Elect Her – Campus Women Win at Emory

ElectHerEmory-1Two dozen Emory women gathered on Saturday, February 7th to learn how to increase their chances of running successfully for elective office on campus – and in political races beyond college. The Elect Her program, which has trained 7,500 young women since 2009, seeks to build a political pipeline by helping college women gain the confidence and tools to make a difference in their communities.

Jessica Kelly and Emory staff

Jessica Kelly and Emory staff

Sponsored jointly by AAUW and Running start, the workshop was hosted by Emory’s Center for Women and facilitated by Jessica Kelly, program manager of AAUW’s Campus Leadership Programs. Among the student attendees were Elyse Lee, Emory SGA College-Wide Representative, and Alyssa Weinstein, Vice President of College Council.

Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta

Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta

Self-divided into four groups, the women rotated through several exercises culminating in the development of a polished elevator speech for the campaign trail. Keynote Speaker Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta from 2002 to 2010, spoke candidly about her twenty-one year career in public service, highlighting her reluctance to run for office and the demands that campaigning makes on a candidate’s life. She addressed as well the need for fundraising and the importance of appearance for female candidates. Franklin pointed out that 42% of women in Congress today got their start in politics in student government. Her final piece of advice for the audience: “persistence is everything … You are good enough to run for any position you are interested in serving in.”

ElectHerEmory-4Beth Farokhi, former AAUW Georgia President and Southeast Regional Directory, also shared her experiences as a candidate for a local school board seat and in the Georgia State School Superintendent race.

Following lunch, a student panel addressed “The Nuts and Bolts of Running for SGA.” Megan McRainey, Assistant Director of Communications, discussed the need to create a personal brand to differentiate oneself from other candidates.

Elect Her workshops are currently offered on fifty campuses across the country and in Jamaica, and among college women who completed the workshop and then ran for a student office, 78% won! Female representation in U.S. Congress is just below 20%, and the U.S ranks 75th among nations in women in elective office. This collaboration between AAUW and Running Start is an investment in the future of women and girls.

Diane Sakmar, Georgia AAUW Co-President, attended and reported on this key Elect Her event at Emory.

It’s that time of the year – again!

It’s that time of the year again… Legislative session has begun! There are so many important issues being addressed this year, but 9to5 is especially excited about lobbying and advocating for passage of the Family Care Act bill and for Ban the Box legislation.


Just a quick refresher:

The Family Care Act is a bill that would allow employees to use their earned sick days to care for a child, spouse, or parent.
Ban the Box is a campaign to end employment discrimination by removing discriminatory questions from employment applications.


Join us for 9to5’s Lobby Day!

When: January 29th, 2015
What time: 9am-12pm
Where: 9to5 office, 501 Pulliam St, SW
#344, Atlanta, GA  30312

We will meet at the 9to5 office at 9am for a training on grassroots lobbying. At 10am we will carpool to the capitol building where we will talk with legislators about Ban the Box and the Family Care Act. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please wear red or a 9to5 shirt!

See you under the gold dome!