Steering Committee Bios
Regina Moore
Democratic Women's Caucus Chair
Regina Moore is currently your City Clerk for the City of Bloomington. Politically active since her foray into the Jerry Brown Presidential Primary Campaign of 1992, she has served as the Vice Chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party from 1996 to 2003, served as precinct committee chair for Perry 22 since 1992, has been a delegate to the Indiana State Democratic Party Conventions and to the 1992 National Democratic Convention. "I remember what a mystery the political world was to me in 1992, but how exciting and empowering it was to work in it. I'm grateful to wonderful Democrats (Pat Williams, Julio Alonso, and Frank and Roberta McCloskey) who have mentored me, and I'd like to pass on that mentoring to help women gain a greater voice and role in local city, county and state government."
Susan Sandberg
Democratic Women's Caucus Vice Chair
Susan Sandberg ran in 2003 on the Kruzan slate for City Council as the only woman candidate from either party. Taking on a two-term incumbent Republican, Susan ran a competitive race in District 2 as a rookie politician. She is the mother of Katy, sister of Sarah, daughter of Gene and Jane, and yes, the Sandbergs all live under the same harmonious roof!
Susan is the President of the South Central Community Action Program board of directors, has served on the board of the Bloomington Pops Orchestra, and is the Program Coordinator for Arts Administration/SPEA at Indiana University. One of the original steering committee members for DWC/PAC, Susan was thrilled to attend Emily's List candidate training in preparation for helping more progressive and pro-choice women seek and win legislative seats.
Dee Owens Democratic Women's Caucus Steering Committee Secretary
I have worked on political campaigns since I was 9, most recently including a month with Howard Dean in Iowa and New Hampshire, and I regularly attend national progressive gatherings. Since moving to Bloomington 5 years ago, I have worked for several campaigns and at the polls, and have been a state convention delegate.
I hold a BS with honors in political science and English from Indiana State and an MPA with a policy analysis concentration from IU/SPEA.
I have directed several nonprofits, a state agency, and chaired a national advisory council in Washington, DC. I currently direct the Alcohol-Drug Information Center at IU, serve in leadership capacities on several local, state, and national boards, and I train internationally for the Federal government.
I adhere to a progressive agenda:
Equal rights for all women
Belief in the wisdom that decisions about a woman's body are between herself and her physician
Provision of services to help women overcome disadvantages inherent in single parenthood and overwhelming socioeconomic odds.
I will use my experience in a leadership role with the DWC and help more women become viable candidates for office and appointments. Working together with you, we will achieve that goal!
Lorraine Farrell
Democratic Women's Caucus Treasurer
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1951, Lorraine Merriman Farrell has appreciated the natural world and the arts for as long as she can remember. Her education and subsequent career path have always had the arts as a centerpiece. Undergraduate fine arts studio work, with a printmaking concentration, took place in both the United States and England.
Fourteen years as a freelance graphic artist and designer overlapped with a fifteen-year career in the corporate world of Sunrise Publications, Inc. For the last ten years of her time at Sunrise, Lorraine served as Vice-President and part owner of the company.
In January of 2000 and as sole proprietor and designer, Lorraine opened the doors of FOSSIL RAIN, her retail jewelry studio and gallery, located in downtown Bloomington, Indiana.
Lorraine married Richard James Farrell in 1985 and they have two sons who are the light of their lives; Noah Merriman Farrell, age 20 and Samuel Merriman Farrell, age 15.
The year 2000 also marked the end of Lorraine sitting on the political sidelines. Membership in the Democratic Women's Caucus continues to be a primary catalyst and ongoing inspiration for her political education and involvement.
Charlotte Zietlow
Democratic Women's Caucus Director of Training
The White House Project
www.thewhitehouseproject.org/whp_news/07192004_TribuneStar.html
Published on: 7/18/2004 Last Visited: 5/13/2005
Charlotte Zietlow entered politics at a time when few women were seen or accepted as politicians with voices to add to the democratic process.
