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While President of the Ms. Foundation for Women, Marie Wilson identified a need to develop women leaders, both current and future. As a result, in 1998 she founded The White House Project, a national, non-partisan, non-profit that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. The organization has opened political and professional doors for tens of thousands of diverse women across the U.S., and their award-winning program Vote, Run, Lead has trained over 7,000 women to lead a political life since launching in 2004. Marie and The White House Project have been featured on national programs such as CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show and National Public Radio. Marie is also the founder of Take Our Daughters and to Work Day and author of
Closing the Leadership Gap: Add Women, Change Everything.

In 1983, Marie was the first woman elected to the Des Moines City Council as a member-at-large, a position she left in 1984 to lead the Ms. Foundation for Women. While at the Ms. Foundation, she spearheaded issues such as women’s micro-enterprise and programs to sustain the strength and heath of girls. Considering herself a social entrepreneur, Marie founded The White House Project to create a truly representative democracy where women and men lead alongside each other in all professions.

The launch of The White House Project was funded with seed money from a female activist and philanthropist. Unfortunately, Marie had to relaunch after the first year when the initial investor wasn’t pleased. For Marie, having to start over and mentally recover was a struggle. At a particularly low point prior to a board meeting of the Ms. Foundation, a board member came to her and said, “Marie, you go back to the board and have them help you start this up again. It’s too important. You’re the president!” Encouraged, Marie regrouped and, with some assistance from the foundation and later, a generous grant from the Ford Foundation, The White House Project’s second time around was a success, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2008.

Through awareness campaigns, trainings, summits and conferences, as well as special initiatives, outreach and research, The White House Project has become a leading advocate and voice on women’s leadership. By gradually changing the landscape of women’s leadership, The White House Project has made the country more open to women leaders and developed more viable women to fill leadership positions.

Marie left the Ms. Foundation in 2004 to devote herself fully to The White House Project. In honor of her work with the Ms. Foundation, the Marie C. Wilson Leadership Fund was created.

Marie says one of her favorite times with The White House Project was working on pop culture and media awareness; specifically, heading to Hollywood to pitch a television show idea about a female President. Marie ultimately got a call when ABC launched Commander in Chief (2005 – 2006), starring Geena Davis as the President of the United States, and promoted the show in cities across the U.S.

An advocate of women’s issues for over 30 years, Marie believes that due to the current political climate, many women are ripe for political engagement. She truly feels that it’s time for a woman President; the challenge is getting a critical mass of women into politics so that seeing women as leaders becomes the norm, rather than the exception, in American culture. In fact, in a 2004 New York Times article, Marie accurately predicted that by 2008 there would be several women in the Presidential race.

Last year, The White House Project trained over 2,300 women in 15 states to pursue a life in politics, debuted cross-sector leadership training with O, The Oprah Magazine, and enjoyed national success with its “Take Our Daughters to the Polls” campaign. In addition, over 100 of The White House Project’s alumnae ran for office in 2008, half of whom were elected to serve.

In addition to Marie’s multiple media features and appearances on behalf of The White House Project, she was an official government delegate to the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China. She also co-authored Mother Daughter Revolution, and is a featured blogger on The Huffington Post.

What we learned from Marie: “When you create something challenging, you need support, personally and professionally. I’ve learned it’s essential to have three to five people who will encourage you, as well as tell you the truth. It’s about listening to their advice, but keeping true to your own vision.”

It’s Time to Launch

“With the economic issues, the time is right for women entrepreneurs of all kinds. We urgently need people who are willing to launch and willing to face daily challenges. Having women step out and lead will reset things. It’s a challenging but perfect time because now there’s openness about launching.”

Make Mistakes, it’s OK

“My best mentors have told me that I haven’t seen all of their failures. Unfortunately, I’ve found that women tend to give up after their first failure, both in business and when running for office. As one of her mentors said, ‘People who don’t want to make mistakes shouldn’t get up in the morning.’ Right now, there aren’t enough women in leadership to make more visible mistakes ‘normal.’ Men make mistakes and they’re forgiven. It’s not that way for women. We need critical mass. Take chances! Make it normal!”

Take a Chance on Me

“When you step out and launch something, you take a chance. You have to face your own fears and the concerns of those around you. People who you respect and care about may tell you you’re crazy. It’s a challenge to trust yourself, and it takes courage. There’s value in persistence. Believe in yourself.”

This Featured Lady was profiled by Megan L. Reese, WORDrobe™ Stylist for Her Write Image in West Grove, PA.

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