Marie C. Wilson and the Women’s Leadership Gala
We followed up the Cheyenne event with a full-day celebration of women's leadership on Thursday, March 1st when Marie C. Wilson, founder of The White House Project, came to Laramie. The White House Project is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that supports and encourages women's leadership at all levels of government – from dogcatcher to city council to governor to president! Wilson is also the co-creator of Take-Our-Daughters-To-Work Day.
The success of the two afternoon events was only heightened by the “Women’s Leadership Gala” that evening. The standing-room-only event held at the Mona Lisa Ballroom in Laramie was as educational as it was inspiring. In the midst of wonderful food, drink, and conversation, young women from Professor Cathy Connolly’s Women and Public Policy course shared their recent research on the status of women and girls in Wyoming and reminded the crowd of just how much work still needs to be done.
Nancy Freudenthal, First Lady of the State of Wyoming and WyWF Board Member, then presented the Equipoise Fund’s statewide "Atta Girl" awards. The accomplishments of the three winners proved just what Wyoming women are capable of when given the opportunity and encouragement to succeed.
Richelle Keinath, Executive Director of WyWF took her turn at the podium, and urged everyone in attendance to play their part in ensuring a more equitable future for women and girls in the state by making a contribution to WyWF. She then introduced Wilson, and the energetic crowd had the first-hand opportunity to hear Wilson's insightful and entertaining remarks about the importance of electing women to political office. Wilson explained that while Wyoming still needs more female political representation, the history of women leaders in our state is an inspirational sign of what women can accomplish here in the future.
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