New Project to increase the number of women on state boards and commissions to be announced

The Gubernatorial Appointments Project (SC GAP), which aims to increase the number of women serving on boards and commissions throughout South Carolina, will be announced by Gov. Henry McMaster and SC Women in Leadership on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. at the State House in Columbia.

“Women make up 51.5 percent of the population but continue to be woefully underrepresented in state government,” said Barbara Rackes, a Columbia businesswoman and a founder of SC WIL. “There are currently 975 gubernatorial-appointed board and commission positions with either expired terms or vacancies. With Gov. McMaster’s support, we will recruit hundreds of qualified women to apply for these positions. These are women who will bring a different perspective and a wealth of experience to the table.”

SC WIL is a multi-partisan organization launched in April to serve as a source of information for women about local and statewide opportunities to run for appointed and/or elected office.

SC GAP will use its statewide network and partner organizations to reach women across the state with a wide array of expertise. Interested women will be able to search the SC GAP database for all vacancies – categorized by area of focus as well as position requirements, governing statutes, and term expiration dates – and then apply, confidentially, online.

SC WIL staff will match applicants for the most appropriate positions and then provide this information to the governor for his consideration. “We believe that giving the governor a list of pre-qualified female candidates of mixed political backgrounds will lead to increased diversity on our state’s boards and commissions,” Rackes said.

Gov. McMaster and GAP’s honorary co-chairs, Melinda Davis Lux(Upstate) and Candace Shiver (Midlands/Lowstate) have invited 25 women’s groups across the state to join in this effort.