Share YOUR Story
The League believes the best way to gain knowledge and develop new leaders in local government is to share our stories. We want to help inspire young women to seek a career and advance to their highest potential in local government. How can YOU help? Share YOUR story of how YOU made it to the City Manager, Police Chief, ACM or department head post! Or, if you are earlier in your career, share what has been helpful as you advance in your career. Believe it or not hearing and seeing what a career CAN be is essential for young people in our business. Finally, if you are not in local government, but are a writer and write about building confidence in women, women’s career advice, or related topics – submit a guest blog post.
The guest articles on our site have been written by women AND MEN and have ranged from short (about 350 words) to long (over 1000 words). We ask that the blogger give us their best photo (jpeg format) headshot so we can include on the website, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Or we can use a stock photo that relates to your topic. Not sure what you should write about? Here are the topics of some recent posts:
- Empowering spouse and kids at home so mom can be the Manager, Director, Deputy Chief, Chief, etc. in local government.
- Embracing diversity within organizations for the future of cities.
- Being in transition between jobs.
- Being your own best advocate on pay increases and job assignments.
- Will hiring more female police officers defuse police violence.
- Bumping the glass ceiling.
- Choosing to remain a #2 (ACM) in a city/county.
- When are you ready for your next job – sooner than you think!
- Work/Life Balance for moms in local government.
- Planting seeds with elected officials about the value of gender diversity/balance.
Still not sure about a topic? Here are some additional suggested topics:
- The need for hiring more women in technical and/or typically male dominated fields – police, fire, engineering, etc.
- The challenges, humorous situations, etc. of both spouses working in government.
- Female mentors that have inspired you in your career and why.
- What’s the best way to recruit women to public safety, engineering, etc.
- How you’ve mentored/value of mentoring young women in local government.
- Interviewing tips for women applying for city/county manager jobs.
- Dynamics of good gender balance within your organization.
- How the workplace has changed since you began your career re: women’s opportunities.
- Repatriation to local government after paternity (Dad) leave.
- The importance of hiring a gender diverse executive team.
Remember, as the first female astronaut Sally Ride said, “You can’t be what you can’t see!” Your story helps others see what they CAN be.
For more information or to send us your guest blog post, email us at INFO@leagueofwomeningovernment.org.
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Guest Articles & LWG Interviews
League Symposium Featured Speaker: Liz O’Donnell on How Caring For Aging Parents Affects a Career
The Crisis Facing America's Working Daughters Many are familiar with the challenges faced by working moms, but the troubles of women with aging parents are unseen and widely ignored. By Liz O'Donnell, Author, Mogul, Mom [...]
Guest Bloggers Leisha DeHart-Davis, PhD & Tope Olofintuyi on Gender Mainstreaming the Local Government Workplace
How can local governments create gender-inclusive workplaces? By Leisha DeHart-Davis, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & Tope Olofintuyi, Research Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill How can local governments create gender-inclusive workplaces? [...]
Guest Blogger Ashley Jacobs on Suggested Items For Your Coping Mechanisms Toolbox
By Ashley Jacobs, local government executive, South Carolina I was honored to speak on a panel with two other women entitled, “You Have What It Takes to be a Resilient Leader” at the ICMA Regional [...]
Guest Blogger Leelannee Malin on The Rules of Engagement for Women in Networking
Just Give Me Five: The Rules of Engagement for Women in Networking By Leelannee K. Malin, PhD - Principal & CEO, Malin PR I received a group email from an associate whom I had collaborated on [...]
Guest Blogger: Dr. Frank Benest on the Magic Behind High-Performance Teams
By Frank Benest, ICMA Liaison for Next Generation Initiatives I’m a mid-career manager in a large water district. The division team that I supervise is involved in water conservation and recycling programs. I also lead [...]
Governing Institute’s Julia Burrows on Gender Parity’s Untapped Economic Potential
Growing the power of women in the workforce is about more than fairness. It could add trillions to our economy, and a new report shows the way. by Julia Burrows, Director of the Governing Institute [...]