Two 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

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

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.”

Beth 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 75^th 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.