A diverse group of women legislators and advocates from 16
western states met in San Francisco May 30 at the first Western Community Policy
and Leadership Forum for Women & Families to develop policy strategies and
discuss opportunities for new and innovative leadership styles.
"This forum gave me a chance to find out what others have done in
their states, how they built support for what they wanted to do, and how we
can build a network of leaders," said Nevada State Rep. Jan Evans.
The exploratory conference offered women legislative and community
leaders an opportunity to see how their counterparts are accomplishing goals
across the states and brought people together across traditional political
boundaries of party and race.
"We need to identify issues on the horizon, define the debate and then
set priorities," said Washington State Rep. Dawn Mason (FF `96).
Many key challenges confronting our nation — from affirmative action
to welfare reform — disproportionately impact women. CPA designed this
forum around women leaders in the West to capitalize on the strong number
of women in leadership positions in that region. In 1997, the four states
with the highest percentage of women in state legislatures were western —
Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. The western U.S. also boasts a
broad network of state women’s commissions and coalitions.
The Western Community Forum is modeled after CPA forums in
the southeastern U.S. for African Americans and for Hispanics in the southwest.
A follow-up meeting of the Western Community Forum to fine-tune
legislative issues will be held in early fall. For more information, contact
Anne Mosle, Vice President for Women’s Policy and Programs, at CPA or
email [email protected].
