In the News

Cheyenne, Wyoming –  Expanding opportunities for women to be more involved in community and government is the mission of the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus (WyWLC), the host of the 18th annual leadership conference, February 26-27, 2025.

The Leap into Leadership Conference offers leadership development training and discussions targeted for women. It also provides an opportunity to meet with statewide leaders and policymakers, and encourages women to create the change they want to see on local and statewide levels.  

“It is our hope that we can continue to offer opportunities for Wyoming women to be an integral part of the leadership conversation and increase the number of leadership roles women hold in future years,” states WyWLC Board Member, Representative Sandy Newsome.

The event will open on Wednesday afternoon at the Historic Supreme Court in the Wyoming State Capitol. Our capitol is one of 20 state Capitols designated as a National Historic Landmark, largely due to the events that transpired in this Chamber in 1889 as Wyoming was seeking Statehood. The Constitutional Convention, held in the Historic Supreme Court focused on women’s suffrage, a right Wyoming women had held since 1869. “It was in this Chamber that representatives enshrined women’s suffrage within the Wyoming State Constitution,” states Representative Trey Sherwood. “This allowed Wyoming to become the first state to do so, making this one of the most historically significant chambers in the country.” 

WyWLC is excited to offer conference attendees keys and tips to moving down the path toward many different areas of leadership in the state of Wyoming. The conference will kick off with The White House Project’s former National Program Manager, Katie Groke, who will discuss campaigning and storytelling 101. Ms. Groke has an extensive background in recruiting and training women to run for office along with managing comprehensive communications campaigns. 

Continuing to celebrate women in our state and working to further support brighter futures for women in Wyoming, the WyoWLC is excited to be joined at our Legislative Reception and Dinner on February 26, 2025 by many incredible women across  Wyoming who will be enlightening us on “How we celebrate Women in Wyoming… in the past and today.”

The conference will resume on Thursday, Feb. 27 with “Coffee with Wyoming Legislators” at the Wyoming Capitol. Following coffee will be workshops covering topics on women making a difference, having your voice heard when you are the minority, and key issues on the minds of women in Wyoming.

“This will be the eighteenth year the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus has organized the Leap into Leadership Conference.  Each year we build a stronger event to support our mission of fostering female leadership in our great state,” said former Senator and WyoWLC Board Member, Affie Ellis.

The conference will conclude with attendees having the opportunity to tour the Capitol along with visiting the Wyoming House and Senate to observe Wyoming legislators at work. 

Registration and sponsorship information can be found at https://wyowlc.org/leap-into-leadership/.  Attending the entire two-day program is $105.  The cost for just the Leap into Leadership Legislative Reception and Dinner is $75. For more information, contact Annie Wood at 307-630-8940 or info@wyowlc.org.

The Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus is a non-partisan organization that advocates for greater participation of women in leadership roles across the state of Wyoming. The Caucus founded the Leap into Leadership Conference to inform, educate and engage Wyoming women in leadership roles in both the public and private sector.

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Cheyenne, Wyoming –  Expanding opportunities for women to be more involved in community and government is the mission of the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus (WyWLC), which will host the 17th annual leadership conference, February 21-22, 2024.

The Leap into Leadership Conference offers leadership development training and discussions targeted for women, provides an opportunity to meet with statewide leaders and policymakers, and encourages women to create the change they want to see on the local and statewide levels.

“It is our hope that we can continue to offer opportunities for Wyoming women to be part of the leadership conversation and increase the number of leadership roles women hold in future years,” states WyWLC Board Member, Representative Sandy Newsome.

The event will open on Wednesday afternoon at the Wyoming Capitol Complex with Deb Sofield joining the conference. Ms. Sofield is a dynamic speaker, speech coach, and President of Executive Speech Coaching Co., which trains women and men for success in different areas of communication in the United States and abroad.

