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Toll Fellows Alumni Eye Higher Office

Two alumni of the Henry Toll Fellowship program have their eye on higher office.

The Toll Fellows program, a program of The Council of State Governments, is the premier leadership development program for state government officials.

Sean Parnell, a 1998 Toll Fellow, recently took over as governor of Alaska. Parnell, formerly lieutenant governor, ascended to the office with the resignation of Gov. Sarah Palin, which took effect on Sunday. Read more about Parnell at Time.com.

Minnesota state Sen. Tarryl Clark, a 2007 Toll Fellow, has entered the primary for her state’s Sixth Congressional District, according to MinnPost.com. Clark is a lawyer from St. Cloud and assistant minority leader in the state Senate.

Women Better Off in Northeast, Pacific West, Report Says

In some states it’s better to be a woman than in others … at least, economically speaking, according a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

While women in the United States’ work force have made gains in recent years, the report states, women still earn less, are less likely to have a bachelor’s or professional degree or to own a business. Women are more likely than men to live in poverty and still only earn about 77 percent of what men earn.

By region, women typically earn more money in the Northeast and West than in the Southeast or Midwest. Six of the eight “bottom states” are in the South; these states include West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Other worst-ranking states include Montana and New Mexico, although “dishonorable mention” has been given to Alabama, Wyoming,Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas.

To find out where women in your state rank economically and to view the full report, visit http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/R334_BWStateEconomies2006.pdf.