Organizations increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles and work together. This is true not only in Utah’s businesses, but also its government organizations, such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies.

American democracy is based on the concept of representation. Governments mirror this idea by encouraging agencies to employ a workforce that shares the demographic characteristics of the community it serves. In fact, the presence of a diverse public workforce “implies equal access to government positions promoting empowerment and connection with government in diverse communities, [and] can also signal the inclusion of group interests, attitudes, and experiences in government decision making and build government legitimacy.” This is true at all levels of government in Utah, including the municipal, county, and state levels.

The Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) recently published a research and policy brief "The Status of Women Leaders in Government – Utah Counties: A 2024 Update" which is the topic of this episode. 

Dr. Susan Madsen, Founding Director of the UWLP, is joined by Dr. April Townsend, a UWLP Research Fellow and owner of Townsend Consulting. 

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