On Thursday, March 27th, Mayor James unveiled city government’s blueprint for women’s empowerment. This initiative, the first of its kind in the nation, culminates a five-month-long collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, Central Exchange, Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and UMKC’s Women’s Center.

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As Mayor, I attend meetings all across this City and when I do, I often find myself surrounded by men. It’s not enough to point that fact out. I want to do my part to change it.

That means taking action steps to ensure that city government works well for the women who work for it, I’m talking about city employees, and for the women who do business with the city. City government should not impede anyone from maximizing their potential. It should work for everyone. And everyone means EVERYONE.

The fact that women are under-represented in the business community, in government, and in leadership positions in general means that we need to take a close look at the way we operate.

To accomplish that, my office is partnering with the Central Exchange, the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and UMKC’s Women’s Center. The goal of this partnership, fittingly called WE for Women’s Empowerment, is to develop a blueprint of strategies that makes our local government a conduit for success for the women in this community.

That means looking at how we operate and determining action steps to make Kansas City best by making women front and center.

Women make up 51% of the population and are receiving higher levels of education at a faster pace than their male counterparts. We can use that to our advantage and it is good business to do so. Every organization, public or private, employs women and have female customers.

This is a model that other cities and businesses can use.

The Mayor’s Office is proud to partner with the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas for their Appointments Project. The Appointments Project serves as a talent bank for women seeking opportunities to lead Kansas City. Regardless of your background, now is the time to share your expertise and point of view. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

Local businesses in the spotlight:

We salute the KC Chamber for their comprehensive Maternity/Paternity leave, where full-time employees, have a paid leave associated with the birth of an employee’s own child or the placement of a child with the employee in connection with adoption.