WCF Foundation set out to understand the status of women in the most influential state-level appointed roles with the launch of our research, "Unlocking the Cabinet: Where Women Stand in State Appointments and Where We Need Them to Go." The results revealed that gender equity in appointments is attainable-but requires a firm commitment from governors and their staff, partner organizations and women seeking appointments.

The Problem

• State-appointed officials shape the governor's agenda, exert significant rule-making authority and manage large portions of the state's budget-at the cabinet level in the average state, appointed leaders collectively manage an average $12.5 billion.
• Yet women hold just under 30 percent of appointed policy positions in the states, with little net improvement in the last 10 years
• At the state cabinet level, men outnumber women 2 to 1.  In some states, women hold no cabinet seats at all

Our Solution 

WCF Foundation swiftly turned insight into action-and launched the Appoint Her program to redress this imbalance.

The Goals of Appoint Her

• Help more women obtain state-level appointed positions, beginning with a pilot program in North Carolina
• Build a broader, more diverse candidate pool for state-level appointed positions
• Create a commitment to gender parity among gubernatorial candidates
• Increase public awareness of the importance and impact of appointed roles

The North Carolina Pilot Program

Appoint Her pilot aims to boost women's appointments among the 150-200 positions in the state.  North Carolina is an ideal location for a pilot because it has an open-seat gubernatorial election in 2008 and a large number of influential appointed board and commission roles. The program will:

• Act as a resource both for women interested in appointed leadership and all the gubernatorial candidates running in the open-seat 2008 election
• Identify and recruit the most talented, qualified women candidates for appointed office
• Counsel women candidates about the appointments process and prepare them to apply for appointed positions
• Build long-term, local commitment with a network of organizational partners, a steering committee and task forces all based on the ground in North Carolina

With a successful pilot completed, WCF Foundation plans to expand the program to other states in 2009, working as a national organization to support state and local partners with the year-round focus this effort merits.

Local Commitment...National Change

Within the next three years, anywhere from 20 to 47 of our nation's governors will transition out of office and pass the torch to new leaders. This turnover creates a tremendous opportunity to build a firm commitment to gender equity among gubernatorial candidates. And it opens the door to real advancement in women's appointments as a result.

Download the full report
Download the Executive Summary [coming soon]

Appoint Her is a program of the WCF Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. 

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