Abbreviation MWL Headquarters Augusta, Maine Board Chair Rebekah Smith | Formation 1978 Executive Director Eliza Townsend | |
Motto The Voice of Maine Women | ||
The Maine Women's Lobby (MWL) was founded in 1978 and is dedicated to legislative action on behalf of Maine's women and girls. The Maine Women's Lobby believes women and girls should have economic security, access to health care, and freedom from violence and discrimination. Eliza Townsend is the organization's Executive Director.
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Mission
The Maine Women's Policy Center is committed to systemic change. For sixteen years the organization has trained, organized, and supported women to effectively participate in the policy-making process. The MWPC has consistently backed up women's real life experiences with research and facts, and partnered with its sister organization, the Maine Women's Lobby, to amplify their concerns in the legislature and develop policy solutions that address their needs. The MWPC especially seeks to serve those women who are underrepresented in the formation of public policy - particularly rural women and women with low incomes.
History
The Maine Women's Lobby was founded in 1978 by nine women, including Patricia E. Ryan, Linda Smith Dyer, Lois Galgay Reckitt, and Janet T. Mills. Former Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills was elected to the Board of Directors of the Maine Women's Lobby in 1998. In 2010, the organization launched the "She Decides" campaign, which compiles political candidates' responses to questionnaires geared towards women's issues.
Maine Women's Policy Center
The Maine Women's Policy Center is the sister organization to the Maine Women's Lobby and is dedicated to creating equality for Maine's women and girls. It holds four main areas to be the focus of its goals: economic security, civil rights, freedom from violence, and secure health care and reproductive rights.
The Maine Women's Policy Center was founded in 1990 to improve the economic, social, and political status of women and girls in Maine through public policy and leadership development. The Policy Center sponsors Girl's Day at the Maine State House, which hosts seventh and eighth grade girls from all over Maine.