Program Recruits and Trains Women to Run for Office

Emerge Kentucky, a non-profit organization established in 2009 to recruit and train Democratic women to run for public office, held its first candidate training program last weekend on Saturday, February 27, 2010 in Georgetown.  The new class represents Kentucky’s cultural and geographic diversity with women coming from areas all around Kentucky including Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky, as well as Maysville, Meade County and Glasgow.

Eleven women participating in the class are candidates for the 2010 elections.  They include State Representative candidate Kimberly Greenwell, Spencer County Judge-Executive candidate Carmin Gaines, Mason County Commission candidate Tracey Heflin, Jefferson County Attorney candidate Glenda Bradshaw, Lexington-Fayette Urban Council candidate Kathy Plomin, Richmond City Commissioner and candidate for State Representative Rita Smart, Jefferson County School Board candidate Attica Scott, Meade County Judge-Executive candidate, Rebecca Flaherty, State Representative candidate Nellie Draus Stallings, Louisville Mayoral candidate Shannon White and Kentucky Senate candidate Julie Smith-Morrow.

Class member Rebecca Flaherty, candidate for Meade County Judge-Executive, said she was a little apprehensive at first but “I left there feeling on top of the world.  I was excited about the support system that I felt by being in the class with 23 other women.”

“The program curriculum is top-notch,” said Board Chair, Jennifer Moore.  “The women in the class will learn the skills and tools necessary to run effective and successful campaigns. The Emerge program will begin to fill Kentucky’s empty pipeline of women for public office at all levels,” said Moore.

The seven-month program includes training in public speaking, fundraising, campaign strategy, field operations, labor and endorsements, networking, media skills and messaging and ethics in politics.  Participants meet monthly for seven months.  Classes will be held at various locations around Kentucky including Louisville, Central, Northern and Western Kentucky.

Kentucky ranks 45^th among the states for women in elected office and among the 120 county judge executives, only six are women.  The General Assembly consists of 15% women where the national average is 23%.  There are no women in congress representing Kentucky. “For the first time, Democratic women in Kentucky will have the opportunity to receive a first-class intensive training program that will give them the confidence and skills they need to step up and run for public office,” said Emerge Kentucky Board Chair, Jennifer A Moore.

2010 class members are:

Glenda Bradshaw – Louisville

Carolyn Miller-Cooper – Louisville

Wanita Elison – Lexington

Rebecca Flaherty – Battletown

Courtney French – Warsaw

Carmin Gaines – Bloomfield

Kimberly Greenwell – Louisville

Angela Ferguson – Covington

Tracey Heflin – Maysville

Karen Jones – Frankfort

Candace Klein – Newport

Natalie MacDonald – Edgewood

Sandra McAllister – Bowling Green

Julie Smith-Morrow – Newport

Kathy Plomin – Lexington

Creasa Reed – Lexington

Attica Scott – Louisville

Brenda Simpson – Newport

Rita Smart – Richmond

Nellie Draus Stallings – Louisville

Kathryn Thomas – Glasgow

Shannon White – Louisville

Cory Williams – Fort Mitchell

Dwinelva Zackery – Union

For information about Emerge Kentucky, visit EmergeKy.org.

Emerge Kentucky’s advisory board includes the following members:  former Governor Martha Layne Collins, Auditor Crit Luallen, First Lady Jane Beshear, Senator Denise Harper Angel, Senator Kathy Stein, Senator Robin Webb, Reps. Linda Belcher, Leslie Combs, Kelly Flood, Joni Jenkins, Martha Jane King, Mary Lou Marzian, Sannie Overly, Ruth Ann Palumbo, Dottie Sims, and Susan Westrom, Judge Executive Carolyn Belcher, Jennifer Chandler, Teresa Isaac, Eleanor Jordan, Leah McCormick-Adkins, Betsy Nowland-Curry, Lillian Press, Mary Karen Stumbo, Mayor Elaine Walker, Lois Combs Weinberg, and Virginia Woodward.

Board members from across Kentucky include:  Gina Berry, Ashley Jackson, Priscilla Johnson, Virginia Johnson, Kathleen Lape, Chris McGarvey, Wanda Mitchell-Smith, Kerry Morgan, Melinda Niemann, Vicki Prichard, Kennita Roy, Linda Scholle Cowan, Loren Wolff, and Kathy Wright.