign
“Kansas is built on a rich history of women’s civic leadership at all levels of our social fabric, and a bright future for our state will depend on their leadership driving our social, civic, and economic engines,” said Sandy Praeger, former Kansas Insurance Commissioner, and a member of the Women’s Leadership Series Advisory Board. “The Women’s Leadership Series recognizes that women are underrepresented in both elected and appointed leadership roles – and we must do more to build better representation at all civic and elected levels. I’m proud to be supporting this partnership that will yield meaningful and long-term results for women, families, and all Kansans.”
The partnership marks the first time that Ready to Run®, a national network of non-partisan campaign training programs committed to electing more women to public office, has partnered with an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in appointed leadership roles.
“When women’s voices are heard, everyone benefits – and that’s what this first-of-its-kind partnership is all about,” said Kay Barnes, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, and a member of the Women’s Leadership Series Advisory Board. “I know from my own experience how difficult it can be for women to break down these barriers. By empowering more women to serve in these leadership roles – both elected and appointed – we can make government more reflective of and responsive to the communities it serves.”
WHAT: “Pathways to Service 2020: Finding your Civic Voice,” a series of three webinars designed to engage and prepare Kansas women to lead and serve their communities through elected office and appointment to civic boards and commissions.
WHO: The Appointments Project and Ready to Run at KU’s Institute for Leadership Studies
WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, May 19, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday, May 21, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Webinar registration: https://womenlead.blog.ku.edu/register/
The Appointments Project®
Established by the Women’s Foundation in 2014, the Appointments Project works to empower women and strengthen communities by increasing the gender diversity of civic boards and commissions. Based on a landmark study on the barriers causing women to be underrepresented in these roles, the Appointments Project works to demystify the selection process, educate women about these lesser-known opportunities to serve and coach them on how to apply. The Appointments Project also works with elected leaders and their teams to connect them with qualified applicants for vacancies and share best practices for making sure public boards and commissions reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
Ready to Run®
Ready to Run is a national network of bi-partisan candidate recruitment and training programs created by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University to ensure that more women are equipped to run for office, seek higher office, work on a campaign, get appointed to office, or learn more about the political system.
Institute for Leadership Studies
The Institute for Leadership Studies (ILS) supports KU’s mission of educating students who can effectively engage in the process of leadership with innovative, interdisciplinary academic programs. Through the ILS these academic programs are collaboratively designed to educate and prepare students to make a difference from where they are with what they have, developing the courage and leadership skills to ignite positive change.
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