The Cap Times (June 24, 2010) — In a region of the world where religion and government are still tightly tied, one Madison native has found a way to empower a population with a growing, but still comparatively quiet, political voice.
“Bringing more women to elected office is a way to start to diffuse power — power that right now is in the hands of a small minority of men in the Middle East,” says Katie Croake, a 1992 graduate of West High and a 2003 graduate of UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. “When these new voices (of women) are heard, you really start to change the culture.”
To that end, Croake started the Young Women Leaders Academy Program, which aims to empower women to become involved in politics and democracy. Begun three years ago, the program operates under the National Democratic Institute, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions worldwide.
Read the full story, by Jessica Vanegeren, printed in The Cap Times.