The Texas Chapter of Women Leading Government is pleased to announce the creation of the Texas Women’s Leadership Institute. The Institute is designed to empower and prepare more women for the position of city manager in the future. While Texas has had success in having women manage the largest cities in Texas, moving the needle in a more generalized manner has been slow. Currently, 21% of the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) membership is female and of the current 241 city managers working in home rule cities in Texas, 30 are female (12%). It is important to chart paths to the top role for women in local government. Texas is lagging behind a national average that was cited in two ICMA task force reports completed in 1975 and 2014, which documented that women only held 13% of the manager positions in the United States.
The TCMA Board approved funds to help The Texas Chapter of Women Leading Government (WLG) host an inaugural Texas Women’s Leadership Institute for 20 women who desire to become city managers. The Institute will be five sessions over the course of 10 months and offer a laser-focus approach to increasing women in the city management pipeline and include essential topics to be an effective city manager as well as explore successful leadership techniques. The sessions would include tours of city facilities and will bring in Texas experts in the fields of finance, planning, communications, economic development, public works, and leadership.
Texas Women’s Leadership Institute Advisory Board
Julie Robinson, Chair and City Manager, Spring Valley Village
Opal Mauldin-Jones, City Manager, Lancaster
Kay Godbey, Retired City Manager, TCMA Senior Advisor, and
Adjunct Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington
Derra Purnell, Attorney, Olson & Olson LLP
Paulette Hartman, Deputy City Manager, North Richland Hills
Margie Rose, Retired City Manager, Strategic Government Resources
Linda Huff, Account Director, Freese & Nichols
Joyce Wilson, Retired City Manager and CEO, Workforce Solutions
Borderplex
TWLI 2019-2020 Schedule
Seminar 1 September 26-27, 2019 Lancaster
Seminar 2 November 14-15, 2019 Cedar Park
Seminar 3 January 23-24, 2020 Pflugerville
Seminar 4 March 5-6, 2020 Spring Valley Village
Seminar 5 May 7-8, 2020 Fairview
For more information, please contact Karen Daly, TWLI executive director, at txwomensleadership@gmail.com or 512-796-8456.