(L to R, front to back: LBJWCS Cohort 5 Members Francesca Francois Haas, Vanessa Johnson, Dalia Zamora, Cathy McHorse, Alexandria Andersen, Regina Cochran, and Christopher Ludiker stroll out of the Texas State Capitol after the first day of training.)
ICYMI — DASHEIKA RUFFIN, former senior staff on the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton presidential campaigns, kicked off the campaign training for 55 new change-makers in the fifth cohort at the LBJ WOMEN'S CAMPAIGN SCHOOL. She urged her trainees to find their "why" when it comes to running for office or managing a campaign for their candidate.
"When the why is clear, the how is easy," Ruffin told the class, galvanizing the students as they prepared to start their own political journeys running for office or managing political campaigns. They come from across the country and the political spectrum, motivated by their experiences as women, people of color, military veterans, faith leaders, voting advocates, public policy experts, teachers, students, and parents.
Republican strategist JESSICA COLÓN led a training on "launching your campaign," sharing why she loves political work. "You are always learning because the political landscape is always changing," she said.
Cohort 5 member Karyne Nguyen, from Carrollton, Texas, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a business leader with an eye for community impact, said she felt inspired.
"[Ruffin's] insights encouraged each person to be grounded in our passions, understand our reasons to serve, and lead with authenticity through our lived experiences," Nguyen said. "After the LBJ Women's Campaign School kick-off experience, I feel a reaffirmed sense of purpose and inspired for the rest of our journey."
Since its launch in 2020, the LBJ Women's Campaign School has taught more than 300 leaders the skills needed to run a successful campaign. Half of the program participants have already run for office or have become senior political staff, having run for school board, city council, judge, secretary of state, and state houses and senates in Texas, Maryland, California, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kansas.
Elizabeth Martinez (center) celebrates her recent win as District Judge (D-73, San Antonio), with Amy Kroll (left) and LBJ School of Public Affairs Dean JR DeShazo (right).
The power of networking. LBJWCS Founder and Executive Director AMY KROLL emphasized the game-changing nature of the LBJ Women's Campaign School's community and political network in her introduction to the three-day training event.
"No one can run for office alone," Kroll said. "The power of this program is that we provide a support network for anyone pursuing a political career. If you have a question about running for office, someone here will know the answer or know someone who does."
The whole LBJWCS community watched four alumni win on Super Tuesday, including Democratic nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner KATHERINE CULBERT, '22, Texas House District 56 Democratic Nominee ERIN SHANK '21, and Austin Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace TANISA JEFFERS, '21.
ELIZABETH MARTINEZ, '23, above, advanced to the runoff on Super Tuesday, and then won on May 28, 2024, becoming the Texas 73rd District Judge in Bexar County. At the Cohort 5 welcome reception at the Texas Bankers' Association on May 30, she credited the LBJWCS network with rallying behind her. Kroll and LBJ School of Public Affairs Dean JR DeShazo were there to congratulate her in person.
Four more alumni won their city council seats on May 4: Na’cole Thompson, Leander City Council, Place 4; Jill Jester, Denton City Council, Place 6; Kerry Fossler, Bastrop City Council, Place 4; and Susan Motley advanced to a runoff in her race for, Irving City Council, Place 4.
LBJWCS cohort members Maria Florentina "Masi" Mejia and Ameena Rasheed simulate campaign staff members responding to an urgent crisis during a training session on campaign finance.
Bipartisanship through relationship building. The bipartisan atmosphere was a welcome reprieve from the divisive nature of the 2024 election year. Speakers, participants, and mentors all brought their different political perspectives into the classroom. Many of the change-makers left the event talking about the importance of staying focused on collaboration and bipartisanship as they move forward with their political careers.
The best of both worlds. The LBJ Women's Campaign School is unique, offering one-on-one training in the form of a personal, political mentorship program in addition to its three-day in-person kick-off event that jumpstarts its six-month online curriculum. Founded in 2019, with its first cohort joining online at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, the school has always been at the forefront of hybrid campaign training.
The mentorship experience transforms the change-makers by helping them step into their full potential. Jenny Flannagan, of the class of 2023, said "my absolute favorite part of the experience was working with my mentor. He stretched my thinking about what was possible. I'm a better person and a better leader because of his guidance."
NEXT MONTH – Cohort 5 continues their campaign training online, with individual access to a mentor handpicked for their unique political interests and goals.
Thanks to grants from the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership Center for Women in Government, 30 Texans in the cohort received full tuition grants. All participants received subsidized tuition thanks to sponsorships and gifts from Arnold Ventures, Chevron, and the Texas Business and Professional Women's Foundation.