Thirty-five women from a wide variety of backgrounds participated in an intensive 2 ½ day training session led by nationally renowned political consultants, Diane Cromer and Betsy Crone. Five of the women who attended are running for the state House of Representatives in 2006 – and found the Campaign School to give them the Winning Edge.

Some of the attendees were current students at F&M, Millersville, Penn State – Harrisburg and Susquehanna University. The diversity of backgrounds and political experience created a rich learning environment.

The School included a keynote lecture by Dr. G. Terry Madonna, Director of F&M’s Floyd Institute’s Center for Policy and Public Affairs.

Dr. Madonna predicted that women running for office in Pennsylvania in 2006 stand a better chance of getting elected because women are typically seen as outsiders. To increase women’s chances of getting elected, Dr. Madonna provided 7 Helpful Hints:

1) Be optimistic – be upbeat. Voters respond to candidates that exhibit a “Can Do” attitude.

2) Develop an agenda – stand for something.

3) Be willing to compromise – know that in politics, it is impossible to always get your way.

4) Make allies – build coalitions – by beginning with your intersecting circles of contacts.

5) Understand that leadership involves incremental changes over time. Find a mentor that can help you learn the art of patience in politics.

6) Master something – become a subject matter expert. Learn the toughest issue and become an expert so that others will have to come to you. Become indispensable.

7) Keep a sense of humor.

Dr. Madonna closed his remarks by saying “Run Baby Run” – a direct reference to the effort underway in Allegheny County to support women who are running for the state legislature. For more information, visit www.run-baby-run.com.

The Campaign School earned high praise from those who attended:

“The program exceeded all of my hopes.”

“I had no ideas so much went into a valid political campaign.”

PWCF looks forward to partnering with other academic institutions across Pennsylvania to hold Campaign Schools on an annual basis.

Diane Cromer                                                                                                                Top
Ms. Cromer is owner of a Washington-based strategic communications firm. Working nationally and internationally, Ms. Cromer has had a management responsibility in over 120 political campaigns. She is working with the UN in Cyprus on building communications between the Greek and Turkish communities. In 2000, she provided strategic advice to the reform coalition that defeated Slobadan Milosevic as President of Yugoslavia. A nationally recognized trainer, Ms. Cromer has taught the Democratic National Committee, the national Women’s Campaign Fund, the Yale Campaign School and the AFL-CIO to name but a few. A native of Dillsburg, PA, Ms. Cromer maintains active political ties in Pennsylvania, and has facilitated Campaign Schools for the Pennsylvania Women’s Campaign Fund in prior years.

Betsy Crone
Ms. Crone is one of the nation’s leaders in expanding giving to charitable and political causes. As a fund-raising consultant in Washington, DC, she specializes in fund-raising for advocacy organizations and women political candidates. Over the past twenty-five years, Ms. Crone has planned, designed and implemented special event fund-raisers, strategic fund-raising programs, fund-raising audits, large donor development programs and direct mail appeals. She is particularly proud of her role as a “founding mother” of EMILY’s List. Ms. Crone is a graduate of Chatham College and the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Ms. Crone worked in Pennsylvania for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.