Zietlow began at the precinct level in the 1960s and ran as a Democratic candidate in 1978 against John Myers for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
While Zietlow has noticed women making strides in being accepted into political positions, she said women are not running for these positions as much as they could.
"It's not as difficult to be elected, but I think there are more women working to make ends meet," said Zietlow, who currently serves as an Indiana State University trustee. "We're not seeing as many women running." She added men still remain more likely to seek public office.
Having women in offices such as county commissioner, county clerk or in Congress is vital because women bring different experiences and values to the forefront of debate than men do, Zietlow said. Women bring the perspective of raising children to the government level and focus on issues that affect families, Zietlow said.
"We all see through the lens of our own experience," she said.
After Zietlow started at the precinct level, she ran in 1971 for city council in Bloomington. She lost the 1978 congressional election, and then ran for Monroe County commissioner in 1980. She served as president of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners for seven of her eight years as commissioner. Since 1995, Zietlow has worked as the economic development coordinator for the Bloomington-based domestic violence organization Middle Way House, and she remains active on the precinct level in Bloomington.
Throughout her political career, Zietlow has faced criticism for being a woman in politics. She said when she served as president of Bloomington City Council, she encountered people who did not believe a woman was capable of the job.
"I was told then I couldn't possibly understand a budget because I never met a payroll," Zietlow said.
Zietlow said women still have not completely broken through the glass ceiling of politics, with few women - especially minority females - serving on state government seats.
"The fact is there's just a handful of women in the state senate," Zietlow said.
Mansard said she thinks the low involvement of women in politics is a matter of them not realizing how much they can contribute to government. Since her start in politics, she said the involvement of women has improved "somewhat but not greatly."
"Even in my job as clerk, previously there had only been one other woman," Mansard said. But since she started as a clerk, more women have moved into the job in other counties and have dominated that position in Indiana in recent years, she said.
Mansard said she became involved in politics after realizing the impact she could make.
For Zietlow, John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign made her realize how one person can help to change the government. Zietlow said she came from an "unpolitical family." But when she attended graduate school at University of Michigan, she volunteered to help with the Kennedy campaign. She went around to homes and encouraged people to vote. Zietlow said she changed about 40 votes, and Kennedy carried Michigan by 4,000 votes, or 1 percent.
"If it hadn't been for me and a hundred people like me, he might have lost," Zietlow said.
Contact:E-mail:zietlowc@gmail.com
Democratic Women's Caucus Director of Fundraising
Jean Umiker-Sebeok
After completing graduate work in anthropology and linguistics (Ph.D. 1976, Indiana University-Bloomington), I spent the next 24 years researching, teaching, and publishing on a variety of subjects in semiotics, linguistics, marketing and information science. I retired from Indiana University in 2000.
I have had the pleasure of volunteering for several community organizations, including Bloomington Montessori School, Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals, SeniorCyberNet, Catholic Social Services, Bloomington Adult Community Center, Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Community Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, IU Art Museum, IU University Club, IU Friends of Art, IU Theatre Circle, and the AARP Tax Aid Program.
My political work includes running a DNC office for the Kerry campaign in Mason, OH, in 2004, and, in 2006, serving as treasurer of one campaign committee and coordinator of canvassing for another, calling and canvassing for Baron Hill and for the Monroe County Democratic Party, hosting fundraisers for specific candidates, throwing a party for MoveOn.org's Operation Democracy and doing media coverage for one of their events, and calling on behalf of We the People. I currently serve as Chair of Perry 12 precinct, Chair of the Education Committee of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan and Chair of Fundraising for the Democratic Women's Caucus.
My goal is to see in my lifetime single payer health insurance in the US, a woman elected US President, and American energy independence. This means that I must stay healthy and live a LONG time!
Carole Scifres
Democratic Women's Caucus Director of Research
Cathi Crabtree
Democratic Women's Caucus Steering Committee at-large
I'm a feminist and civil rights activist; that is, I support equal rights for all. I am pro-choice; that is, I believe that a woman's right to choose is essential in order for women to have equal rights. My current favor quote? "I am in the world to change the world," Kathe Kollwitz.
