How PCWP is Demystifying the Political Campaign
Dana Brown, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics, Assistant Professor of Political Science
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When Dana Brown, Ph.D., first came to Chatham in her role as executive director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics (PCWP), she was frustrated with the lack of women and diversity in political positions in Pennsylvania. “I started to think, how can we as an institution support a political intervention? I was simultaneously working in my current role and finishing up my dissertation at Rutgers University where the first center for women in politics was formed in the seventies, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). Through that center, they run a lot of programs, and I proposed that we bring their Ready to Run Program here to Chatham and to Pennsylvania."
The Ready to Run program is an education-based training that prepares individuals to be involved in political campaigns at all levels. Currently in its tenth year at Chatham, it focuses on empowering women to run for office or get involved in the political sphere.
“We truly aim to make the Ready to Run program accessible and use it to demystify the political process and landscape. It aims to both to educate and empower, and to meet you where you are.”
Throughout its time, the program has fostered many successes, hosting individuals such as U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan, one of the four current Pennsylvania congresswomen, who attended the program in 2017 and returned later as a keynote speaker. The initiative is also proud to boast state legislators, Leanne Krueger and Val Gaydos, and Allegheny County judges, Nicola Henry-Taylor and Eleanor Bush. Through this success and generous funding from donors, PCWP was able to expand the program to the Philadelphia region in recent years and further serve individuals across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Brown attributes Ready to Run's success to the unique accessibility that it offers. “It’s a truly non-partisan program, and we value each participant’s time and treasure which is why we have made it free and accessible by holding it virtually over the workday lunch hour. We don’t want to create any more barriers than those that already exist in getting women involved in politics.” Participants of this year’s program can expect to hear from exceptional speakers such as National Pollster Celinda Lake, a researcher focused on gender dynamics in campaigns, and walk away with invaluable campaign skills such as fundraising and successful communications.
“Through these skills-building workshops, we really are trying to teach folks the skills necessary to be successful on the campaign trail and ultimately close the gender leadership gap across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
The 2022 Ready to Run program is free and open to all members of the public and will be offered virtually on Fridays from 12:30-1:30 pm starting January 21 and continuing through February 9. To view the full schedule of events and register for the series, please visit the PCWP website. To learn more about Chatham’s commitment to promoting Women’s Leadership and Gender Equity, go here.