Leadership catalyst program expands

The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is bringing a program to the south side of the region aimed at getting more women appointed and elected to office.

The chamber is partnering with the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to bring Appointed 101 training to Northern Kentucky. A free workshop will be held 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 17 at the NKY chamber offices in Fort Mitchell.

Appointed is a non-partisan initiative that identifies opportunities for women to serve on civic boards and commissions.

“The Women’s Fund is excited to partner with the NKY Chamber to host Appointed 101 training this year,” said Alicia Miller, the Women’s Fund’s executive director. “In Northern Kentucky, 73.5% of civic board and commission seats are filled by men and only 26.2% are filled by women. We are eager to share our research to inspire women in the region to take an active role in government, and we hope to build common interest in reaching gender parity on the area’s civic boards and commissions.”

Appointed 101 is a half-day training session that will teach the nuts and bolts of civic engagement and board service, including how to get a seat at the table, how decisions are made and how they can effectively serve their community.

“We encourage women from all backgrounds to join us,” said Ashleigh DuBois, director of DEI for the NKY Chamber. “We hope this session educates, inspires and encourages women in Northern Kentucky so that they can more effectively represent and serve their communities in leadership roles.”

Women in leadership make a difference, and the value of this initiative is in the diversity of its participants, Miller said. Civic leadership should reflect the communities in which they serve, and Appointed was launched to address the fact that women today – especially women of color – are deeply underrepresented on public board seats in our region, Miller said.

Registration is required by March 13 and is available at NKYChamber.com/appointed. Lunch is included with registration, and space is limited.

Those unable to attend the workshop on March 17 are encouraged to connect with the Women’s Fund and join the Appointed mailing list to learn about other opportunities to get involved.

To learn more about the Women’s Fund, visit CincinnatiWomensFund.org.