House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) and members of the Illinois House Republican Caucus hosted 55 women leaders from across the state on Tuesday to recognize their leadership in making a difference in their communities throughout Illinois.
House Republican legislators from throughout Illinois invited guests from their districts to participate in the Emerging Women Leaders Recognition Event, linking together the broad expanse of industries and diverse individual experiences found within the State of Illinois.
The House Republican’s third annual event included brunch featuring a keynote address by Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher; a Listening Session with Leader McCombie; a dedicated panel called “Own Your Power,” featuring Professor Linda Renee Baker with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Kara Demirjian Hus, Vice President for T.C.C.I. Manufacturing, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White, and Susan Hayes Gordon, Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officers for the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Several additional panels were offered on various topics in law enforcement, economics, and more. Tours of the Capitol were also available with the Architect of the Capitol Andrea Aggertt.
“It is an honor to host this event that draws incredible leaders from every corner of our state,” said Leader McCombie. “These women are making a great impact in their own communities, and to bring that power into one room makes for a truly phenomenal event. I would like to thank each of them for sharing their stories with us and for their dedication to make our state better for future generations to come.”
Leader McCombie took time to recognize the group with a dedicated speech on the House floor during legislative session.
“The event brought an amazing group of women to our Capitol, which also coincides with women’s history month,” said McCombie. “We have so many leaders throughout our state, this group is something to really be proud of and inspired by—and I am lucky for my time with them today.”
Leader McCombie and the House Republican Caucus will continue to make the Emerging Women Leaders Recognition an annual event, building on the success of the first such event hosted in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the recognition to be postponed from 2020-2022.
