http://www.slcc.edu/locations/miller-campus.aspx

   Opening remarks of the day…

   Morning keynotes: Rep. Jennifer Seelig, House Speaker
   Rebecca Lockhart, and former Rep. Sheryl Allen, shared
   their thoughts on how women are making a difference in
   policy making.

    Panel: Lisa Watts Baskin, S. Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood,
     Box Elder County Commissioner LuAnn Adams, SLC
     Councilwoman Jill Remington Love, Rep. Angela Romero,
     & Rep. Rebecca Chavez Houck, shared what influenced their
     path into leadership roles.

   Afternoon keynotes: West Jordan Mayor Melissa Johnson &
   2012 US Congressional Candidate Donna McAleer reflected on
   their campaigning experiences.

The program…

9:00 – Opening Remarks: Jackie Biskupski (Founding member of Real Women Run), Karen Gunn (Associate Provost of Salt Lake Community College) & Cory Gardiner (Manager & VP Women’s Financial Group of Zions Bank)

9:15 – Morning Keynotes: Utah House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart, Utah House Minority Leader Jen Seelig,

10:00 – Panel: Cherie Wood (Mayor of South Salt Lake), LuAnn Adams (Box Elder County Commissioner), Senator Luz Robles, Jill Remington Love (Salt Lake City Councilwoman), Senator Angela Romero, Beth Holbrook (Bountiful City Council woman)

11:15 – Getting Appointed to Boards & Commissions: Sheryl Ivey & Barbara Thomas

11:15 – Campaign Research, Management & Strategy: Kim Coleman & Karen McCandless

12:15 – Ask-an-Expert: LuAnn Adams, Kim Coleman, Jackie Biskupski, Lorie Fowlke, Beth Holbrook, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Cherie Wood, Melissa Johnson, Lisa Watts Baskin, Holly Richardson, Donna McAleer, Barbara Thomas, Luz Robles, Deedee Corradini, and Karen McCandless.

1:00 – Afternoon Keynotes: Donna McAleer (U.S. Congressional Candidate) & Melissa Johnson (Mayor of West Jordan)

1:30 – Campaign Research, Mgmt & Strategy: Kim Coleman & Karen McCandless

1:30 – Fundraising: Natalie Gochnour,  Marla Kennedy

2:30 – Social Media, Traditional Media & Message: Holly Richardson, Rebecca Palmer

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148001/subgroups-say-economy-jobs-important-problem.aspx

Most Important Financial Issues

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148625/lack-money-tops-list-americans-financial-worries.aspx

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/more-americans-pro-life-than-pro-choice-first-time.aspx

Among the Mormon Population:

http://pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/A-Portrait-of-Mormons-in-the-US–Social-and-Political-Views.aspx

Leadership Traits

% saying the trait is more true of:

*note- traits listed in order of public’s ranking of their importance to leadership

Other notes from the study

• 69% of those surveyed said women and men make equally good political leaders, but ironically/paradoxically considering women were ranked higher in “important leadership traits”, 21% still said men made better leaders but only 6% said women make better political leaders.
• The biggest reason why respondents said women are not elected to higher office is Americans are not ready, they are held back by men, and women face discrimination in all areas including politics

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2008/08/25/men-or-women-whos-the-better-leader/

Are men or women better at…

*The only thing that men out-perform women in is Crime/Public Safety and National Security/Defense

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2008/08/25/men-or-women-whos-the-better-leader/

Real Women Run – Find Your Voice is a collaborative nonpartisan effort.  The partnership includes Hinckley Institute of Politics, YWCA, Vision 2020, Salt Lake Community College, Zion’s Bank, representatives from all political parties in Utah, League of Women Voters, AAUW, current and former elected female officials, , Westminster College, and other community organizations who support women.

While it all depends on whom you ask, there are probably some consistencies in the answers.  When I ask a man (I’ve asked several), most of them respond that, of course, the women are busy taking care of their homes and children.  When I mention that men have homes and children too, the guys seem a little stumped.  If that were the only reason more women did not run for office, I would say, “then they have more discretionary time available, and have all the more reason to run.”  The reality, of course, is that many women have their “homes and children” to care for, along with their jobs, their husbands, and often their parents, but they still do it all.  No, I do not believe it is for lack of time, which the answer implies, or that they have to “stay home”.

Women do not run for office because they are not sure of how to go about it.  Typically women do not like to jump into the middle of something without a good idea of what they are getting in to.  They want to know what it looks like, what it takes to get there, and what will happen after they start.  In other words, they need some training on how to run for office.   They need to learn that in a partisan race, for example, they have to start in January to woo delegates for the March caucus meetings, April Conventions, and June primary elections.  They need to know they need a campaign manager, a fund raiser, and some volunteers to make the campaign happen.  They should understand they do not need to know all the ins and outs of the sanitation department before they are elected.  That will come as they learn their job.

Often women need a little reassurance that they can be successful.  Statistically, the same percentages of women who run for office are elected, as men who run.   It is just that less women run.  Women need to know they can do it.  They need someone to tell them that managing the household budget, refereeing teenagers, carpooling athletes, planning 21 meals a week, nurturing preschoolers, and allocating limited time and resources to meet the family needs, are all excellent preparation activities for campaigning and serving as a public elected official.

Finally, women need to know that they are needed in public office.  Many women may assume that gender equality has been achieved, and there is nothing left to do.  After all, this is the 21^st century.   In spite of the huge strides made in the last 1oo years, there is not gender parity in many areas of public life, including politics.  Even though Utah had the first female state senator in the country, we are now 43^rd of 50 states in number of women in our state legislature, at 17%.  Coincidentally there are also only 17% of women in Congress.  There is much work left to do and women can and must step up to do it.

Lorie Fowlke
Real Women Run Executive Committee