Women Who Run Conference State and local elected women officials will join more than a dozen other community leaders for the "Women Who Run" conference at UTC, April 18. Dr. Stephanie Bellar, political science, said the "Women Who Run," conference is aimed at women who want to make a difference as elected officials, community leaders, and corporate and agency board members. The conference itself evolved from a grass roots effort by Bellar and a group of local women from various professional backgrounds and personal experience. "The one thing we found in common was we felt that women in Chattanooga were inadequately represented in government," said Bellar. "There are few women in leadership positions in Chattanooga, and we are trying to address that with this conference. We wanted to reach out to some people who may be concerned about this and the best venue to do it seemed to be the University. The University plays a big role in educating people in how to access the system." Asked simply who she hopes will attend the conference, Bellar shoots back a simple answer: "everybody." "I hope people who are concerned about the school system, will be there. People from the PTA, people who may one day want to run for the school board. Women who own their own businesses and want to make sure that their concerns as business owners are represented should come. Stay-at-home moms should come. They may not have official avenues to get their voices heard, yet they make significant contributions to the community," says Bellar. "When we say we need more women representation, we don't mean one type of woman or one type of political philosophy. Our vision is to bring a rich diversity of women together and help them access the political system. The conference isn't just about women getting elected. It's also about women getting appointed to boards. It's about women who have unique and valuable contributions to make as community leaders learning how to prepare for leadership positions." The conference is hosted by UTC's Department of Political Science, Women's Studies, College of Arts and Science, and the Office of Undergraduate and Special Programs. The conference is from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Registration is $30, and includes lunch. For more information, call 425-4515. Women Who Run Conference April 18 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. So You Want To Run&endash;Voices of Experience Ardena Garth, public defender Gwen Tidwell, criminal court clerk Marie Williams, circuit court judge, div. 3 Brenda Turner, Tennessee state representative Charlotte Vandergriff, Hamilton County Commssioner Debbie Triplett, East Ridge commission How Do Women Make a Difference? Dr. Stephanie Bellar, professor, UTC political science Mai Bell Hurley, City Council. Nuts and Bolts of Qualifying to Run Carolyn Jackson, Administrator of Elections, Hamilton County Election Commission How to Get a Campaign Going Marti Rutherford, City Council Luncheon Honoring Local Women Elected Officials Marilyn Lloyd, former U.S. Congresswoman, Master of Ceremonies Dr. Mary Tanner, UTC Dean of Education, speaker Grass Roots Organizing Dr. Tommie Brown, Tennessee state representative Taking a Leadership Role Marj Flemming, owner, Expeditions in Leadership Daphne Sloan, president & CEO, Westside Community Development Corp. The Role the Media Plays Jamie Hancock, Free Press Judy Walton, Chattanooga Times UTCnews Archives

Last updated: April 13, 1998.
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