The people of Oregon must be committed to building leaders today to solve the problems of tomorrow. The next generation of leaders will face growing list of complex issues and must be prepared to step forward with vision, courage, and the skills to meet the challenge. Located on the campus of Portland State University within the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government are the beginnings of a bold new women’s leadership initiative. National Education for Women’s Leadership of Oregon (NEW Leadership Oregon) is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and supporting the next generation of women political leaders. NEW Leadership Oregon is modeled after the award-winning leadership program designed by the renowned Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. 

NEW Leadership Oregon is the award-winning women's leadership development program housed at the Center for Women, Politics & Policy at Portland State University. Open to college women enrolled at any college in the state of Oregon, NEW Leadership Oregon’s goal is to develop an inclusive women-centered leadership program that will educate and encourage outstanding college women to develop career paths toward politics and public service.

What do NLO Participants learn?

NEW Leadership Oregon teaches leadership through action. Participants:

• Practice public speaking, planning, organizing, and networking to address real social problems.
  
• Draw on the expertise of seasoned coaches and the experiences of women leaders in government, business, science, and the community.
  
• Learn a set of skills designed specifically to prepare college women for public leadership.

NLO's intensive, six-day, residential leadership training program is specifically designed to introduce Oregon's college women to opportunities for public leadership. By participating in the NEW Leadership Oregon program, college women find out why and how to get involved in politics through interaction with Oregon's past and present women officeholders, candidates, policy specialists, and activists. Hands-on skills-building workshops teach women to lead by taking action.

Why NEW Leadership Oregon?

Congress: Women hold 88, or 16.4%, of the 535 seats in the 110th US Congress — 16, or 16.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 16.6%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as Delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. 

Statewide Elective Executive: In 2008, 75 women hold statewide elective executive offices across the country; women hold 23.8% of the 315 available positions. Among these women, 45 are Democrats, 27 are Republicans, and 3 were elected in nonpartisan races.

State Legislature: In 2008, 1,748, or 23.7%, of the 7,382 state legislators in the United States are women. Women hold 425, or 21.6%, of the 1,971 state senate seats and 1,323, or 24.5%, of the 5,411 state house seats. Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has increased more than four times.

Women's involvement in elective office, public policy making, and all aspects of public service is a matter of justice and equity and is imperative for a vital democracy. We should all care deeply about the lack of women in political leadership roles both in the United States and globally. Women possess new perspectives and values that can revitalize and transform public debates and policy.