First, I want to tell you how honored I am to be joining League of Our Own Washington as Executive Director! We are going to do big things in this state, and the work starts now.
Allow me to take a moment to tell you a bit about myself: Originally from Alaska, I moved to Washington State in 2009. I met my husband, Blake, at school at Central Washington University. After graduating with a degree in Political Science in 2012, I worked on Michael Baumgartner’s U.S. Senate Campaign. Shortly after that campaign ended, I joined the team at the Washington State Republican Party where I served as Finance Director for 5 years and Executive Director for 3 years. Blake and I are currently licensed foster parents living in Duvall. When I am not catching up on the latest headlines, I am spending time with our little boy, taking our golden retriever on runs, and cheering on Seattle sports teams.
From the first moment I heard about League of Our Own many months ago, I knew it was something that could make a real difference in Washington State. With a decade of experience in state politics, I have seen firsthand what works and, more frequently, what doesn’t work when it comes to candidate recruitment.
Many organizations approach candidate recruitment as a small piece of a larger mission. Often, candidate recruitment is a season, not a 24/7/365 operation. Candidate recruitment is done passively instead of proactively. When great candidates run for office but don’t win (the first time), there is no infrastructure in place to keep them engaged and motivated to stay involved. That’s where League of Our Own is revamping the way we conduct candidate recruitment in Washington State. The League is fully dedicated to finding talented women to run for office and providing them the tools, resources, training and mentorship they need to be successful candidates and effective leaders.
Furthermore, as a wife, mother, and professional, I feel passionately about empowering women to take their seat at the political table. We all know that men and women think, and therefore govern, differently. While studies show that men tend to be more ambitious, assertive, and decisive, women tend to be more compassionate and empathetic and are better at working out compromises. That is certainly something I’d like to see more of in government.
Over the last few months, I have had the pleasure of discussing League of Our Own with friends, family, and professional colleagues, and the excitement is tangible. Thanks to the energy and support of all of you, we are going to do big things for women and politics in Washington State. If you’ve already signed up for a role with the League, I will be reaching out to you personally. If you want to help or have ideas, suggestions, etc., I would love to connect with you.
I look forward to partnering with you to find talented women to run for office and provide them with what they need to be successful candidates and effective leaders. Let’s do this, Washington!
Kaitlin Vintertun
Executive Director
League of Our Own Washington