News
SC GAP Calls for the Next Governor to Appoint More Women
Columbia, SC; 20 July 2010 - The South Carolina Gubernatorial Appointments Project (SC GAP) launched a drive today to involve more women in state government through appointments to the governor's cabinet, commissions and boards.
All candidates for governor were contacted and invited to sign The Pledge stating their commitment to actively involve more women in the state's leadership. At the time of the press conference, SC GAP had received a signed pledge from Democratic candidate for governor, Vincent Sheheen.
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| SC GAP Executive Director Candy Waites at the unveiling surrounded by Coalition Representatives, Board Members and Staff. |
"With an election of a new governor in November comes an opportunity to bring more diverse talent to appointed positions," says SC GAP executive director and co-chair Candy Waites. "We want to see the best-qualified person in every job, regardless of gender. But we also believe that talented, experienced women are being overlooked. Our goal is to identify women with exceptional ability who are willing to serve, then provide the names and resumes of those women to our new governor. From there, we hope these women's qualifications will speak for themselves."
South Carolina ranks 50th in the number of women in its state legislature. Women are also underrepresented in senior level positions throughout state government. Some boards have only one woman out of 10 to 12 members. While appointed positions are important on their own terms, they also serve as a means of gaining the credibility and experience to run for office.
SC GAP co-chair Deb Sofield is a Republican serving as Commissioner of Public Works for the city of Greenville. She says SC GAP isn't seeking quotas, but opportunities for women to be considered: "Governors in the past have said they have had trouble identifying women to fill appointments. We're helping them identify potential female appointees, because we believe a lot of talent is going untapped."
Though Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley declined to sign the pledge, Waites and Sofield are hopeful that Haley will look for opportunities to involve more women if elected. "We hope that if elected, Nikki Haley will share our goal of putting South Carolina's most qualified leaders to work for the state. We will not be able to do that if we overlook the experience and capabilities of our women," says Waites, a Democrat who served in the state House of Representatives.
A project of the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics, SC GAP is guided by a steering team of 20 men and women, a diverse, bi-partisan group of professionals, education and community leaders, and elected and appointed officeholders. The work of SC GAP is supported by a coalition from across the state that includes businesses, law firms, and individuals as well as non-profit, professional, and advocacy organizations. SC GAP has the support of thousands of people and new coalition members are joining the effort daily. For an updated list, to register with SC GAP, to read the pledge or to learn more, go to www.scelectswomen.com.
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About The Institute:
Founded in 2007 the Southeastern Institute for Women is the only 501(c)(3) certified in the southeast by the IRS whose mission is to encourage and train women to run for office. The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics is not affiliated with any candidate or political party. For further information on the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics, visit www.scelectswomen.com.