I hold a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Evansville, and an MA in public administration from IU. Currently, I serve on the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women (since September 2003), the Indiana Equality South Central Steering Committee Member (since April 2003) and as an On-Scene Advocate for Middle Way House Domestic Violence Shelter and Rape Crisis Center.
My previous involvement in local agencies includes being a member of the Middle Way House Board of Directors Member (including stints as Secretary and President) and of Leadership Bloomington-Monroe County Alumni Board (as both Secretary and Vice President), and serving as the Bloomington Coordinator of the National Organization for Women.
Vi Simpson
Democratic Women's Caucus Steering Committee member at-large
As one of Indiana 's most effective and respected leaders, State Senator Vi Simpson has spent a career fighting for causes that matter most to Hoosiers.
In her time in the Indiana State Senate, Simpson has worked to make health care more affordable and accessible for all Hoosiers. She's led the fight to restructure the state's economy so businesses and workers can more effectively compete in the global marketplace and she's been a tireless advocate for improving Indiana 's public schools and universities.
Elected to the Senate in 1984, Simpson is widely regarded as am expert on the state's finances, serving as the Senate Democrat Caucus' representative on the powerful State Budget Committee. She also serves as the ranking minority member of the Senate's Appropriations Committee and is a member of the Health & Provider Services, Economic Development & Technology and Tax & Fiscal Policy standing committees.
Among her many legislative accomplishments include authoring legislation that created Indiana's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which has become a national model for delivering cost-effective health services to uninsured children. She is also credited with creating national award winning legislation dealing with voluntary environmental cleanups. In 2002, Simpson and her colleagues initiated the debate on tax restructuring and property tax reform which led to the passage of historic legislation that revamped the state's entire tax code.
She has received a variety of state and national awards and honors for her work. She has been named “Legislator of the Year” by the State Employees Association, the Indiana Library Federation, the Indiana Wildlife Federation and numerous other organizations. On the national level, Simpson has been honored with the Distinguished Legislator Award by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the National Legislator of the Year by the American Academy of Physicians, and in 2005 the American Medical Association awarded Simpson their highest honor, the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.
Simpson, who served as Monroe County Auditor before joining the Indiana General Assembly, received her law degree from Indiana University School of Law. She has two adult children and resides in Ellettsville with her husband, former state senator Bill McCarty.
Her current term expires in 2008.
Lois Sabo-Skelton
Member at Large
Dr. Lois Sabo-Skelton: Violinist, Writer, Activist
The DWC's member at large is currently working on recording her music project-in-progress titled "Pieces of Peace", an original composition she debuted at the DWC's Women's Equality Day dinner on August 26, 2006. In addition, she is the Microfilming Project Archivist for the President Tubman Papers: Liberian Project at Indiana University. She has served on the Bloomington City Commissions for Historic Preservation and Family and Human Resources. As a Trustee of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, she begins her third year as Secretary and Legislative Representative. A frequent contributor to the local Ryder Magazine, she writes about music and politics.
Lu Cregar
Democratic Women's Caucus Director of Website
I retired in 1999, after 34 years of teaching elementary school in Ypsilanti, MI. I like both politics and technology so spend a lot of time volunteering! I moved to Bloomington in June of 1999 with my husband, Jim (an IU graduate). We found a little piece of heaven in a house on Lake Monroe and have found Bloomington a wonderful place to retire - and have become active in a number of Bloomington organizations. The current national political scene was the motivation for me to return to political action in the spring of 2004. I think the most challenging thing I ever did was to be elected the local teacher's union president for the last two years of my teaching career as well as serving as the chair of the Washtenaw County Political Action Committee affiliated with the Michigan Education Association and the National Education Association. After that, nothing comes close to being "busy"! Currently, I serve on the University Club Board of Directors, volunteer for SeniorCyberNet,a non profit organization that teaches seniors how to use technology and served as President of the University Women's Club for 2006-07.
Democratic Women's Caucus Director of the Women In Politics Reading Group
Julie Thomas
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