GUEST COLUMN.
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: HOPE IN POLARIZATION
By Liz Steward, VP Marketing & Research at Envisio
Ten months ago, I was waiting to present to an early-morning, buzzing room of around fifty people at the Alliance for Innovation (AFI) Vision Council. On other similar occasions, I would have described myself as “nervously” waiting; but in this case, I was simply too exhausted to be anxious.
My six-year-old daughter had been in and out of the hospital having suffered serious complications from a late-diagnosed bout of Scarlet Fever. It is with enormous relief that I can now say my daughter has fully recovered. But, as I waited my turn to address the room that morning, it wasn't clear how long it would be until she would be back on her feet–quite literally– and kicking a soccer ball around on weekends.
Despite my family challenges, I desperately wanted to be there. Not only because Ron Holifield —a friend, collaborator, and mentor for so many—had asked me to be, but because the discussion felt deeply important and urgent. The subject before the Vision Council was polarization.
My job was to follow one of AFI’s brilliant futurists at the podium and talk about practical steps to building trust during polarized times. But I also wanted to speak about the Inspirational Women in Local Government (IWLG) series.
As an illustration of just how polarized we had become, I shared some of the generous, thoughtful, often exuberant things some people had written to me in the early days of the series. And then I shared some of the decidedly less than exuberant. Not to collectively wring hands about people’s ignorance, but to highlight how polarization is everywhere and attached to almost all things.
Not once, in the early days of the series did I consider what I was doing to be some sort of political statement. To me, it was a wholly positive endeavor. Not intended to pit men against women, but rather to celebrate women’s achievements in an industry where few make it to the top. It was an opportunity to learn and grow from their journeys, and to highlight the importance of female role models. Not just for our daughters, but for all of us—our sons, too.
I worried about submitting a photo of my daughter for this column, fearing that casual scrollers would presume this was a piece focused on how we owe it solely to our daughters to do better. It’s not that I don’t think we should consider the future we’re building for our girls, but rather I believe we owe it to ourselves, as participating members of society, to understand and remove the barriers that women face in the workplace. We all reap the benefits of having more balance in leadership roles. They are numerous, well documented, and they go ignored to our collective detriment.
Rather, my logic for including a photo of Abby was that as long as I used a small part of her story, I wanted to emphasize the idea that she deserved to be seen as a more complete person. One of the guiding principles behind IWLG is “celebrating and learning from inspirational women as whole people.”
A Moment in Time
The polarization-themed Vision Council session took place in April 2024, and it would be tone deaf of me not to acknowledge where we are today. There is real anger—and now real action— towards anything that references diversity and equity.
This is not the place for political commentary from me, except to say I struggle with the idea that highlighting accomplishments of underrepresented groups is political. It shouldn’t be a political football. And for many now, supporting this work is now daunting, even frightening.
So it is with deep respect that I first thank my returning series partners: the League of Women in Government’s Pam Antil, Ron Holifield (formerly of Alliance for Innovation, and now innovating at Civic Marketplace) and Katherine Barett and Richard Greene at Barrett & Greene, Inc. I owe an additional thanks this year to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), for helping to grow our outreach for the nomination process.
Most importantly, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to nominate someone who inspired them. Many of these submissions were moving, and all were written with care, thought, and admiration.
Inspiration Lives On
It was a truly uplifting experience, reading through almost 70 nominations, learning about some of the transformative, genuinely life-changing programs being led by them.
Since we could only choose four women to showcase this month, I wanted to highlight some key themes and uplifting excerpts.
Digital Inclusion
Many nominees were put forward because of their work on digital inclusion and equitable access to services via technology.
We had one nominee who expanded broadband access to underserved communities. Other nominees developed online portals, apps, and digital outreach programs to ensure residents could more easily access government services.
Financial Stewardship & Accountability
Several nominees have transformed financial practices in their community, earning awards for budgeting and recognition for improving transparency.
Under their leadership, these women have secured millions of dollars in grants to:
Ensure clean, safe drinking water for the community
Improve pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure
Drive environmental sustainability programs
Assist with homelessness programs
Alleviate flood-prone areas
To name just a few.
Community Outreach
Many nominees have tackled the hard, unglamorous work of addressing systemic challenges. They build relationships to lead cross-sector teams and engage communities to listen, understand, and act.
A few examples (and just the tip of the iceberg) include women who:
Launched working groups to address homelessness.
Mobilized efforts to expand parks and recreation programing
Established partnerships with local colleges to introduce high school and college students to careers in public service.
Mentorship and Inspirational Leadership
Unsurprisingly, the most prominent theme running through the nominations was leadership. Many nominators wrote about how these women are creating environments that uplift others, provide active mentorship, and bring positivity, and meaningful change to staff and community members alike.
A few samples from the nominations:
"She has the rare ability to make people feel as though they are her sole focus and the most important person in the world. She makes those around her feel seen, heard, and appreciated."
“Her commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for future generations of women in local government makes her a deserving recipient of this recognition. She is a testament to the power of leadership to make a difference."
“Her leadership is rooted in action—whether it’s sweeping parade routes, cleaning animal shelter pens, or taking public calls during emergencies, she leads by example.”
Four Remarkable Women
What a task to choose just four women for this 2025 series.
In previous years, we have tried to align with the UN’s theme for International Women’s Day. We tweaked and shaped the questions for our honorees based on the changing topic to bring some fresh perspectives and new angles to the conversation.
This year, we’re focusing on hope, positivity, and celebration.
Polarization is hard to navigate. It stalls good work, stifles dialogue, and can feel dark wherever you stand on the political spectrum.
The four women we’ve chosen come from different regions and roles, each taking a unique path into public service. What unites them is their ability to inspire, and lead transformational change through collaboration in challenging times.
I hope you enjoy celebrating and learning with us and these four inspirational women who will be honored, beginning in early March on Barrett and Greene’s website at Greenebarrett.com
Happy International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.
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