Congratulations to Emily Walton, member of the Go Lead Idaho Executive Committee, for running a fantastic, and very hard-fought, campaign for Holli High Woodings (a GLI alumna) for the Democrat nomination for House Seat 19B!! Congrats to Holli, who will now prepare for the General Election.

And, congrats to Jennifer Martinez, a recent attendee of Go Lead Idaho’s “Ready to Lead” forum, for running a successful campaign for Mat Erpelding for House Seat 19A!

The following Go Lead Idaho supporters all ran unopposed in their districts and will also prepare for the November General Election. Good luck, ladies!

- Betty Richardson (D), Senate District 15

- Phylis King (D), House District 18B

- Cherie Buckner Webb (D), Senate District 19

- Sharon Fischer (D), House District 22B

Congratulations, too, to the following new Precinct Committeewomen:

- Julie Hart (R), Precinct 1901

- Brenda Maynard-Walters (R), Precinct 1808

- Cece Gassner (D), Precinct 1909.

It was terrific to see the number of women running for offices at all levels of government! We have a lot of opportunity, but it looks like we’re off to a great start!

If you’d like to take a look at the results in Ada County, here is a link: http://www.adaweb.net/elections/el60.htm

And here is a link to the Canyon County results: http://www.canyonco.org/2012_Primary_Election_Results/

Idavation welcomes Daymond John as the opening key note speaker.  Daymond is one of the “Sharks” from ABC’s hit reality TV show Shark Tank, which offers entrepreneurs millions of dollars and expert advice to help make their dreams come true.

The “Think Different, Act Now” theme for the conference speaks to IdaVation’s role in helping innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders successfully solve complex problems in an ever-changing business environment.  The conference offers an opportunity to meet and network with industry experts and business luminaries.

More information can be found at www.idavation.org.

Save the date and plan to attend a Go Lead Idaho No Host Networking Event.

When: Monday, April 23 | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Brickyard Restaurant – 601 Main St.

Help us to keep the conversation going. Come join other women interested in leadership and public policy in Idaho.  Bring a friend and invite others via Facebook.
We’ll see you on the 23!

We appreciate the attention the media is paying to these important issues. And, we hope that Go Lead Idaho’s efforts will help do something about it.

In Gov. Butch Otter’s Cabinet, women make less money than men

By DAN POPKEY — dpopkey@idahostatesman.com

Idaho Agriculture Director Celia Gould has been with Gov. Butch Otter from the first day of his administration in 2007, having been a leading figure in his campaign and a respected former legislator.

She is the highest-paid of the women in Otter’s Cabinet but ranks just 16th among all top full-time officials.

The median salary for 11 women in the Cabinet is $85,446; the median for the 33 men is $103,002.

“We really do have a glass ceiling in Idaho,” said Rep. Wendy Jaquet of Ketchum, the senior Democrat in the Legislature and a member of the budget committee.

Read the Full Story

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BSU’s Moncrief: ‘Gender chasm’ exists between Dems and GOP candidates for Idaho Legislature

Are you ready to make your voice heard?

The question now is…what will we do with that energy?

• Engage: There are several ways to keep engaged with Go Lead Idaho: join our LinkedIn group; be afan on Facebook; follow our Twitter feed; subscribe to our newsletter (which most of you have!); sign up for our blog.
• Network: Many attendees have asked us to share the list of those who participated in Ready to Lead. We plan to distribute names and organization affiliation to attendees soon. If you would like to opt out, please respond back to this email by March 16. We also plan to hold a Go Lead Idaho social in the near future – stay tuned for details!
• Lead: Have you filed to run for office? Are you considering running in the future? Have you been appointed to a commission or board? Would you like to be?  If you’ve said yes to any of the above – let us know! We’re happy to share your good news on our blog. Also, several groups have approached us wanting to connect with potential appointees and leaders. We are hoping to act as a conduit to share names with these groups and want to know your interest by dropping us an email (jessicaflynn@redskypr.com)
• Learn: There are resources and tools that can help all of us with our individual leadership goals. By sharing that information we can all grow together. Please send along any information, events, research that fits the Go Lead Idaho mission so we can post and share it. Or – post it on our LinkedIn group or Facebook page yourself! (Case in point: check out this recent McKinsey Report: Women Matter, making the case for increasing women in senior management roles in the private sector.)
• Join: Do you want to help to take Go Lead Idaho forward? Let us know if you’d like to be involved in any aspect of organizing and running Go Lead Idaho. We are powered by the passion of our volunteers!
• Feedback: We also would appreciate your feedback on Ready to Lead. What did you like or not like? What could have been done better or differently?

The Go Lead Idaho executive committee is gathering in the next week to go over lessons learned and discuss steps forward. We hope you will share your thoughts with us and remain engaged. Only through collaboration can we ensure that our voice is heard.

Let’s lead forward!

 Enhance and develop knowledge and understanding of our community, its complexities and its potential.
 Motivate and encourage participants to assume leadership roles in the community.
 Provide an opportunity for participants to meet and exchange ideas with each other and with current community leaders.

Mission The 2012 Project is a national, non-partisan campaign of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) to increase the number of women in Congress and state legislatures by taking advantage of the once-in-a-decade opportunities of 2012.

Strategy

The 2012 Project relies on a three-pronged strategy:

• Direct outreach to executive-level, accomplished women in the private and public sectors who have not previously considered running for office. Outreach to women of color is a priority.
• Mobilization of existing state-based coalitions that will carry out the mission of The 2012 Project in locations where opportunities for women to run are greatest.
• Launch of a large-scale public education campaign to raise awareness about the lack of women in elected office and the unique opportunities of the 2012 election.

