The Governing Institute is proud to announce the 25 members of the Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2016, the new class of elected officials from state and local government selected to participate in the annual program.  Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County Commissioner will represent Nebraska.  To view other class members from across the nation, click here.

Governing Institute's Women in Government Leadership Program highlights the outstanding contributions of women currently in public office, provides leadership development and job critical skills during three in-person summits, and creates a network to pay it forward by inviting and mentoring the next generation of women leaders to run for office. The inaugural class of 24 completed a yearlong curriculum in July 2015 and already have taken action to mentor women leaders in their respective regions.

Each class is chosen from nominations submitted online at www.governing.com/wig. Women must be elected to a state or local office and not on the ballot during the program year. Over 100 women were nominated for the Class of 2016 and selections were made based on career and educational accomplishments, recommendations from the nominators, a commitment to actively participate, and a goal of seating a diverse class in a number of categories. Each class also includes one rising star, a young woman not yet serving in elected office, but with the interest and potential to run in the future.

The Class of 2016 will gather for their first leadership conference Nov. 7-8 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The 25 women in the program's new class will be profiled in the February 2016 issue of Governing magazine and will participate in Governing events throughout the coming year, including a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C. in January 2016 and a third leadership retreat in summer 2016.