About WINDD
Women in Democracy Dedham (WINDD) is a nonpartisan effort committed to engaging more women in local politics and educating the public about local government. WINDD supports voters and candidates by providing information and resources through our events and workshops. WINDD does not endorse individual candidates.
History
WINDD was founded in 2013 to encourage civic engagement in Dedham and help increase the representation of women in Dedham’s Government. At the time, the majority of elected boards in Dedham had no women serving on them. Over the years, the group has held regular events to educate the public about how town government works, how to run for office, and how to get involved with civic organizations and appointed town boards.
WINDD has the following goals:
Our values:
Volunteer
We welcome volunteers interested in supporting our events and programs. Please complete this very brief interest form so our Leadership Team can contact you with upcoming opportunities.
WINDD Leadership Team
WINDD is governed by a Leadership Team who are identified below. The team rotates often because WINDD members who are running for town-wide office or working on town-wide campaigns are required to take a leave of absence in order to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Current WINDD volunteers interested in joining the leadership team can apply after one year of service.
Current Leadership Team, as of March 2021:
Laurie Delaney
Meg Duncan
Virginia Hickey Ferentinos
Jessica Porter
Molly Uppenkamp
Jean Zeiler
History
WINDD was founded in 2013 to encourage civic engagement in Dedham and help increase the representation of women in Dedham’s Government. At the time, the majority of elected boards in Dedham had no women serving on them. Over the years, the group has held regular events to educate the public about how town government works, how to run for office, and how to get involved with civic organizations and appointed town boards.
WINDD has the following goals:
- Increase citizen participation in elections, boards, committees and local issues.
- Educate the public about running for office with unbiased, nonpartisan information and resources.
- Identify and work to eliminate barriers so that public service in Dedham is welcoming and accessible to all.
- Identify support structures to help ensure those who take on leadership positions have the resources they need to be successful in their roles.
Our values:
- We are a nonpartisan, non-hierarchical effort.
- We believe that our community is best served with diverse representation in all levels of government.
- We believe educating citizens is vital to increasing participation in the democratic process.
- We believe in increasing government communication and citizen access to information.
- We believe in openness, accountability, and honesty from our government and elected officials.
- We believe all elected and appointed officials should adhere to a reasonable code of conduct, and we expect our members to do so as well.
Volunteer
We welcome volunteers interested in supporting our events and programs. Please complete this very brief interest form so our Leadership Team can contact you with upcoming opportunities.
WINDD Leadership Team
WINDD is governed by a Leadership Team who are identified below. The team rotates often because WINDD members who are running for town-wide office or working on town-wide campaigns are required to take a leave of absence in order to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Current WINDD volunteers interested in joining the leadership team can apply after one year of service.
Current Leadership Team, as of March 2021:
Laurie Delaney
Meg Duncan
Virginia Hickey Ferentinos
Jessica Porter
Molly Uppenkamp
Jean Zeiler