Sara Crawford, Town Manager of Charlotte Court House, recently completed the Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute, a partnership between Virginia Women Leading Government and the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center to provide connections, content, tools, and opportunities for women aspiring to become local government leaders.
Through this program, Crawford and 24 other high-potential women from across the commonwealth attended sessions designed to develop their skills and confidence to pursue positions as community leaders.
In Virginia, 16% of top local government appointed chief administrative officials are held by women, according to Civic Pulse. According to Bonnie Svrcek, the institute’s executive director and the first female city manager of Lynchburg and former president of the International City/County Management Association, Virginia can do better.
“There is no doubt that inclusive leadership that reflects the demographic of towns, cities, and counties makes for better decision-making and therefore stronger communities,” Svrcek said. “The Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute is one way to strengthen the pipeline for women in local government leadership.”
She added that, “if younger women in their career can see women in local government leadership, they, too, can build the qualitative and quantitative skills to be those future leaders in our communities.”
Participants met for eight monthly gatherings, including two virtual and six in-person sessions around the state. Virginia Tech faculty members and other experts presented workshops on topics incorporating both technical duties such as budgeting and strategic planning to “soft skills” such as public speaking and life as an executive woman in local government.
The institute represents one of the ways the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center and the university’s other Commonwealth Campus Centers located in Richmond, Abingdon, and Newport News connect their communities with university resources, said Scott Weimer, executive director of Roanoke Regional Initiatives.
“The Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute is developing a new generation of leaders who are poised to enhance local government across the commonwealth with a wealth of diverse perspectives and skills,” Weimer said. “Through this important program, we’re helping these leaders and the communities they serve achieve their full potential.”
Applications for the institute’s 2025 cohort will be accepted soon, with sessions running from March to October. For more information,