BUILD HONORS AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND GOVERNMENT

March is Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Alliance selects and publishes the yearly theme, and this year it is the same as last year: “Valiant Women of the Vote.” It is appropriate to carry this theme forward considering the historic role Black women played in the recent elections. This includes the election of Kamala Harris.  Harris is the first Black woman, the first Indian-American woman, the first person of Asian-American descent, and the first graduate of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to be sworn in as the Vice President of the United States. As she said in her acceptance speech, “(she) may be the first, but (she) will not be the last.”

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointment of Jamila Thomas as his chief of staff effective Nov. 16. Thomas is currently chief of staff to Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and previously held the same title with former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp.
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BUILD would like to highlight these especially relevant resources from Leanin.org:

Working at the intersection: What Black women are up against
The State of Black Women in Corporate America
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The above links, and many others, are also part of our Resources page.

​BUILD’s Professional Development & Leadership Support Subcommittee is over-joyed to release our first Leader Spotlight Interview with our own BUILD Chair Megan Matthews!

Edwina Martin- Arnold– Build Co-Chair,–office of  Chief Equity and Inclusion at DSHS. Under the secretary Author. Entrepreneur,  has worked with both County and State Gov. 
 
Interview Questions for Edwina Martin Arnold – BUILD Co—Chair
 
1. Where did you start in state government? ‘I’ve worked in state government for most of my life. I started just after receiving my law degree in 1991 and have worked at many different agencies over the years. Currently I am with DSHS as the Chief Officer of the Equity and Inclusion Department. ​

This series is a platform for black authors to share personal accounts about their life experiences in research and academia, as well as reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement, the current state of affairs and where we go from here.