Portland State Magazine Spring 2008

che nacional average wich 31 percenc women, buc che scace is losing ics only woman in che congressional delegacion, Darlene Hooley, which pucs Oregon in league wich such scaces as Alabama and Mississippi. To increase che numbers, Rose believes chac more women muse look ac policies as a viable career opcion. She decided co see whac she could do. Working wich a program ac Rucgers Universicy chac seeks co educace women abouc public service careers, Rose escablished an affiliace chapcer ac Pore– land Scace. The resulc is PSU's Nacional Educa– cion for Women's (NEW) Leadership= Oregon program. Each year, NEW Leadership Oregon mixes 30 or so col– lege women wich women policical and business luminaries for a week of incen– sive scudy, necwork building, and skills developmenc-learning, in ocher words, whac ic cakes co be a leader. The faculcy and board is a long lisc of supernovas, including Oregon's firsc woman governor, Gov. Barbara Roberes; Oregon's firsc woman elecced ro scace- wide office, Secrecary of Scace Norma Paulus; and che firsc woman co serve on Oregon's Supreme Courc, Juscice Beccy Robercs. Sue Hildick, currenc advisory board chair, was che youngesc legislacive direccor in Congress when she served in Sen. Mark 0. Hacfield's office. In Occo– ber, che NWWomens journal named six NEW Leadership Oregon board members co ics lisc of 100 Mose Powerful Women in che Norehwesc. RU 8 8 ING SHOULDERS for a week wich chac kind of firepower can be life changing-ac lease ic was for Sarah deVries '06. When deVries firsc heard abouc che annual conference, she figured she mighc pick up some basic leadership skills. "I choughc ic would be a run-of-che-mill leadership camp," she says. "lnspiracion– al speeches, chings of chac nacure." DeVries had incerned in Porcland Mayor Vera Katz's office and wich the Portland Developmenc Commission, buc she says, "I really hadn'c choughc of running for policical office or whac a pach in public service could do. I was jusc building up my resume." The 2004 conference ended up being so much more for DeVries. She was pare of a small group assigned che cask of finding a grassroocs approach co address hunger. Ac che end of che week, each group argued che case for cheir proposed policy in a mock press conference. "You build up a policy presenca– cion," says deVries, "hear women calk abouc cheir experiences in civic leader– ship. Then co go co che capicol, where Gov. Barbara Robercs gave us a guided cour-I don't know how you can bear rhac. Ir makes you realize char chis is where it happens, and it's porencially where I could make a change." Robercs, who helped escablish the pro– gram ac PSU, has served on the faculcy and advisory board since the chapter's inception. She even was a faculcy mem– ber in residence, living in the dorm with pareicipanrs during che first conference. For her, che experience has been reward– ing. "These young women-politically and philosophically all over the map from