Ideologically Diverse Federal Commission Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Women's Voting Rights

WASHINGTON - June 2, 2019 - PRLog -- At a time when both political parties are fighting to win the support of female voters in the 2020 election, a bipartisan federal commission is poised to observe the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote and honor those who fought to win passage of the 19th Amendment.

The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission, the official federal commission tasked with commemorating and coordinating the nation's events surrounding the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage began its year-long campaign on May 21 when the House passed H. Res. 354, reaffirming the 19th amendment.  On June 4, the Senate will support women's voting rights by wearing yellow roses like those worn a century ago by the Tennessee Legislature. Tennessee became the critical 36th state necessary to ratify the 19th Amendment and yellow roses were worn by supporters of women's voting rights.

The commission boasts 14 dynamic leaders spanning a diverse professional and ideological landscape.

Commissioners are available for interviews to discuss:

• The importance in commemorating the suffrage centennial
• The importance of sharing the full often untold story of how African-American women fought for women's suffrage
• The commission's mission and goals
• Upcoming events and activities sponsored by the commission
• Why members of Congress are wearing yellow roses and the significance of the yellow rose in the women's vote movement

Chairwoman Kay Coles James - President, The Heritage Foundation
Kay Coles James is President of The Heritage Foundation where she has served on the board of trustees for 13 years.  Mrs. James' commitment to the principles of free enterprise and individual freedom are evidenced in her career of public service that spans three decades. She has served as director of the Office of Personnel Management, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services and Dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University.

Vice Chairwoman Former Senator Barbara Mikulski
Former Senator Barbara Mikulski's political career spans over four decades. She proudly served the people of Maryland in the U.S. Congress for forty years, becoming the longest-serving woman in U.S. Congressional history in the process. Her first elected office was to the City Council of Baltimore in 1971. She then served in the U.S. House of Representatives for a decade prior to her election to the U.S. Senate in 1986, when she became the first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right.

Commissioner Jennifer Siebel Newsom - First Partner of California
Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker, advocate, thought leader, and the First Partner of California. After graduating from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, she wrote, directed, and produced the 2011 award-winning documentary MissRepresentation and launched TheRepresentation Project, a nonprofit that uses film and media to challenge limiting gender stereotypes and shift norms. Today, Jennifer serves on the advisory boards for The Imagine Bus Project, The Common Sense Media Gender Initiative, and Emerge America, in addition to the Suffrage Centennial Commission. She and her husband Governor Gavin Newsom have four young children and reside in Sacramento.

Commissioner Penny Young Nance - President Concerned Women For America
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), is a recognized national authority on cultural, children's, and women's issues. As the CEO and President of the nation's largest public policy women's organization, Nance oversees more than 500,000 participating CWA members across the country, over 400 Prayer/Action Chapters and Home teams, 40 Young Women for America (YWA) Chapters, and 600 trained leaders, and is also the president of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), serving as the principal spokesperson for both entities.

Commissioner Colleen Shogan - Assistant Deputy Librarian for Collections and Services, Library of Congress
Colleen Shogan is the Assistant Deputy Librarian for Collections and Services at the Library of Congress and an adjunct professor of government at Georgetown University. Shogan previously served as the deputy director at the Congressional Research Service and as a policy staffer in the U.S. Senate. A political scientist by training, Shogun has published numerous research articles, essays and four books. She has taught American politics at numerous universities.

Executive Director - Rebecca Kleefisch
Rebecca Kleefisch served two terms as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment. She is the former Chairman of the Aerospace States Association and a founding Co-Chair of Right Women Right Now, an organization encouraging women to run for office.  Rebecca is a former marketing company owner and a recovering journalist.

For a complete list of commissioners visit http://www.WomensVote100.org.

         ###

The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission was established by Congress to commemorate and coordinate the nationwide celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and to educate the American people about the efforts and undertakings of the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

Learn more by visiting womensvote100.org.Ideologically Diverse Federal Commission Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Women's Voting Rights