“Even if they don’t run for office, they usually all get involved in something politically and make a difference.”Ī resource such as Emerge Nevada can be vital in the struggle to see more diverse representation in elected offices. “Once they go through the program, they feel prepared,” Bilbray-Kohn said. That’s why I think Emerge has been really beneficial-because they go through the program and then they feel prepared to run.”Īccording to Emerge Nevada statistics, 41 percent of the program’s graduates either run for elected office or are appointed to local boards or commissions, and 60 percent of those who run for office are elected. We don’t just jump into things, and, in politics, a lot of times, people just jump in. “I think, as women, we want to have our homework done we want to be completely prepared. “They say that, on average, a woman has to be asked eight times before she’ll run,” Bilbray-Kohn said. ![]() The topics covered include communication, budgeting, debates, fundraising, and preparing to declare candidacy, among many other pertinent topics aimed at prepping the women to be able to win their races. The program offers women seven days of training over the course of several months. Another Emerge Nevada graduate, Dorie Guy, went on to become the current chairwoman for the Washoe County Democratic Party.Įmerge Nevada recruits potential female leaders but also has many seek it out while considering a future bid for office. … If you’re going to be a representative government, you have to have representation of gender as well.”Įmerge Nevada has already had an influence on local politics-elected officials such as Sparks City Council member Julia Ratti and Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung are graduates of the Emerge program. “In Nevada, we can all point to some very powerful women in some very high-profile political offices, but we’re still not even close to 20 percent. “We still are lacking equal representation of women in politics in the United States,” she said. The program boasts 13 alumni who have been elected to office following their time with Emerge.Įmerge Nevada Executive Director Erin Bilbray-Kohn founded the program to educate and motivate more Democratic women to run for public office. For the past five years, Emerge Nevada has trained Democratic women in Nevada who are interested in political leadership.
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