Late in 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a trio of reports that found women were underrepresented in federal government leadership positions.
For example, the EEOC research found American Indian and Alaska Native women were proportionately represented among managers and supervisors in federal government, but account for just 0.4% of the executive ranks, disproportionate to their overall presence in the federal workforce.
A group of Massachusetts state leaders recently convened at the University of Massachusetts’ Amherst campus to discuss how to address the gender gap in leadership roles not just at the federal level, but across all levels of government.
As reported by WWLP in Springfield, Mass., the recent UMass Women into Leadership (UWiL) Fireside Chat focused on public service leadership, and featured several female luminaries from Massachusetts government. Held on March 29, the event was moderated by Cassie McGrath ’21, a UWiL alumna and healthcare reporter for the Boston Business Journal. The panel included:
- Kim Driscoll, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor
- Yvonne Hao, Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development
- Melissa Hoffer, Massachusetts Climate Chief
- Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation
- Kate Walsh, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services
Based in UMass’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UWiL offers leadership training and professional development designed to “prepare students from the state’s flagship public university for public leadership,” according to the school.
“By introducing these students to current leaders and providing opportunities for them to see firsthand the benefits of public service, UWiL provides models and pathways into leadership,” according to UMass Amherst, “all while helping to address the gender gaps in politics and creating a pipeline from public education into public service.”
At the March 29 event, the assembled state government leaders shared their professional experiences and espoused the benefits of a career in public service, government or politics, WWLP reported.
For example, Lieutenant Gov. Driscoll stressed the key role that internship programs play in helping women gain experience and build their professional networks within the field of public service.
Driscoll also expressed her belief that events such as this chat would help address the gender gap in public sector leadership, and touted the panel’s achievements in Massachusetts state government.
“We’re the first all-female team to lead the Commonwealth, so we’re hoping to make [progress] on having more women involved,” Driscoll told attendees. “We know how important it is to have women around the table, whether it is the corporate table or Congress, to make decisions that impact peoples’ lives.”
16 April 2024
Category
HR News Article
