I was recently interviewed by the St. Louis Post Dispatch about the upcoming RISE AND RUN workshop. Here is everything you need to know.

**Lindenwood seminar aims to help Missouri women run for office**
Rosalind Early | Post-Dispatch January 22, 2026

Republican Jean Evans became a state representative for St. Louis after then-state Sen. Eric Schmitt encouraged her to run.

Before she became a state representative for Missouri’s 99th district, a few people told Jean Evans she should run for office.

“I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know,’” Evans says. She had worked in finance, coached youth volleyball, and was interested in politics, but she wasn't sure about holding office. It wasn’t until then–state Sen. Eric Schmitt started encouraging her to run and offering his support that she decided to go for it.

“That really pushed me over the edge in wanting to run. Now he’s gone on to bigger and greater things, but at that time, he was my state senator and someone I admired. Him giving me the encouragement just felt validating.”

According to studies, Evans’ initial reluctance to run for office is not uncommon for women. “Women have to be asked multiple times and pushed into it more often than not,” Evans says. And it shows in the numbers: the Missouri State Legislature is less than 30% female, as is the U.S. Congress.

To combat this, Lindenwood University is hosting its first-ever weekend seminar Jan. 30 and 31 called Rise and Run that will walk women through the practical information they need to run for office. The seminar is open to women and women-identifying individuals who are at least 18 years old. Participants can just want to learn more about leadership, have a passing interest in running for office or be in the middle of a school board campaign. Any interest level — and any political party — is welcome.

“Women should be where decisions are made,” says Nina Needleman, who organized the seminar with help from Barbara Hosto-Marti, an associate professor of political science at Lindenwood, and political consultant Lisette Dennis.

The seminar brings together scholars, professionals and current and former elected officials to lead sessions on different aspects of political campaigning, including building a team, recruiting volunteers, creating a budget and voter contact strategies.

Even for women still on the fence about running, the seminar offers a clear picture of the type and amount of work involved in getting elected. That’s important because many women hesitate because they’re primary caregivers at home and aren’t sure if they have the time.

“It really is a job,” Evans says. “And you want to know about it before you work really hard in an election to get there. If you’re not sure, you need to know what the job is to see if you’re even going to like it.”

Evans went on to represent parts of Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and Warson Woods from 2017 to 2019 in the Missouri House. She won reelection but was tapped by Gov. Mike Parson to run the Missouri Republican Party.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” Evans says. “But he asked, and I have a lot of respect for the governor.” And this time, she only had to be asked once.

Nina Needleman has been working for years to create a program to help women run for office in Missouri.

Women undervalue their qualifications

Rise and Run is addressing a well-studied problem. In 2021, Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox conducted the Citizen Political Ambition Study, which surveyed 2,000 men and 2,000 women working in careersthat often lead to political ambitions — such as law, business, education and politics — and asked them,

“Have you ever thought about running for office?”

While 59% of men said yes, only 41% of women did, an 18-point gender gap. Despite the U.S. setting a record high with 14 female governors in 2026 — 10 Democrats and four Republicans — politics remains largely male-dominated. There are, after all, 50 states, and women don’t even run half of them.

One reason is that men and women evaluate their qualifications differently. “When a woman considers running for office, she’ll decide that she’s not qualified if she doesn’t have, say, a law degree and a business degree and public policy experience,” Lawless told the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy about her report, The Gender Gap in Political Ambition “When we ask men what qualifications they have, they say things like passion and vision. It’s a lot easier to have passion and vision than numerous advanced degrees.”

How Rise and Run started

Lawless’ study also found that when women do run, they are just as successful as men at winning elections. That’s due in part to programs designed to get women into politics, such as She Should Run, the Women’s Campaign Fund and Running Start. These nonpartisan programs help women learn how to run campaigns.

Needleman’s seminar is also nonpartisan, though it does lean Democratic. She was inspired by the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life, which operated at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for 23 years before shuttering after budget cuts in 2019.

Though not a politician herself, Needleman wanted to replace the institute. In 2024, she launched EmpowHer at Washington University, a weekend seminar on running for office. Turnout was solid at 56 attendees, but the university declined to continue the program after its first year.

“I spent months networking and interviewing people and trying to find a new nonpartisan place to have the training program,” Needleman says. Now, she’s underwriting the pilot program at Lindenwood.

“The political environment for the last few years has been so stressful and negative, in Missouri in particular,” she says. “There’s a feeling that politicians aren’t listening. And you can’t just be an armchair complainer to really make a difference. You’ve got to be in the room where it happens.”

A Seminar with Practical Advice

Rise and Run will cover practical details such as filing deadlines and why you shouldn’t necessarily make your husband your campaign treasurer. Participants will also have a bit of homework: by the end of the weekend, they’ll have crafted and delivered an elevator pitch to a table of politicians over breakfast.

“There’s an awful lot of skills that it takes to run for office and to be in office,” Needleman says.

Jami Cox Antwi recently became the Ward 8 alderwoman (taking Mayor Cara Spencer’s vacated seat) after a special election.

Among the speakers is Jami Cox Antwi, the Ward 8 alderwoman who won a special election to fill Cara Spencer’s seat after Spencer was elected mayor of St. Louis.

Cox Antwi relied heavily on volunteers during her campaign, a strategy she’ll discuss at the seminar.

