By Nina Needleman, Founder, Rise & Run 4 Women
Who decides whether the empty lot on your corner becomes a park or a parking garage? Whether the historic building down the street is preserved or torn down? Where the new bike lanes go, or how your city spends its economic development dollars?
Often it isn't the mayor or the city council. It's the residents who serve on city commissions, boards, and committees.
These groups shape many of the decisions that affect our daily lives: green practices, historic preservation, zoning, public safety, economic development, and more. They meet in public rooms, often in the evening, with neighbors at the table. Too often, women aren't among them.
You don't have to run to have a say
This is what I want every woman to know: getting a seat at that table doesn't require a campaign.
No campaigning. No fundraising. No VIP connections needed.
Simply apply.
Most municipalities post their openings and actively look for residents willing to serve. What they need most is people who care about their community and bring real-world perspective. That includes the working mom who knows which crosswalks feel unsafe, the small business owner who understands what a zoning change really costs, and the retiree who remembers what the neighborhood used to be.
Your life experience is a qualification.
Thinking about running someday?
If elected office is on your horizon, even as a "maybe," serving on a board or commission is the best head start you can get. You'll learn how local government actually works, build relationships with community leaders, and earn a track record that voters respect. Many of the women now holding elected office in our region started exactly this way.
Join us: Pathways to Municipal Leadership
That's why Rise & Run 4 Women is hosting Pathways to Municipal Leadership, a lunch-and-learn designed to help you get into the room where it happens.
Thursday, October 15
The Delmar Divine, 5501 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112
11:00 a.m. Registration, lunch & networking
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Discussion
You'll learn:
The different types of boards, committees, and commissions
What issues and decisions they actually handle
How decisions get made, and who's in the room
Why your life experience and perspective matter
You'll leave knowing where the openings are, how to apply, and how to make your voice count once you're seated.
The table is already set. Your seat is waiting.
Take your first step.