Women's Campaign Forum

Jennifer Lawless the Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, where she specializes in women and politics, public opinion, and statistics. Her current research focuses on political ambition and the manner in which gender affects the decision to run for office. Ms. Lawless has authored articles that have appeared or are forthcoming in American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Women and Politics.
Ms. Lawless graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, with a B.A. in political science. She went on to receive an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. A nationally recognized expert on women’s involvement in politics, she is the co-author(with Richard L. Fox) of the book, It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office. She has also published articles in various political science journals and has issued a policy report on the barriers that oftentimes preclude Americans from running for office.

Jill Kargman is a New York-based writer who captures the city lifestyle eloquently in her playful, humerous prose. Using her own life experiences of breaking into the literature world as her inspiration, she and her writing partner, Carrie Karasyov, wrote the 2000 Sundance film Intern about their struggles. Their two subsequent novels, The Right Address and Wolves In Chic Clothing were New York Times bestsellers and have been published in 8 languages. The duo also wrote two young adult books, Bittersweet Sixteen and Summer Intern, followed by 2008’s Jet Set.

Ms. Kargman’s freelance work includes over ten shows for MTV, including episodes of MTV: Ultrasound and So Five Minutes Ago. She has written over 100 articles that have appeared in magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview, Town & Country, British GQ, Elle, Teen Vogue, style.com, and Travel + Leisure, and has also written several solo novels, including Momzillas and The Ex Mrs Hedgefund. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Yale University.

Dierdre “Dede” Scozzafava was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998. She served four years as a Village of Gouverneur Trustee and was Mayor of the Village of Gouverneur from 1993 until her election to the Assembly.

Within the Assembly, she serves on committees on Bank, Ethics and Guidance, Rules, and Ways and Means. She is also the ranking minority member on the Energy Committee. She is widely known for her bipartisan approach to governance and has long been a vocal advocate for Northern New York, working to address the diverse needs of the community’s citizens. She has served as a member of the Manufacturing Task Force and the Hunting and Fishing Task Force, and has held hearings for the Task Force on Agriculture. As chairwoman of the SAVE NY Task Force, the assemblywoman traveled throughout New York state to meet with various constituencies to develop and improve ways to protect New York’s women and children from domestic abuse and sexual violence. A number of the proposals resulting from this task force, including civil confinement of sex offenders and stiffer penalties under Megan’s Law, have been adopted as legislation.

Assemblywoman Scozzafava is a member of the Gouverneur Business Women, an associate member of the Gouverneur Arts Club, the Thousand Island Girl Scouts Council and the St. Lawrence County Farm Bureau. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Boston University School of Management and a Masters in Business Administration from the Clarkson Graduate School of Management.

Susannah Wellford Shakow is the Co-Founder and President of Running Start, an educational non-profit aimed at encouraging young girls and women to become involved in politics. She is also the former President and co-founder of Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC). She is an attorney, formerly practicing legislative law as an associate with Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand. Previous work experience includes serving as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Wyche Fowler (D-GA), working in both the policy and communications offices in the White House on President Clinton’s Health Care Initiative. She graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1990, and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998.

Gloria A. Totten is the founder and president of Progressive Majority, a national multi-issue organization dedicated to recruiting and electing progressive champions at the state and local levels. She created Progressive Majority in 2001, first focusing on electing progressive champions to the U.S. Congress. It has developed into what is now the most comprehensive national progressive candidate recruitment program in the nation. Since launching this vanguard program in 2004, Progressive Majority has elected 375 progressives to office, and helped flip control of six state legislative chambers, 40 local governments, four statewide positions and one statewide government. Under Ms. Totten’s leadership, Progressive Majority has recruited and elected progressives in Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

Ms. Totten has managed independent campaigns for more than 75 congressional races. She served as Political Director for NARAL from 1996-2001, Executive Director for Maryland NARAL from 1993-1996 and, prior to that, worked as a political and community organizer for many campaigns and organizations in her home state of Minnesota. She is chair of the board of directors for the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and Brave New Films, and serves on the board of directors for Spotlight Analysis. Ms. Totten is an advisory committee member for the Drum Major Institute Scholars Program, ProgressNOW, Wellstone Action and the Women’s Information Network. She was named a “Rising Star of Politics” in 2002 by Campaigns & Elections magazine and was awarded the “Progressive Champion Award” by Campaign for America’s Future and the “Progressive Leadership Award” by Midwest Academy in 2006.

