Prairie State Wire

Final registration is now being taken for the Lincoln Series Webinar set to take place on March 30.

With a 7 p.m. starting time, the informational webinar is open to all, with participants slated to learn more about the group's premier Leadership Program.

The Lincoln Series trains women for public service, including preparing them to become political candidates and for careers in public service.

This year’s event is slated to feature speeches and presentations from alumnae who will offer first-hand accounts of how things they learned in the program have been instrumental in helping them put their careers on solid ground.

"As a 2009 graduate, this program has empowered me and provided me with more tools and knowledge about running for office and being an officeholder - to be a voice and leader for the people I serve,” said current Republican state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris).

This year’s Leadership Program kicks off in August, with each month of the 10-month program featuring experts schooling students on topics that wade into their field of expertise.

“The Lincoln Series was the single most important driver that gave me the knowledge and confidence to run for office,” said fellow GOP state Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), another alumnae of the program. “The networking and education one receives as a Lincoln Series Fellow puts you head and shoulders above other candidates.”

Rezin added she is hoping the program could give Republicans more of a fighting chance in Illinois.

“I would encourage any woman who feels a calling to public service or wants to learn more about their options at the local, state, or federal level, to participate in The Lincoln Series,” she said. “Our party, especially in Illinois, must have more women representation, and The Lincoln Series is helping make that happen."

Formerly known as The Excellence in Public Service Series, the Lincoln Series was organized in Illinois in 1994 by Mary Jo Arndt and the Illinois Committeewomen’s Roundtable. Over the last nearly two decades the program has graduated more than 200 women from its Leadership Track, including some who went on to become lieutenant governor, state senator, state representative and presidential appointees.