BATON ROUGE, LA — January 11, 2018 — Today Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced the creation of her Women’s Advancement Commission which will promote policies and services that address and respond to the needs of women in our community.

From promoting pay equity to preventing sexual assault, increasingly our society is aware of gender-based gaps, disparities, and inequalities. The commission will also explore opportunities to improve the lives and status of women and girls in East Baton Rouge Parish through public policy, service delivery, and the promotion of cultural norms that advance equity, equality, and safety.

“Women are joining forces nationwide to address gender inequality issues, and their voices are being heard,” said Mayor-President Broome. “When I took office, I pledged to listen, learn, and lead. The advancement of women is critical to the success of our city and is certainly a priority of my administration.”

Commission members will use their expertise to consider how City-Parish government can promote policies and services that address the needs of women and their families in our parish.  

Commission members include: Dr. Shon Baker, Dimi Ghawi, Twahna Harris, Rachael Hebert, Valerie Jackson-Jones, Mary Moss, Dianna Payton, Leah Phillips, John Price, Dr. Shanta Proctor, Dr. Valerie Richardson, Jan Ross, Summer Steib, Deborah Sternberg, and Yao Zeng.

The inaugural meeting of the Women’s Advancement Commission will be held on Wednesday, January 31 at 10:00 am. Subsequent meetings will be held monthly in the Office of the Mayor-President.

For more information, please contact Dr. Tamiara Wade, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, at 225-389-3100.