Women's Campaign School
Encyclopedia
The Women's Campaign School is an independent, nonpartisan, issue-neutral political campaign training and leadership program hosted at Yale University
by the Yale Law School
. The WCS was founded in 1993 by author and scholar Andrée Aelion Brooks. Their mission is to provide the best training in the world for women who want to run for office, want to move up to higher elective office or public service, run political campaigns, or to advance their careers in public life in political environments. WCS trains women leaders who are capable of building relationships regardless of political point of view. At a time of intense political divisions, WCS draws women who will step up to lead when others walk away.
Summer Program
Every July a highly selective group of women are chosen to gather from around the United States and other parts of the world to learn the necessary skills and strategies to run successful political campaigns. For five days participants are put through an intensive 60-hour political immersion program designed to teach political skills, strategic assessment, and improvisation. Experienced operatives and media experts are brought in to teach and to share their experiences in a more reflective way to provide perspective.
This unique curriculum is designed by and for women to address the particular cultural challenges faced by women in politics. The instructors are the best and most experienced in the business, and they come from both political parties. The focus is on teaching advanced campaign skills keeping in mind the common needs and experiences of political women, not the differences of political partisans. Some WCS alumnae already sit across the aisle from one another in state legislatures around the country and in Washington.
WCS has a competitive admissions process. Due to the rigorous nature of the program and the schedule, participants are advised to apply after they have already had some political campaign experience. WCS is a small-group setting designed to increase opportunities for networking among students. All classes are held at Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut
.
In 2011, the WCS Board of Directors is led by President Patricia Russo of Connecticut and includes:
Patricia Russo (President) Connecticut
Mary A. Johnson (1st Vice President) Nebraska
Stephanie Berger (2nd Vice-President) New York
Pam Stark (Treasurer) Connecticut
Judy Van Rest (Secretary) Virginia
Rosie Gonzales, Texas
Annie Mayol, Puerto Rico
Julie Roginsky, New York
Kate Stith, Connecticut
Deb Sofield (past President) South Carolina
Tiffany Coolidge, Colorado
Teresa Younger, Connecticut
Notable alumnae include Class of 1999's Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, D-AZ, and Class of 2003's Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY.
Past Presidents of the Women's Campaign School
Andrée Aelion Brooks, Founding President, Women's Campaign School at Yale
Deb Sofield
Martha Sterling-Golden
Carolanne Curry
Lauren K. Day
Allyson Serxner Stollenwerck
George Dean*
Hon. Denise W. Merrill
MaryAnn O'Connor
Ann Sheffer
Fayne E. Erickson*
Hon. Nancy S. Wyman
(*deceased)
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
by the Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
. The WCS was founded in 1993 by author and scholar Andrée Aelion Brooks. Their mission is to provide the best training in the world for women who want to run for office, want to move up to higher elective office or public service, run political campaigns, or to advance their careers in public life in political environments. WCS trains women leaders who are capable of building relationships regardless of political point of view. At a time of intense political divisions, WCS draws women who will step up to lead when others walk away.
Summer Program
Every July a highly selective group of women are chosen to gather from around the United States and other parts of the world to learn the necessary skills and strategies to run successful political campaigns. For five days participants are put through an intensive 60-hour political immersion program designed to teach political skills, strategic assessment, and improvisation. Experienced operatives and media experts are brought in to teach and to share their experiences in a more reflective way to provide perspective.
This unique curriculum is designed by and for women to address the particular cultural challenges faced by women in politics. The instructors are the best and most experienced in the business, and they come from both political parties. The focus is on teaching advanced campaign skills keeping in mind the common needs and experiences of political women, not the differences of political partisans. Some WCS alumnae already sit across the aisle from one another in state legislatures around the country and in Washington.
WCS has a competitive admissions process. Due to the rigorous nature of the program and the schedule, participants are advised to apply after they have already had some political campaign experience. WCS is a small-group setting designed to increase opportunities for networking among students. All classes are held at Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
In 2011, the WCS Board of Directors is led by President Patricia Russo of Connecticut and includes:
Patricia Russo (President) Connecticut
Mary A. Johnson (1st Vice President) Nebraska
Stephanie Berger (2nd Vice-President) New York
Pam Stark (Treasurer) Connecticut
Judy Van Rest (Secretary) Virginia
Rosie Gonzales, Texas
Annie Mayol, Puerto Rico
Julie Roginsky, New York
Kate Stith, Connecticut
Deb Sofield (past President) South Carolina
Tiffany Coolidge, Colorado
Teresa Younger, Connecticut
Notable alumnae include Class of 1999's Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, D-AZ, and Class of 2003's Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY.
Past Presidents of the Women's Campaign School
Andrée Aelion Brooks, Founding President, Women's Campaign School at Yale
Deb Sofield
Martha Sterling-Golden
Carolanne Curry
Lauren K. Day
Allyson Serxner Stollenwerck
George Dean*
Hon. Denise W. Merrill
MaryAnn O'Connor
Ann Sheffer
Fayne E. Erickson*
Hon. Nancy S. Wyman
(*deceased)