Terri Sewell is running for U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama’s 7th District. If elected, Terri would be the first woman to serve in Congress from Alabama. Terri was born and raised in Selma and her family has deep roots in the 7th District. Terri has distinguished herself professionally as one of the only black public finance lawyers in the State of Alabama, and the first black female partner at her firm. As a lawyer, Terri helped to raise money for public projects for some of the state’s most under-served public entities, including the City of Selma, Dallas County Water Authority, and Lowndes County Board of Education. Terri has made community service a cornerstone of her law career and her personal life and has served on the boards of numerous community organizations. She hopes to bring her community-minded spirit and financial acumen to Congress in 2010. Ms. Sewell holds a Masters degree from Oxford University and attended Harvard Law School.

The Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which Ms. Lee created and leads, is recognized nationally for investing in change. The foundation supports progressive initiatives in two program areas: women in politics and the contemporary arts. Over the past eight years, the Foundation has conceived, directed and provided funding for projects in these two areas. A former school teacher and social worker, Lee has committed herself to helping women gain and use political power as elected officials, activists, and voters. Ms. Lee has leveraged her belief in empowering young women by endowing the Barbara Lee Political Intern Fellowship Program at Simmons College as part of her overall mission to promote women’s full political participation. Her other major political endowment, the Barbara Lee Women in U.S. Politics Training Program and Lecture Series at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, serves to train women for electoral office in the United States. As a member of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Lee’s substantial leadership pledge launched the capital campaign to build the new Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) – the city’s first new art museum in nearly a century. She is a founding chair of the contemporary arts program at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and an avid supporter of public art, including the Boston Women’s Memorial and the Arts on the Point sculpture garden at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Ms. Lee is a graduate of Simmons College.

Betsy was elected to Congress on November 4th, 2008. She has represented the people of the Fourth Congressional District since January 6th, 2009. Betsy is focused on bringing fiscal responsibility back to Washington, rebuilding America’s economy, creating and restoring jobs in Colorado, strengthening Colorado’s transportation systems and infrastructure, creating a lasting energy plan for our country, and keeping Colorado’s farming and ranching heritage strong.

Stacey Newman was elected to the 73rd District of the Missouri House of Representative in November 2009. She currently serves on three committees in the Missouri House: Healthcare and Transformation, Administration and Accounts and Appropriations – General Administration. Prior to her public service, Stacey was the executive director and a founder of Harriett’s List, a statewide PAC in honor of Harriett Woods. Stacey has repeatedly taken action by fighting for true progressive policies, equality and justice. As a former union member, Stacey traveled to Congress with a 15 state contingent to lobby for the Employee Free Choice Act in September 2009. Stacey has also lobbied and testified in the state capitol for bi-partisan domestic violence protections, pay equity, the ERA and non-discrimination housing and employment legislation. In November 2005, Stacey served as a consultant to the St. Louis Women’s Lawyer’s Association, helping to elect the first all women slate to the county, city and appellate commissions of the Missouri Judicial Commission. Stacey has served on the board of directors of Central Reform Congregation, Congregation Temple Israel, PROMO PAC Board, the Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition Educational Fund and the National Women’s Political Caucus of Metropolitan St. Louis. A former teacher, Stacey taught speech and theatre at the American School in London and then later taught at Congregation Temple Israel Preschool. She received two bachelor degrees from Emporia State University in fine arts and education.