“I was 29 at the time I decided to run, and I found it really important to engage everybody, from retirees to high school students,” she says. “People who volunteer for campaigns may never run for office themselves, but they typically vote. In a time when we want people to be engaged at all, that’s a benefit of volunteer recruitment that doesn’t get talked about enough.”

Former state Rep. Evans will be joined by Democratic state Sen. Tracy McCreery to talk about collaboration across party lines. The two became close in the legislature and worked together to pass new regulations for law enforcement on restraining pregnant women.

“One of the things that became really clear to me when I got engaged in politics is that we often want the same results, but have different ideas about how to get there,” Evans says. “But when you sit down and actually get to know people one-on-one, we found things we agreed on and worked together on.”

Also presenting will be former state Sen. Jill Schupp, Washington University professor Hillary Anger Elfenbein, Ladue School Board Member and entrepreneur Kisha Lee, and former state Rep. Trish Gunby, among others.

After the seminar, Needleman plans to host four lunch-and-learns throughout the year and gather feedback to help refine the program.

The seminar costs $50 for the entire weekend. Costs are low because this is the program’s first year.

Needleman hopes to keep offering it and continue expanding it.

“I’d love for Lindenwood to be the go-to place for women in politics who want to build skills, connect to a network and find mentors and resources,” she says. “I’m passionate about this. Now more than ever, it feels important to participate in the process to affect the quality of life for our families and the peoplewe care about.”

If you go

What: Rise and Run two-day workshop

When: 2:30-5 p.m. Jan. 30 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 31

Where: Lindenwood University, Spellmann Center, 261 Easton Place, St. Charles

How much: $50 for both days

REGISTER HERE or search Rise and-Run (yes, with a hyphen) on Instagram or

Facebook

RISE & RUN -- TOPICS, SPEAKERS, TIMES

January 30-31, 2026

Lindenwood University -- 209 S. Kingshighway, St. Charles MO 63301 Spellmann Hall AB Leadership Rooms 3rd Floor

Day 1/Friday January 30, 2026

Time

Topic & Speaker

2:30-2:50pm

Intro by Dr. Barbara Hosto-Marti, Lindenwood University
Welcome by underwriter, Nina Needleman

2:50-3:35pm

Psychology of Running

Dr. Hillary Anger Elfenbein
Washington University Professor of Organizational Behavior also teaches courses on Negotiation, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence

3:40-4:15pm

Your why, your Origin Story, your message

Kisha Lee
Ladue School Board member, Chief Executive Propel Kitchens

4:15-4:30pm

Break

4:30-5:00pm

Image Management/Brand Management

Nancy Nix-Rice Image Consultant, National Speaker/trainer, former President NCJW

5:00-5:15pm

Preparing your elevator pitch/Homework

Rebecca NowFounder/Director of Voices of America HERstory, former Exec. Director of the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury Chamber of Commerce

5:15-6:30 pm

Refreshments and networking

Day 2/Saturday January 31, 2026

8:00-9:00am

Working continental breakfast - Round tables of 6 to review
elevator pitch - facilitated at each table by electeds

9:00-9:45am

Keynote address by 2 successful politicians -
Why now matters, one woman can make a difference and How to Collaborate

State Senator Tracy McCreery -District 24 also former Missouri House Representative - District 88

Jean Evans - Government relations political analyst, Former Exec Dir MO Republican Party & Former Missouri State Representative - District 99

9:45-10:00am

Break

Skills Based Logistics

10:00-10:30am

How to create a budget
Angela Bingaman
Political Finance Director & Independent Fundraising Consultant

10:30-11:00am

Campaign Team Building - setting up initial team, positions and responsibilities

Deb Lavender
MO State Representative for 3 terms in District 90, 1 term in District 98

11:00-11:40am

Volunteer recruitment, management, retention
Jami Cox Antwi
Alderwoman, City of St. Louis, 8th Ward Former Project Manager, US Bank Impact Finance, Community Development professional

11:40-11:50am

Break

11:50-12:30pm

Field Operations/Canvassing

Trish Gunby -Former MO Representative 99th district Former Chair MO Democratic Party Legislative Committee

12:30-1:15pm

Lunch with Electeds

1:15-1:45pm

Missouri Ethics Commission/Filing Tips
Kaley Berry, St. Charles

Advanced Training

1:45-2:15pm

Voter Contact strategies & grassroots organizing

Wendy Hausman
Former MO House Representative District 65, Business owner & entrepreneur

2:15-3:15pm

Fundraising Techniques & donor cultivation

Angela Bingaman
Political Finance Director & Independent Fundraising Consultant

3:15-3:30pm

Break

3:30-4:00

Endorsement strategies & coalition building
Jill Schupp
Former MO Senator District 24, former MO House Rep District 88 Former Creve Coeur Council Rep, Former Ladue School Board member

4:00-4:30pm

Media Training

Daniela Velazquez
Alderwoman, City of St. Louis, Ward 6; Eisenhower Fellow, former VP Fleishman Hillard & former Communications Director ACLU

4:30-5:15pm

Social Media Training

Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon
Director of Graduate Strategic Communications & Leadership, Maryville University Professor, Keynote speaker, TedX speaker, writer, consultant

5:15-5:30pm

Next Rise & Run Event preview and Thank you

Dr. Barbara Hosto-Marti
Reach out with questions to Email : bhosto-marti@lindenwood.edu

What to Expect at RISE AND RUN

Feeling Unheard? Leadership Doesn’t Wait For Permission. RISE AND RUN!