Indivisible Women: Mobilizing and Rising Up in Rural America
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Friday, Aug. 11 1:00 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Friday, Aug. 11 2:15 PM (Eastern)
Indivisible Women, established in a rural community in a red district in a blue state and recognized as one of the larger Indivisible groups in the nation, is creating a new model for women’s leadership. Designed to engage rural women in the political process, encourage partnerships and community building, and access personal power, this panel will share new systems women in rural America are implementing to create solutions to some of our greatest challenges. You’ll learn tools to mobilize multi generations and neighboring communities to work together and design a vision beyond the resistance, plus how to establish a grassroots PAC to support women in leadership and elected office.
Moderator
Sheila Cameron
Artist and writer, Sheila Cameron, left mainstream entertainment to focus on art and family in 2005. Executive and producing positions at companies like HBO, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s LivePlanet, MTV, American Photo Magazine and Movieline.com gives her painting and digital engagement a unique perspective. She generated world-wide attention with the FREE KATIE site and t-shirts and broke down barriers between art worlds with her online only, solo show and auction, “Jerry Saltz Personally Invited Me to Hell and I’m going”. She received her BA in Fine Art and Writing from Loyola University in Maryland and continues explore the role of fine art in entertainment, social media and activism from her home studio in Nevada City, California. Although she is in Northern California now, she keeps personal and professional ties with Los Angeles, the city where she spent most of her life. Since the presidential election of 2016 she has used her skills to advocate for women’s issues through Indivisible Women Nevada County and as organizer of The Women’s March Sacramento.
Panelists
Barbara DeHart
Barbara DeHart is a dynamic leader whose career as a technology executive has provided a rich foundation in leading high functioning teams, organizational development, leadership development and mentoring. After the election in November 2016, she embarked on a journey to apply that expertise to the fractured political environment, creating Consciouspolitics.net working with activists and politicians to identify new ways of interacting. She also co-creating IndivisibleWomen.org, a grass roots organization focused on political activism and creation of a more functioning political process.
Deeply motivated to live a life of authenticity, Barbara has taken two, year-long timeouts to dive more deeply into her relationship with her mate and her career. She is currently writing about one of those years in her upcoming book, “A Year Without a Man”.
Heidi Hall
Heidi Hall was elected to be Nevada County Supervisor in 2016. She represents people in a beautiful rural community in the California Sierra Nevada mountains that is in the process of moving from red to purple. She ran for Congress for the Region in 2014, covering 11 counties and meeting with hundreds of community leaders while providing a progressive voice for Democrats and others for the first time in decades. Heidi worked for the US EPA for 20 years, and the California Department of Water Resources for another 5 years and counting. Her education in International Relations from Pomona College (B.A.) and Columbia University School of International Affairs (M.A.), and a second Masters in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Public Policy at Rutgers University is now serving her well. She became energized and activist after moving to red, rural Northern California in 2011, where she joined a number of Boards, created a political blog, wrote a column for the local paper, and finally jumped into electoral politics. Heidi is also active in the State Democratic Party, and has worked to recruit women candidates for local elections in Nevada County.
Elisa Parker
Elisa Parker, media maven, speaker and a visionary for women and social justice is the co-founder, president & host of the award winning program, See Jane Do, co-founder of Indivisible Women and Leadership Ambassador with Take the Lead Women. Elisa’s work takes her around the world to discover and share the extraordinary stories & solutions in each of us. She hosts her weekly show for nationally acclaimed radio station KVMR & is the co-founder & director of the Passion into Action™ Women’s Conference, TEDxGrassValley, Raising Jane and the See Jane Do Media Lounge.
Elisa reaches thousands through partnership with other like-minded organizations and develops organizational-wide initiatives, communications strategies for events & digital media campaigns that support women’s leadership & gender equity. She designs, creates and facilitates training programs in hi-tech, media, healthcare & non-profit organizations to optimize performance outcomes.
She is an alumna of the Women’s Media Center Progressive Women’s Voices program, Take the Lead Women & The White House Project’s Go Run program. Elisa holds a BA in Communications from San Francisco State and a MA in Organization Development & Leadership at University of San Francisco. Elisa lives in the Sierra Foothills with her husband and two daughters.
“We have the power to create a new paradigm that serves our greatest gifts and talents. The first step is to define it, ask for it and then go for it. Ultimately, no one has the power to define your worth when you recognize that in your very core you have purpose and you matter. If you don’t recognize that, you’re giving your power away. It’s vital that each individual recognizes that they play an essential role in leading systematic change.” ~Elisa Parker
Tracie Stafford
Tracie Stafford is a social justice activist, cultural competency educator and has emerged as a powerful voice for women across the nation through her over 10 years of active engagement in the women’s equality movement. Activists know her throughout California from her work as emcee at The Women’s March Sacramento, The Black Women’s March, Science March, Tax March etc. and Nationally as a survivor advocate in the fight against Domestic Violence.
She is an elected District Delegate for the California Democratic party, the Vice President of the Women Democrats of Sacramento County, founder of Indivisible Women of California and is running for the office of Mayor of Elk Grove, California 2018.
Her expertise in marketing, PR and cultural competency were honed through years working her way up from data entry operator to the owner of her own firm. As a small business owner and philanthropist, she devoted countless hours to chairing boards such as The National Association of Women Business Owners, The Sacramento Small Business Board and leant her talents to the boards of The Birthing Project International, The Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce among others. In addition, she was honored to have been appointed to the California Small Business Board by the Governor of California.
Today Tracie resides happily with her husband and three of her four children in Elk Grove California. Her fourth child, a daughter, is a Sailor in the United States Navy. A fun fact: Tracie also competes Internationally in Mrs. Pageantry for married women, having most recently held the title of Mrs. California Globe 2015 and placed 1st runner up at Mrs. USA Globe 2016.