Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy 
Within the Community Engagement category of the Bolder Way Forward is the “Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy” spoke. This area of focus includes three working groups. First, political representation focuses on electing women for public office at the municipal, district, county, state, and national levels. Second, civic representation centers on increasing the number and percentages of women on state and local boards, commissions, and committees. And third, the work in this spoke will also focus on expanding civic education and increasing engagement and advocacy among the women of Utah. To learn more, check out the resource box below.
Spoke Leaders
Becki Wright
CEO, Proximity
LinkedIn Profile
Becki Wright is the Founder & CEO of Proximity. She is a seasoned fundraiser, development professional, and campaign consultant. She strives to solve political campaign inefficiencies by removing barriers to entry.
Nina Barnes
Board Member, Utah Women Run
LinkedIn Profile
Nina Barnes is a community champion and passionate advocate for education, politics, and empowering underserved populations. She drives positive change with a commitment to success and empowerment. Nina is a Policy Project board member and owns K&N Investments.
Karina Andelin Brown
Policy Analyst, Cache County
LinkedIn Profile
Karina is driven by the belief that collaborative action can shape a more equitable and vibrant future for all. She enjoys serving her community and Utah through her work in local government and advocacy.
Bold Vision & Goals
To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy spoke leaders and partners have crafted the vision and goals below.
Vision: Have equal representation of women and men in political roles, boards and commissions, and as advocates in all spaces.
Goals:
- Increase female candidates and elected officials in Utah.
- Increase female candidate representation in municipal elections 12% by 2026 and 25% by 2030. [Metric Dashboard]
- Increase female elected officials in municipal and county elections, including mayors (by 25 women in 2030), city/town council seats (by 118 women in 2030), and county commissioners/council members (by 11 women by 2030). [Metric Dashboard]
- Maintain parity of school district boards. [Metric Dashboard]
- Increase female elected officials in state-level positions, including state senate seats (increase by 3 women in 2030), house of representatives (increase by 7-8 women by 2030), and executive roles (2 of 5 seats by 2030). [Metric Dashboard]
- Maintain parity of the State Board of Education elected seats. [Metric Dashboard]
- Increase women appointed to Utah state boards and commissions from by 10% in 2030 (a total increase of about 300 women). [Metric Dashboard]
- Foster a 15% increase in engagement of women and male allies within advocacy and civic engagement partner organizations by 2030. [Metric Dashboard]
- Change Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas: [Metric Dashboard]
- If a woman were to serve in a political role, it would negatively impact her family. [Decrease agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
- Women are well suited for elected political positions. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
- I understand how to get involved in civic activities. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
- I engage in efforts important to the wellbeing of my community. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
Thriving Statement: Women and girls thrive when they can live in a society where the views, priorities, and needs of women, girls, and families are equally represented and valued.
- What Utahns Need to Know
- Informational Video
- Spoke Introduction Podcast
- Living Room Conversation Guide
Partners
Sub-Spoke Leaders
- Boards/Commissions: Brooke Scheffler (Director of Boards and Commissions, Office of the Governor, State of Utah) & Ann Mackin (Founder and President, Springboard Utah)
- Civic Engagement/Advocacy: Gina Timmerman (Board Member, Utah Women Run & Women’s Work Utah)
- Political Representation: Bettina Smith Edmondson (City Councilwoman, Layton City), LeAnn Wood (Board Member, Utah State School Board District 4) & Sui Lang Panoke (Founder, Rethink International)
Working Group Leaders
- Communications: Jennifer Weaver & Annie Studer
- Research: TBD
What You Can Do
Participate in trainings and workshops focused on civic engagement and advocacy. Share these opportunities with women you know, and help them discover their advocacy passions.
Nominate qualified women to serve on municipal, county, and state boards, commissions, and committees. Review the Utah Women & Leadership Project’s Utah Boards and Commissions webpage to find links to potential opportunities.
Encourage three women each month within your spheres of influence to run for public elected office at the local or state levels. Share resources including this webpage and the Utah Women Run webpage, as well as the Women’s Leadership Institute’s Political Development Series.
Get Engaged: Ways to get engaged include political representation (running for office or supporting a woman who is running, attending your caucus and running as a party delegate); boards & commissions (participating in the UWLP demographic tracking info for boards and commissions, building the pipeline of female leaders on boards and commissions by encouraging good leaders to apply for appointment); and civic engagement & advocacy (joining an advocacy organization for an issue you support and actively participate, encouraging female youth to participate in youth city councils, school government, ambassador programs, and in civic/advocacy groups). Thank you for your interest!
Britney McCausland
Spoke Coordinator
LinkedIn Profile
Envelope
britneym.bwf@gmail.com