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Board of Directors

Applications to serve on the 2025-2026 Board of Directors are due July 10. Women state legislators may click here to apply and be considered by the Nominating Committee.
Women In Government’s Board of Directors is composed of 14 sitting women state legislators who guide the organizational activities and provide support to implement the strategic action plan. The Board is made up of both Democrats and Republicans, reflecting Women In Government’s non-partisan nature.

Executive Committee

Representative Lauren Matsumoto (R-HI)

Representative Lauren Matsumoto (R-HI)

Chair

House Minority Leader Representative Lauren Matsumoto represents Hawai’i’s 38th District. Representative Matsumoto currently serves on the Housing Committee, the Legislative Committee, and the Transportation Committee. Representative Matsumoto is a co-convener of the Hawai’i Women’s Legislative Caucus.

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Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-MD)

Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-MD)

Co-Vice Chair

Speaker Pro Tempore Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes represents Maryland’s House District 37A. Delegate Sample-Hughes serves as House Chair for the Special Joint Legislative Committee to Select the State Treasurer; House Chair for the Joint Committee on Workers’ Compensation Benefit & Insurance Oversight; and Chairs the Workers’ Compensation Subcommittee. Delegate Sample Hughes is a member of many committees in her legislature and belongs to the Women Legislators of Maryland, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and Maryland Veterans Caucus.

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Senator Patricia Rucker (R-WV)

Senator Patricia Rucker (R-WV)

Co-Vice Chair

Senator Patricia Rucker represents West Virginia Senate District 16. Senator Rucker currently serves as Chair of the School Choice Committee and is a member of the Health and Human Resources Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Outdoor Recreation Committee. Senator Rucker also serves as chairs the Minority Issues Interim Committee and is a member of the following Interim Committees: Agriculture & Rural Development; Children & Families; Health; Judiciary; Workforce Development & Labor Issues.

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Senator Mattie Hunter (D-IL)

Senator Mattie Hunter (D-IL)

Treasurer

Senate Majority Caucus Chair Senator Mattie Hunter represents the 3rd Senate District that includes Chicago, Illinois. She serves as Chair of the Revenue Committee and as Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee and the Executive Appointments Committee. She is Sub-Chair of the Appropriations-Criminal Justice Committee and the Executive-Special Issues Committee. She also serves as Sub-Vice-Chair of the Executive-Gaming Committee and the Executive-Procurement Committee. View the full list of Senator Hunter’s committees on her legislative website here.

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Representative Christie Carpino (R-CT)

Representative Christie Carpino (R-CT)

Secretary

Representative Christie Carpino is the House Republican Caucus Chair and currently serves the 32nd House District. Representative Carpino serves on the Public Health Committee, the Government Administration and Elections Committee, the Regulations and Review Committee, as well as the Legislative Management Committee.

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Representative Cindy Ryu (D-WA)

Representative Cindy Ryu (D-WA)

Immediate Past Chair

Representative Cindy Ryu is serving her 6th term in the 32nd House District. She chairs the Community and Economic Development Committee with additional jurisdiction over community resilience, emergency preparedness, parks & recreation, telecommunications, broadband, and tourism. Rep. Ryu also serves on the Consumer Protection & Business and Appropriations Committees, WA Tourism Marketing Authority, Pacific NW Economic Region and CSG Leadership Council.

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Regional Directors

Western Regional Directors

Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-CO)

Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-CO)

Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet currently represents Senate District 30. She serves as Chair on the Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee. She also serves on the Education Committee, the Legislative Audit Committee and the Finance Committee.

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Senator Lisa Krasner (R-NV)

Senator Lisa Krasner (R-NV)

Co-Minority Whip Senator Lisa Krasner is serving in her first term representing Nevada Senate District 16 after service in the Assembly from 2017-2022. Senator Krasner is a member of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Legislative Operations & Elections Committee.

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Midwestern Regional Directors

Senator Jessica Garvin (R-OK)

Senator Jessica Garvin (R-OK)

Sen. Jessica Garvin was first elected to the state Senate in 2020 to represent Senate District 43, encompassing communities in Garvin, Grady, McClain and Stephens counties.

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Representative Gretchen Bangert (D-MO)

Representative Gretchen Bangert (D-MO)

Representative Gretchen Bangert, a Democrat, represents Florissant, Hazelwood and parts of unincorporated St. Louis County (District 69) in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to her first two-year term in November 2016.

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Southern Regional Directors

Representative Heather Crawford (R-SC)

Representative Heather Crawford (R-SC)

Representative Heather Crawford was elected to office in 2012 representing District 68. She currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee in the South Carolina General Assembly. Representative Crawford is the Chair of the Ways and Means - Sales & Use Tax and Income Tax Subcommittee.

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Senator Gloria Butler (D-GA)

Senator Gloria Butler (D-GA)

Senator Gloria Butler represents the 55th Senate District that includes parts of DeKalb County, Georgia. Senator Butler is the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and serves as Secretary for the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee and the Urban Affairs Committee. Other Committee memberships include: the Ethics Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, the Rules Committee and the Transportation Committee.

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Eastern Regional Directors

Representative Donna Oberlander (R-PA)

Representative Donna Oberlander (R-PA)

Donna Oberlander represents Pennsylvania's 63rd District and is currently the Chair of the PA House Tourism Committee. She also has served as chairman of the House Diabetes Caucus, where she led House passage of significant legislation to help people diagnosed with this health condition. She has also co-chaired the House Manufacturing Caucus, which allowed members to interact with the manufacturing community on relevant issues and policy, help create pro-manufacturing legislation and raise the profile of the industry; along with the House Gas and Oil Caucus. She has served in the House since 2009.

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Representative Danielle W. Gregoire (D-MA)

Representative Danielle W. Gregoire (D-MA)

Danielle W. Gregoire is a lifelong resident of Marlborough, MA and a graduate of the Marlborough Public School system. She graduated from St. Anselm College in Manchester New Hampshire (BA Criminal Justice, Cum Laude) and Suffolk University Law School. Danielle is a member of the MA Bar. She is a member of the Marlborough Lions Club, the Marlborough Historical Society, Marlborough Medical Reserve Corps, Friends of the Marlborough Library and participates with several other local charitable organizations.

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