As the National Program Manager at VoteRunLead, I am a proud southern woman that resides full time in Little Rock, Arkansas. The work that I have accomplished with VoteRunLead has been encouraging in too many ways to list but in this article, I’d like to focus on the importance of rural women running for office, since that topic is near and dear to my heart, and how VoteRunLead is going to get them there.  

VoteRunLead trains women to run for office and win. We are proudly nonpartisan and work to reach all women. Our mission is to share our message that women are ready to run for office as they are, where they are. 

Living in the south, I can be in a rural community in any direction in about half an hour. On a personal note, my own family originated in a rural Arkansas town where they farmed for many years. I like to take the time each year to drive out to the old homestead in Rondo, Arkansas to make sure that I don’t forget my rural roots. I make it a top priority to engage with the rural women in my home state. Sometimes all they need to hear is that they are ready to run as they are, WHERE they are. Knowing that someone else believes in you can be the tipping point to launching a campaign, so I am dedicated to spreading this message to rural women.

 Working with such a successful organization as VoteRunLead on the national level, I am always in awe of the network reach that we are able to provide and access. Being one of the leading women’s political training powerhouses in the United States, it is important to highlight that we are the only national women’s political training powerhouse that has a Rural Women’s Initiative. 

As I have spent time certifying and recruiting our trainers, I always share that we never script our trainers because we want them to follow our mantra and to train as they are. That being said, I do ask them to share with our trainees that they are ready right now to run as they are, where they are.  I tell them this because we want our trainees to know that VoteRunLead recognizes the importance of rural women running for office and we are committed to meeting their needs by coming to them in their rural communities.

 It is this commitment that has led me to Pine Bluff, Arkansas to attend the RuralRISE conference sponsored by the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP). As a proud Arkansan, I was touched that this national conference chose Arkansas as its home for this year’s annual conference. Pine Bluff, Arkansas is a historic agricultural town that has made huge strides in reinvigorating its economic development, much to the credit of organizations like Go Forward Pine Bluff & Main Street Arkansas. 

Arkansas, Pine Bluff, and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)  put its best foot forward in educating the conference attendees on rural community, rural life, and rural issues. Focusing specifically on rural entrepreneurship, I was able to hear from rural visionaries such as Nathan Ohle (Rural Community Assistance Partnership, CEO), Mayor Shirley Washington (Pine Bluff, AR), Enoch Elwell (Costarters), Joe Kapp (NCRD), Governor Asa Hutchinson (AR), Martha Miller (US Securities & Exchange Commission), Tricia Van Order (International Trade Administration), Emily Miller (Economic Development Agency, Chris Caldwell (Delta Regional Authority, Chairman), and WinRock International. 

We have heard the call from rural women and in response, VoteRunLead is prioritizing rural women by creating curriculum specifically for rural women running for office as well as enlisting the nation’s top rural trainers throughout the country. One of our top VoteRunLead rural certified trainers, Teresa Kitteride (MN), joined me in Arkansas at RuralRISE where she is advancing her education in rural issues to better advance rural women throughout the country. Teresa is the perfect example of how our trainers are committed and take the extra steps to better themselves to bring you top resources & training when you decide to launch your political campaign. 

 I am excited to share that VoteRunLead’s rural tour does not just end here at the RuralRISE conference, we will also be at the Rural Women’s Summit in Greenville, SC with an all-star team including: Erin Vilardi (CEO/Founder, VoteRunLead), VoteRunLead National Certified Trainers Nevada LittleWolf & Prairie Rose Seminole, & VoteRunLead Advisory Board Member Piper Perabo. 

Rural women, now is your time and we have heard your call.