PRESS RELEASES & MEDIA

August 22, 2023— WPLN is pleased to announce today that we have launched the second cohort of our Fellowship for Nonprofit Management for the 2023-2024 academic year.

“It is with great excitement that I welcome the next cohort of fellows to the WPLN team this year,” said Larissa Martinez, WPLN Founder and President. “The fresh perspectives and unique talents of these three young women will amplify the impact of last year’s inaugural cohort. I look forward to continuing this program that not only provides an opportunity to receive mentorship and develop skills but also supports WPLN’s work to build a network of support across the country and see more women at decision-making tables.”

August 16, 2023—Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN), a non-profit that equips and encourages women to seek public office, announced today that it is expanding the organization’s Leadership Team with three appointments.

The WPLN Board has appointed Mimi Walters, Chief Commercial Officer of Leading Edge Power Solutions and former U.S. Representative, as its inaugural honorary Co-Chair. As honorary Co-Chair, Rep. Walters will provide indispensable expertise and strategic guidance to the WPLN Leadership Team as they seek to educate, organize, and inspire more women across the country. Additionally, WPLN welcomed Liz Bowman, Vice President of Communications at AXPC, and Michelle Phillips, Vice President of Land at Lime Rock Resources, to the WPLN Board of Directors.

April 26, 2023—WPLN announced Joel Noyes as the new Chair of the Board at their second annual National Summit in San Diego, CA.

 “WPLN has always been open to and grateful for the support of male allies who recognize the need for diverse voices at decision-making tables and who work to elevate them,” said WPLN President Larissa Martinez. “In short, we can’t do this work alone.”

Noyes is the Director of Government & External Affairs for Hess Corporation. With two decades of legislative, political, communications and corporate experience, he serves as the lead for legislative initiatives at both the federal and state levels, and also manages corporate social responsibility activities for the company’s U.S. operational assets.

March 31, 2023—WPLN announced today that it will honor Isabella Chism of Galveston, IN and Chris Cate of San Diego, CA at its 2nd Annual Leadership Summit from April 21-23, 2023 in San Diego.

“Both Isabella and Chris are incredible advocates for women in their communities,” said Larissa Martinez, President and Founder of WPLN. ”We are honored to recognize their efforts to see more women in leadership positions and elevate their voices in decision-making tables at every level.”

March 29, 2023—WPLN announced the new members of its National Impact Council.

“I am excited to welcome these impressive women to our National Impact Council,” said WPLN Co-Founder and President Larissa Martinez. “Each brings a unique perspective and a diverse set of skills that will help us build a pipeline of women seeking public office and leadership positions.

WPLN works to engage women from a diversity of backgrounds, including those with different professions, educational levels, ages, and family statuses, as well as those with varying cultural, ethnic, religious, and racial make-ups.

September 13, 2022—WPLN announced today that it has launched a brand new Fellowship for Nonprofit Management to pair four students with early-stage, women-led nonprofit organizations equipping women to seek public office.

"I am excited to welcome these four women to the WPLN team," said WPLN Co-Founder and President, Larissa Martinez, "each brings a unique perspective and diverse set of skills to scale the efforts of our nonprofit partners on the ground. Our WPLN Fellows will support a network of nonprofits dedicated to inspiring and helping women close the representation gaps in their states." 

Four young women were selected for this Fellowship out of over 500 applicants.

January 19, 2022—Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN), a non-partisan non-profit that equips and encourages women to seek public office announced today that it will honor Rob Rieger of Baton Rouge, LA and Julianne Condrey of Richmond, VA at its inaugural Women’s Public Leadership Summit on February 4 & 5 in New Orleans, LA.

Named for Susan B. Anthony’s father and ardent supporter of her efforts, the 2022 Daniel Anthony Award celebrates a man who has given critical support to a female public leader or leaders. WPLN is honored to present the Daniel Anthony Award to Rob Rieger at our Women’s Public Leadership Summit.

WPLN is also thrilled to present Julianne Condrey with the 2022 Architect of Society Award. Inspired by Harriett Beecher Stowe’s words that, “Women are the real architects of society,” this award is presented to a woman who exemplifies the qualities of center-right public leader: effective, principled, and a true public servant.

October 5, 2021—Today, Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) and nine additional candidate recruitment organizations have partnered with Snapchat to provide a native-to-mobile tool to help young people run for office. 

Despite historic levels of youth civic engagement in recent elections, Gen-Zs and Millennials remain underrepresented in local, state, and federal government. Given Snapchat’s 90% reach among 13-24 year olds in the United States, WPLN is honored to team up with Snapchat as an inaugural partner for their in-app Run for Office program with the goal of equipping more young people to seek public office and appointments with resources and online training programs to help normalize the conversation around running for office among this next generation. 

“I am excited for WPLN to partner with Snapchat to empower the next generation of young leaders on their political journeys through their in-app Run for Office program,” said Larissa Martinez, WPLN Co-Founder & President, “Our organization is built on the belief that all voices deserve to be represented at decision-making tables, and ensuring more Millennials and Gen-Z can be influential is a critical part of that.”

April 27, 2021—Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) announced today the launch of a free, online training curriculum to equip women to seek public office and encourage them wherever they are on their political journey. 

This program was developed with insights from practitioners who have been on the ground in political and grassroots campaigns, legislative and executive offices, government affairs, nonprofits, and as candidates.

“At WPLN, it’s our goal to remove barriers and provide support to women throughout the political process,” said Larissa Martinez, WPLN Co-Founder & President. “Specifically, we want to train public servants, not politicians. And that means we want to provide accessible and useful information in a way that works for a woman’s schedule—no matter their season of life. This curriculum provides women free, online access to the tools they need to run for office, build their campaigns, and fundraise.” 

March 18, 2021—Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN), a non-partisan non-profit that equips and encourages women to seek public office announced today the formation and first members of its National Advisory Council. Members will help shape WPLN’s strategic vision in their respective states and act as ambassadors for our organization, supporting WPLN’s efforts to equip and encourage center- and right-leaning women on their political journeys.

“I am proud to welcome the inaugural members of WPLN’s National Advisory Council,” said WPLN Co-Founder and President Larissa Martinez. “These women have championed efforts to train and support women seeking public office and each of them brings a wealth of experience that will be instrumental in helping WPLN carry out its mission in 2021 and beyond.”