• Sylvia Hampel, President, Clearview Cleaning Services
• Connie Miller, CEO & President, ICON Credit Union
• Julie Taylor, CEO, West Valley Medical Center
• Moderator: Amy Moll, Interim Dean, Boise State University College of Engineering

BSU Interim Dean of Engineering Amy Moll kicks it off with a plea to the crowd: “If you know a girl, please talk to her about engineering. If you don’t know what to say, send her to me.”

Connie Miller ‘s path to leadership

• When I look back at my career I never aspired to be a CEO. I really feel my career fell into place for me – but what I always did is aspire to learn and work hard.
• She overcame a rough childhood of abuse tIf I got the position it was my job to prove that I could do this. And if I didn’t get it – I would prove that I was capable
• A participant tweeted: Connie Miller is a great example of overcoming adversity, rising to the top, and serving as a community role model!
• Thinks that women have a much more peripheral view of things. Men are task oriented.
• Among the advantages females bring – compassion that is critical to an organization. Also, our radar is very wide and we can pick up on things that men just don’t see.
• “I think females are more willing to hire people smarter than them”

Julie Taylor

• Was mentored by a female CEO who took me under her wing and gave me every opportunity to grow
• “I started as a nurse practitioner  -  I went from wiping butts to kissing butts.”
• Being in the  boardroom, you learn how to get a male’s attention in his brain span
• To me the most important thing as a leader is that I’m trusted, so the ability to pick up on the subtleties in relationships and interactions and address them is key.

Sylvia Hampel

• Her path began when she got pregnant at age 15 and she found herself out on her own.
• She had a phenomenal math teacher who asked what she would do and pushed her to achieve greater things.
• She wound up majoring in aviation management (but her height ended that career goal). Sylvia vecame an air traffic controller and wound up in Boise. After a divorce she had to reinvent herself and started her company. Clearview Cleaning Services now has 170 employees, works throughout the state of Idaho and was named the 2010 Business of the Year.
• Don’t speak out unless you really are informed on what you are to speak on.
• Women have that ability to connect, to read what the client is looking for and what it is I can do to help them.

Learn more about Idaho’s new Women’s Business Center and their grand opening next week

• Emily Kertz Lampkin, President of Lampkin Group
• China Gum, Political Director at Raul Labrador for Idaho
• Emily Walton, Secretary of External Communications, Associated Students of Boise State University
• Mayor Tammy de Weerd, City of Meridian
• Moderator: Karianne Fallow, Public Affairs Practice Group, Red Sky PR

Mayor Tammy de Weerd

Tammy de Weerd got involved in politics because she was a mom who wanted more parks for her kids. Then, her community had 2 parks. Today Meridian has 19.

She is passionate and focused only on being involved in local government. Local government is about problem solving – bringing people to the table to solve problems that make your community great.

Mayor de Weerd admits the only reason she got into politics is because someone asked her. But  she worked hard at being a problem solver, a collaborator, a person who worked on the things she said she would, “As women we have passion. When we say we are going to do something we go out and we do it.”

Additional insights from the Mayor

People want a leader – they want to know what you stand for. And what you stand for better be simple, repeatable and authentic.

Have values, be principled, be yourself, be willing to take risks, admit your mistakes.

Tell people you love them. Gather stories. Let other people talk about you and let their stories tell people about you.

Mayor Tammy’s list of campaign tips

• Develop a network of supporters
• Develop a message matrix – and stay on message
• Develop a list of endorsers
• Develop testimonials
• Develop speaking points – only 3
• Have someone in charge of all print materials
• Get someone who will deliver & install signs
• Have door-knocking scripts
• Find out who can write Letter’s to the Editor
• YOU HAVE to do social media. Post every day. Tell them where you will be. Have someone who will mine what is being said about you. Challenge the negative and incorrect statements in the social sphere
• Get the most from your eager, dedicated volunteers

Emily Walton’s Campaign Lessons Learned

• Campaigning is like being pregnant, everyone has advice for you.
• She read Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way
• Make sure stuff is ready when your volunteers show up
• Remember, you can fire volunteers
• There is always something you can do better.
• 4 elements that are key a campaign’s structure: Research, Strategy, Fundraising, Communication

China Gum’s Campaign Tips 

• Love your volunteers
• When running a campaign, make sure you schedule downtime for your candidate and act as a bugger for your candidate
• For campaign staff – there is no downtime – ever
• Candidates and staff must remember it’s not all about you. Elections are about the voters. We are all here to serve
• Find the passion that connects you to the people and make sure that’s the passion that drives them to the polls
• Remember whose name it is on the sign. Have empathy for their decisions. The candidate must live with whatever reputation results from the campaign.
• Anytime you are talking for the candidate, or as the candidate, DO NOT EVER LIE. Don’t stretch the truth, don’t make something up. It’s ok to say ‘Let me look that up and get back to you.’
• Always know you are being recorded
• Be an information gatherer
• Gratitude. Always be thankful. Write those thank you cards
• Be humble. All of us put our pants on one leg at a time

Campaign Tips from Emily Lampkin 

• Play to your strengths. If it’s not who you are and what you are comfortable with – don’t do it. Do what comes naturally to you.
• Your campaign plan needs to be a mirror to your governing plan. It needs to have things you can do in short order so you can show results. And include long-term goals so that they elect you again.
• You can borrow great examples from people all over the country working on issues you are passionate about.
• Don’t think for a second that there are not people all around this country looking to replicate what you do and steal you out of local politics and into national politics. If you’re great at what you do at the local level you will be courted to go national.
• Shared advice from a woman in national office:  Having a mom who is a leader will be a great motivator to my children.