“While joining us in Wyoming, Deb will be conducting an incredible 4-hour workshop for conference attendees focusing on public speaking presentation skills, crafting meaningful messages, how to be prepared with public challenges using crisis communication as well as offering tried and true techniques to develop confidence for all areas of life,” states former Wyoming Representative and WyWLC board member, Shelly Duncan.  “I have participated in workshops with Ms. Sofield in past years and she is absolutely amazing at what she does. I am a super fan.  What an incredible experience conference attendees will have the opportunity to take part in.”

WyoWLC is excited to have Ms. Deb Sofield also join us as our keynote speaker during the Legislative Banquet on February 21, 2024. Deb will enlighten us with her discussion on exciting lessons on the qualities of lasting leadership with history’s misfits, mavericks, renegades, and rascals. More information can be found by visiting www.wyowlc.org

“This will be the seventeenth year the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus has organized the Leap into Leadership Conference.  Each year we build a stronger event to support our mission of fostering female leadership in our great state,” said WyoWLC Board Member, Senator Affie Ellis.

The conference will resume on Thursday, Feb. 22 with “Coffee with Wyoming Legislators” at the Wyoming Capitol. Following this will include workshops where topics will cover the importance of serving on boards and commissions, the “now what’s” of the campaign process and key issues on the minds of women in Wyoming.

The conference will conclude with attendees having the opportunity to tour the Capitol along with visiting the Wyoming House and Senate to observe Wyoming legislators at work.

Registration information can be found at https://wyowlc.org/leap-into-leadership/.  Early Bird registration, ending January 19, 2024, for attending the entire program is $95.  Cost for just the Leap Legislative Reception and Dinner is $65. For more information, contact Annie Wood at 307-630-8940 or info@wyowlc.org.

The Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus is a non-partisan organization that advocates for greater participation of women in leadership roles across the state of Wyoming. The Caucus founded the Leap into Leadership Conference to inform, educate and engage Wyoming women in leadership roles in both the public and private sector.

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Cheyenne, Wyoming –  As 93 legislators begin work in January, Wyoming welcomes 44 incumbents and 34 new legislators to the Capitol, of which 21.5% percent are women, compared to 17 percent in 2022.  Although we are seeing a slight increase in women’s representation, this number is still quite low, especially considering that Wyoming is the “Equality State.”

Expanding opportunities for women to be more involved in local government is the mission of the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus, which will host the 16th annual leadership conference, February 22-23, 2023.

The Leap into Leadership Conference offers leadership development training and discussions targeted for women, provides an opportunity to meet with statewide leaders and policymakers, and encourages women to create the change they want to see on the local and statewide levels.  

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, Wyoming is among the 10 states in the nation with the lowest percentage of female legislators, despite the fact that it will be 21.5% this year.  “It is our hope that we can continue to change this statistic through offering opportunities for Wyoming women to be part of the leadership conversation and increase the number of leadership roles women hold in future years, states WyWLC Board Member, Representative Sandy Newsome.

“This will be the sixteenth year the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus has organized the Leap into Leadership Conference.  Each year we build a stronger event to support our mission of fostering female leadership in our great state,” said WyoWLC Board Member, Senator Affie Ellis.

The event will open on Wednesday afternoon at the Wyoming Capitol Complex with wellness and leadership workshops followed by the Leap into Leadership Legislative Reception and Banquet where guests will hear from former Wyoming Legislators, Bernadine Craft, Elaine Harvey, Jayne Mockler and Barabara Cubin.

Workshops will resume on Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Capitol Complex where topics will cover campaign planning, finance, and strategies for communicating with the press.

The conference will conclude with attendees having the opportunity to visit the Wyoming House and Senate to observe Wyoming legislators at work. 

Registration information can be found at https://wyowlc.org/leap-into-leadership/.  The cost for attending the entire program is $95.  Cost for just the banquet and reception is $50. For more information, contact Annie Wood at 307-630-8940 or info@wyowlc.org.

The Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus is a non-partisan organization that advocates for greater participation of women in leadership roles across the state of Wyoming. The Caucus founded the Leap into Leadership Conference to inform, educate and engage Wyoming women in leadership roles in both the public and private sector.

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