HARRISBURG – During the midterm elections, more women were running for office than ever before. The lucky ones had training and support from an organization like Emerge Pennsylvania. Now, the organization is looking for the next Executive Director to continue building a pipeline of Democratic women who are trained to run successful campaigns.
Each year, Emerge Pennsylvania selects a cohort of women for their training program. The program lasts for 6 months and hosts trainings on weekends in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Experienced politicos from across the Commonwealth serve as trainers and guest speakers, working with members of the Emerge program to workshop skills such as public speaking, media relations, field, endorsements, and fundraising.
“Emerge Pennsylvania elected 8 alumna to the state legislature this past cycle,” said Co-Founder, State Representative Tina Davis, “We’re excited to bring on a new Executive Director who can continue our record of success and continue our mission of recruiting and training top notch women candidates in PA.”
Emerge Pennsylvania is an affiliate of Emerge America, a national organization that is currently in 25 states. The organization has been in Pennsylvania since 2015 and has graduated three cohorts in that time.
“Pennsylvania politics is incredibly complex and differs greatly by the region,” said Co-Founder, State Representative Mary Jo Daley, “We are looking for someone to lead Emerge Pennsylvania who understands the nuances of our diverse state, has a strong background in the nuts and bolts of running for office, and can represent our organization no matter where they are in the state on a particular day.”
Interested candidates can learn more about the position on the Emerge Pennsylvania website.
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Since the first Emerge state was launched in 2002 Emerge has trained more than 4,000 Democratic women to run for office to date. Fifty-two percent of Emerge alumnae have run for office or been appointed to local boards or commissions. Of those who have run for office, 70 percent won. Additionally, Emerge has a strong record of diversity – forty percent of alumnae are women of color. Emerge Pennsylvania started in 2015 and graduated its first class of women in 2016. Follow Emerge Pennsylvania on Facebook for more updates on the program.