OML Hosts Inaugural Planning Meeting of Women In Municipal Government

OML recently hosted the inaugural planning meeting of the newly formed, Women In Municipal Government (WIMG) group.  The group facilitators were Jodi Lewis, OML Legislative Affairs Director and Aspen Roberts, OML Policy Analyst.  Approximately 15 women from across the state attended the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to begin talking about the vision and goals of the group, meeting logistics, format for future meetings, along with the idea of naming a Municipal Women of the Year.  Lewis stated that even though OML is helping to organize the group, the hope is that the women who get involved will come up with the ideas for programming and meeting content.  “OML is simply getting the group going.  We will always be there for support, but we want the women to make the decisions on the future direction of the group,” Lewis said.

One of the outcomes of the discussion is for the group to meet every other month, beginning in January 2019.  For now, the group will meet at the OML offices in Oklahoma City, with a plan of meeting in other communities as the organization grows and develops.  Other ideas for the monthly meeting includes  personal and professional development speakers.

Kirsten Sellens, Town Clerk of Medicine Park, who attended the meeting said that she is excited to be a part of a group where a community of women come together regularly to discuss issues that they face as municipal employees.  She cited one situation that many women may face is the balancing of family and work, since municipal work is often more than a 40 hour a week job.  She is also looking forward to the networking opportunities and to learning valuable information from other women that she can apply to her own position.

WIMG is open to all women who are either employed by a municipality or are an elected official.  If you are interested in more information about WIMG, please contact Jessica Rowe via email.