An election season defined by record numbers of women running for public office ended with a record number of women set to serve in office in the United States. When the 116th Congress is sworn in next January, it will include the largest number of women lawmakers in the history of our country with more than 100 women members, including 32 new members.
And we are proud to announce that five of the women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in the upcoming session are members of The Junior League. In the upcoming weeks, we will be featuring each of those members on our website and digital properties. In bringing these lawmakers to your attention, we hope to help you start learning more about these women who have earned their place in our country’s history.
We also hope that these stories also will serve as a reminder of The Junior League’s critical role in building women leaders—the leaders in their homes, in their communities and in their country. While this remarkable moment in American history does not begin with The Junior League, it is clear that you cannot completely understand this moment without considering The Junior League.
Susan Brooks (R):
Congratulations to Congresswoman Susan Brooks on her re-election to her 4th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She represents Indianapolis as both the congressional representative of the 5th District in Indiana and as a member of the Junior League of Indianapolis. Congresswoman Brooks has led efforts to expand opportunities for, as well as to protect, young women and girls. She has worked on legislation to keep girls in secondary schools in order to close the gender education gap, and to provide legal protections for survivors of human trafficking.
Anna Eshoo (D):
Congratulations to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo on her reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congresswoman Eshoo was first elected in the last Year of the Woman in 1992, when 24 women were elected to the U.S. House. Her experience as a member of the Junior League of Palo Alto * Mid Peninsula and her years representing Silicon Valley, as well as her work to bridge the digital divide and her efforts to create the technology for a public safety communications network, have made her a leader on the hill in telecom and digital policy.
Carol D. Miller (R):
Congratulations to Carol Miller, member of the Junior League of Huntington and new member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congresswoman-elect Miller is planning on leveraging her experience as a small business owner, member of the West Virginia State Legislature and member of the Junior League of Huntington, to help West Virginia communities impacted by the opioid crisis, to support farmers and small businesses and to fund education and create jobs.
Carolyn Maloney (D):
Congratulations to Congresswoman Maloney on her re-election to represent the 12th district of New York. Like Congresswoman Eshoo, she won her first congressional election during the last Year of the Woman in 1992. In her tenure in the House, she has been a vocal champion of ending human trafficking, improving senior care and elevating the lives of and opportunities for working families. Besides being a long-time member of the Junior League of the City of New York, she was the recipient of the 2018 Mary Harriman award.
Doris Matsui (D):
Congratulations to Congresswoman Doris Matsui on her successful re-election. Since 2005, Congresswoman Matsui has championed issues such as access to healthcare, sustainable energy development and STEM education for women and girls. In working to improve transportation in Sacramento, she is improving the very community that her Junior League operates in – making Sacramento an emerging leader of clean energy technologies.
2 comments
This is so exciting. I am a recent newly elected on the local level from South Orange, New Jersey. The skills developed throughout my Junior League experience are a help every day in governing!
I would love to see a track for outgoing League Presidents about running for elected office. If more JL members were in elected office, the world would be so much stronger organized and better place in general!
Hi Karen–agreed and congratulations on your new position (we’ll include you on the public-facing AJLI website under elected and appointed officials!) While not exclusively for outgoing Presidents, we have had Erin Vilardi, founder of Vote, Run, Lead, do a couple of conference workshops for us and a recent Webinar Wednesday. We’ll be sure to continue offering these sorts of opportunities so members can hone their campaigning skills!