26 Emerge Wisconsin Alumnae Elected to 27 Local and State Offices Tuesday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2016

CONTACT: ERIN FORREST

26 Emerge Wisconsin Alumnae Elected to 27 Local and State Offices Tuesday

Milwaukee, Wis.—Emerge Wisconsin, the state’s premier organization for recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office, announced today that 26 out of the 29 of their program’s participants and alumnae who were running for elected office won their races on Tuesday. This year’s Emerge Wisconsin candidates were some of the most successful ever and will be serving on city councils, county boards and school boards across Wisconsin. Their victories mark a major step forward towards the organization’s goal of seeing more Democratic women run for and elected to political office at all levels of government.

“I’m thrilled Emerge Wisconsin’s training program is equipping our graduates with the skills they need to launch their campaigns for public office and win,” said said Erin Forrest, executive director of Emerge Wisconsin. “I’m excited to leadEmerge Wisconsin and spearhead the work we’re doing to get more Democratic women to run for elected office. Our organization is training the political leaders of tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the great things these exceptional women go on to accomplish in their public service careers.”

The Emerge Wisconsin alumnae who were elected last night, include:

Julie	Allen	Lincoln County Board
Mary	Arnold	Columbus School Board
Carousel	Bayrd	Dane County Board
Carol	Beals	Grant County Board
Leah	Blough	Kenosha County Board
Tammy	Bockhorst	Shorewood Village Board
Jenni	Dye	Dane County Board
Catherine	Emmanuelle	Eau Claire City Council
Sharon	Hampson	La Crosse County Board
Kara	Hawes	Rock County Board
Kari	Ives	Chippewa County Board
Julie	Jansch	Green Bay School Board
Peg	Jerome	La Crosse County Board
Tara	Johnson	La Crosse County Board
Emily	Kenney	Wauwatosa School Board
Mary	Kolar	Dane County Board
Chantia	Lewis	Milwaukee Common Council
Jackie	Moore	Ashland City Council
Cathy	Myers	Janesville School Board
Marcelia	Nicholson	Milwaukee County Board
Wendy	Stallings	Sussex Village Trustee
Shelia	Stubbs	Dane County Board
Sequanna	Taylor	Milwaukee County Board
Tina	Tryggestad	La Crosse County Board
Mary	Von Ruden	Sparta City Council
Mary	Von Ruden	Monroe County Board
Hayley	Young	Dane County Board

“These women are proof positive that more women will run for office if we encourage them and give them the support they need to succeed,” said Emerge Wisconsin Board Chair, Diane Odeen. “When women run for public office they bring fresh new perspectives to the political arena, highlight issues that are often sidelined in male-dominated elections and underscore the need for more diversity at all levels of government. Everyone benefits when more women decide to lead.”

Emerge Wisconsin’s training program offers Democratic women who want to run for public office a unique opportunity. Women who are accepted receive 70 hours of in-depth education over six months that inspires them to run for office and gives them the tools to win. The program’s trainers are comprised of an elite team of campaign consultants, advisors and staff from all over the country, who have been involved in some of the most successful campaigns and initiatives seen in recent election cycles. Participants learn from these experts and develop practical knowledge in areas such as public speaking, fundraising, campaign strategy, labor and political endorsements, voter contact, media and messaging and more. Candidates also meet an array of dynamic women who hold elected and appointed office and become a part of a supportive network, which includes a national association of Emerge alumnae, the Emerge board and advisory council members.

For information on Emerge Wisconsin or to learn how to apply for their training program, please visit their website at www.emergewi.org.

###

About Emerge Wisconsin

Emerge Wisconsin is one of 16 state affiliate organizations in the Emerge America national network. Other Emerge states include, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia. Since the first Emerge America state was launched in 2002, the organization has trained almost 2,000 Democratic women to run for office. To date, more than half of Emergealumnae have run for political office or been appointed to local boards or commissions, and 70 percent of those who have run for office have won.