Alabama women are climbing the leadership summit.
Auburn's Women's Leadership Institute in the College of Liberal Arts is sponsoring "Alabama Women Running and Winning," designed for women seeking to run for public office. The institute is bringing 25 female candidates seeking office to Auburn May 6.
"We intend to create a solid network for women who are serious about running or supporting women to run," said Barbara Baker, executive director of the Women's Leadership Institute.
The summit will last all day and feature women from major political parties.
Women who have successfully run for office will also be featured.
The purpose of the summit is to bring awareness to the lack of females in office.
Alabama is ranked 48th in the United States for the number of women holding public office positions.
Auburn's Women's Leadership Institute, Vision 2020 and 2012 Project are coordinating the summit.
"The three groups will work together to offer realistic advice and support for women running and to build a network to support these women," Baker said.
Participants were sent invitations by various women's groups such as Alabama Women's Initiative, American Association of University Women, Women of Will and the Women's Fund.
"We are training women to run and campaign and to win them," said Janet Beilstein, Alabama representative for Vision 2020. "We have people coming from several parties\0xAD--the Democrats, Republicans and libertarians."
Vision 2020 is a national program with the goal of having a 50 percent representation of women in public office by the year 2020.
"We have been focusing on targeting women who are running for public office," Beilstein said. "So we can change the items that are brought up on the agenda for possible legislation and hopefully determine outcomes."
Vision 2020 has delegates in all states and the District of Columbia, Beilstein said.
"They are all working on various aspects of trying to advance women into leadership roles and to strengthen their voice and their decision-making abilities to get on corporate boards, volunteer boards," Beilstein said.
The 2012 Project is part of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Their goal is to elect as many women as possible in the upcoming 2012 election.
"Women candidates clearly have the best interest in the community and society at heart because of the way they see the world," Beilstein said. "It is not just about them. Because women have roles as nurturers, they are not just voting for themselves; they are voting for their kids; they are voting for what is best for their families."
In October, the Women's Leadership Institute is having a summit featuring Marie Wilson, executive director for the White House Project.
The White House Project is an organization that works to encourage women into politics at the local, state and national levels.
"We are working for women to have a greater say in the governing say in this country," Beilstein said. "Women represent 51 percent of the population, and yet the percentage of women that are presented in decision making bodies is much lower than their proportional representation in the population."
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