Ready to Run® Iowa begins February 2015

CATEGORIES: November 2014, Voices

The 2015 Ready to Run® Iowa Campaign Training for Women workshop series will begin Friday, Feb. 13.

Women interested in running for political office, getting appointed to a public board or commission, or looking to get more involved in a leadership role within their community are encouraged to save the following dates:

  • Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
  • Friday, March, 13, 2015
  • Friday, April 24, 2015

“We will present two workshops on each of the three days — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — for a total of six,” said Kelly Winfrey, lecturer in leadership education and communication studies who coordinates several research and outreach programs for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. “Instead of stretching the sessions over a period of six months, we’ve decided to host two workshops on three different dates. With participants traveling to Ames from all corners of the state, we’re trying to help them cut down on their travel time.”

Each of the six interactive workshops is taught as an individual training session that can be attended separately or in conjunction with other workshops. All workshops will be held in the Pioneer Room at the Memorial Union at Iowa State University.

Registration will begin Jan. 11, 2015, for the six workshops. Each workshop is $20. Space is limited, so registration is required to attend.

On Feb. 13, the workshops topics are “Introduction to Iowa Politics and Political Parties” and “Political Appointments and Advocacy.” On March 13, workshops will cover “Launching Your Campaign” and “Fundraising for Success.” On April 24, Ready to Run® Iowa will wrap with “Campaign Message Development and Delivery” and “Internet Strategies for Candidates, Campaigns and Advocates.”

Grounded in the latest research and scholarship on women’s political participation, program sessions are presented by local, state and national political leaders and campaign strategists.

Dianne Bystrom, Catt Center director, hopes that U.S. Senator-elect Joni Ernst’s win in the 2014 midterm election as the first woman to represent Iowa in the U.S. Congress will encourage even more women to attend Ready to Run® Iowa and seek leadership positions.

“The fact that Iowa has finally sent a woman to the U.S. Congress is only the beginning,” Bystrom said. “Let’s capitalize on this ‘first’ by multiplying the numbers of women who run for local, county, state and federal office in Iowa.”

Ready to Run® Iowa is a statewide, non-partisan program designed to recruit and train women in Iowa to run for elected office, to prepare for appointed office or to become involved in public life as leaders in their communities. The Catt Center has offered Ready to Run® Iowa every other year since 2007 as part of a national network founded by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Women and men, ranging in age from college students to senior citizens, are invited to participate.

The 2015 supporters of Ready to Run® Iowa include: the Ames Chamber of Commerce, EILEEN FISHER, the League of Women Voters of Ames, the League of Women Voters of Iowa, and Mary Jo and Richard Stanley of Muscatine, Iowa.