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Wisconsin Women Forward 2005 Recap

Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton marches on the
Capitol Square in Madison. Photo: Mike DeVries/
The Capitol Times

On March 22, 2005, Barbara Lawton, the first woman elected Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin , welcomed nearly 800 participants to an historic statewide convention for women - the first in nearly 40 years - with the purpose of “raising the grade for the women in our state.” The day began with a report from leaders of the Youth Summit, a gathering of 400 young women held a day prior to the convention. Young leaders shared enthusiasm and appreciation for the encouragement they received from government and judicial leaders in pursuing government and political careers.

Next, the work of the convention began with deep briefings by project leaders in 4 concurrent sessions focused on the building block issues of WW=P – Economic Sufficiency, Health, Safety & Well-being, Educational Achievement and Leadership and Political Participation. Each participant received 12 Take Action papers (3 for each of the issues) – brief, powerful guides for changing policies and practices that will result in “raising the grade” for Wisconsin women.

Later, in the afternoon, policy breakthroughs in the building block issues morphed into a geographic strategy for mobilizing solutions to insure progress for women. 12 simultaneous meetings brought together leaders for new Regional Solutions Networks. Planning was begun in each session to discuss the issues and Take Action Papers – and to identify additional stakeholders and core conveners for each region. Participants were encouraged to use an “organic” approach and choose among issue-related priorities while devising the strategies most suited to their own communities. Facilitators from these sessions then joined Lt. Governor Lawton at the podium in a general session to share “next steps” for their regional activity.

Lunch and Lessons in the middle of the day featured remarks from Lois Quam, chief executive officer of Ovations, a United Health Group company. Lois was senior advisor to the 1993 White House Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She reflected on the political, professional and personal aspects of her career and stressed the need for an integration of values in all aspects of our lives. A leader from the Lt. Governor’s Corporate Advisory Board provided a brief recap of The Corporate Advisory Board Summit held a day earlier and hosted by Covance Laboratories, Inc in which Advisors from 15 corporations shared effective practices in growing women’s participation and professional contributions within their companies.

In a uniquely planned partnership, convention sponsors provided a special segment following lunch in which they proved how “Profits Rise with Women’s Success.” Harley-Davidson presented “Optimizing Talent: Developing Women Leaders,” Johnson Controls presented “Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things” and Manpower presented “Success Strategies for women in Business.” Each of the three rooms was packed to capacity!

Wisconsin Women Forward 2005 ended with a spirited march to the State Capitol led by Lt. Governor Lawton. In the Capitol Rotunda, an enthusiastic bi-partisan group of legislators met marchers, listened to a brief recap of the day, and responded with universal support for WW=P.

On June 20, 2005, Lt. Governor Lawton will tell the story of “The Wisconsin Plan for Women” to a national audience at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research Conference in Washington D.C. sharing the groundswell experience of the women who have built WW=P including the unprecedented momentum as planning became action at Wisconsin Women Forward 2005!

Hear from some voices from Wisconsin Women Forward 2005… or delve into the archives to view the, Lt. Governor’s invitation to the day’s program and event 2005 Convention Sponsors.