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Special Edition Of Open Spaces: Women In Wyoming's Legislature

WYOMING PUBLIC MEDIA

Welcome to a special edition of Open Spaces from Wyoming Public Radio News. We bring you a conversation about Women in the Wyoming Legislature…and why there are so few of them. This panel was recorded live earlier this year at the Leap Into Leadership conference, in conjunction with Leadership Wyoming Class of 2016. We’ll hear about some of the barriers that women face when they want to run for office.

We’ll discuss why it’s important to have women in the legislature, and how we can better encourage women to run for office. 

The Forum was also live-streamed on YouTube. Watch the video below.

Panelists 

Sen. Bernadine Craft (D): Bernadine Craft is a Democratic legislator in the Wyoming Senate representing Senate District 12 in Sweetwater County and serving as the Senate Minority Whip. She is the executive director for the Sweetwater Board of Cooperative Educational Services, an adjunct instructor at Western Wyoming Community College, and the priest at Holy Communion Episcopal Church in Rock Springs. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Rep. Ruth Ann Petroff (R): Ruth Ann Petroff is a Republican legislator in the Wyoming House of Representatives, representing House District 16 in Teton County. She also owns and manages the Snake River Roasting Company, an organic coffee roaster in Jackson, WY. 

Dr. James King: Dr. Jim King is a political scientist and professor at the University of Wyoming. He is a co-author of the book The Equality State: Government and Politics in Wyoming and has published numerous scholarly articles on the presidency and American state politics. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. 

Joan Barron: Joan Barron covered the state legislature during her 45 years as a journalist for the Casper Star Tribune. She is currently retired in Cheyenne, WY, but still writes a weekly column for the Casper Star Tribune. 

Marguerite Herman: Marguerite Herman is a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters and serves on the board for Wyoming LWV. She taught secondary English and was a newswoman for The Associated Press in South Carolina and Wyoming. She is a trustee on the board of Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne and has been an occasional columnist for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 

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