Wisconsin Women in Government Board of Directors Stephanie Kundert President Arena Strategy Group, LLC Megan Purtell Vice President Purtell Marketing & Planning, LLC Lisa Davidson Secretary PRESS RELEASE November 21, 2014 Contact: Stephanie Kundert, 608-692-2822 WI Primary Health Care Association Kara Kratowicz Treasurer WI Dept. of Children and Families Laura Smith Past President Office of Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca Bethany Anderson Office of WI Representative Joan Ballweg Rep. Kathleen Bernier 68th Assembly District Theola Carter WI Dept. of Workforce Development Pam Christenson Wisconsin Women in Government Announces 2015 Professional Development Series Multiple events will be held in lieu of annual Leadership Seminar for 2015 MADISON – Wisconsin Women in Government (WWIG) announced today that it will be holding a professional development series in 2015 as part of the organization’s efforts to improve its overall professional development program for which it has long been known. In 2015, a number of events will be held in place of the annual WWIG Leadership Seminar, which has been conducted since 2001 in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s LaFollette School of Public Affairs. Madison Gas & Electric Deborah Erwin Xcel Energy Lindsay Fedler WI Dept. of Financial Institutions Brooke Froelich Office of WI Senator Sheila Harsdorf Joylynn Gilles WI Manufacturing Extension Partnership Jennifer Gonda City of Milwaukee Melissa Horn WI Primary Health Care Association Cassandra Jurenci Office of WI Senator Fred Risser Eileen Mallow Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation Teague Mawer WI Dept. of Justice Willa Panzer Wisconsin Technical College System Kara Pennoyer Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling Lisa Schultz WI DATCP Kimberly Shaul National Guardian Life Insurance Co. Kelli Thompson “Based on feedback we’ve received from graduates of our annual seminar, we wanted to try something different for 2015 that will offer a much broader and more diverse approach to helping women in government develop the necessary skills for career advancement,” said WWIG President Stephanie Kundert. “What we envision for 2015 is offering different professional development events, each of which will focus on developing a unique skill – communications, for example. Attendees at these events will be able to interact with highly-experienced professionals who can provide guidance and suggestions to those looking to improve their own skills.” The inaugural event, Leading Women, is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at the University of Wisconsin’s Pyle Center. It will feature a panel of women executives who will discuss how they reached the highest leadership role with their respective employers and offer management guidance to attendees. Additional details are pending, and interested attendees are encouraged to check WWIG’s website at www.wiscwomeningovernment.org or Facebook page for updates and to register for upcoming professional development events in 2015. “Having been in existence for almost 28 years now, there are still a number of women who work in government service and are unfamiliar with Wisconsin Women in Government and the programs we offer,” said Kundert. “We had a record number of applicants interested in our annual Leadership Seminar last year, and we could only accept a fraction of them into the program. After thoughtful consideration “among our board members, we felt this new approach to our professional development program for 2015 would be a great way to introduce more women around the state to our organization while helping them enhance their skills and abilities for advancement in their careers. We plan to offer the WWIG Leadership Seminar again in 2016.” WI State Public Defender’s Office Diane Welsh von Briesen & Roper, s.c Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa 8th Assembly District Wisconsin Women in Government was founded in 1987 to celebrate and support the talented women who choose a career in government service. Through the generous support of our sponsors over the past 27 years, WWIG has raised over $1 million to support our scholarship and professional development programs. For more information about WWIG and our programs, please visit WWIG’s website at: www.wiscwomeningovernment.org. ###