Take Office Goes to Paris!

By Jeri Powell 

At the heart of Take Office is our mission to empower women with essential tools, meaningful connections and accelerated pathways to opportunities in public service. Take Office builds on the dreams and skills of women who are already leaders in their communities, helping to harness those talents towards new heights in government, business and civil society.

Take Office launched in January 2020, on the eve of a global pandemic. Over the ensuing years, the pandemic put in stark relief how connected we are locally and around the world, and how critically important taking a global view of public policy is to every aspect of our lives — from how much green space we can access, to how we allocate funds for public safety, to the health and educational programs we choose to prioritize. The next Take Office Accelerator embraces this notion with our first ever international program, in Paris, France, where we will welcome a cohort of women from the U.S. and around the world for three days of intensive leadership development training, policy discussions and networking. 

The Take Office Advanced Leadership Accelerator - Paris will take place October 8-11, 2023 at the renowned Reid Hall, home to Columbia Global Centers Paris. Paris has long been a center for exchange across the cultural, intellectual and political spheres. Today, many of the public policy concerns that France is grappling with as a country echo challenges we face in North America, including demographic shifts, climate change and changing political sentiments. Bringing Take Office to Paris for our first international program, also places us in close proximity to some of the world’s most influential NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 

Our new Paris accelerator will provide a foundation for women seeking to explore and advance public policy careers. As a complement to our foundational course, this advanced program will go deeper into policy topics such as climate change and empowering marginalized communities, and skills training including negotiations and advanced fundraising. We will also have the opportunity to engage with Paris-based public servants. 

The adage that all politics is local is one that we at Take Office take to heart. Local politics have become increasingly geopolitical, with public policy implications and outcomes that can affect us as much as our global neighbors. We don’t have to look far from our own headquarters in New York City to see this adage in action. On any given day, local news outlets here are dominated by stories related to climate change, a growing migrant crisis, or the ongoing struggle to reanimate the economy. Accordingly, the spheres of impact that Take Office participants can tap into have evolved as well. 

We see in real time the challenges local lawmakers and leaders face when confronted with complex circumstances, so our aim is to help our new cohort develop an awareness of the issues and how to master the critical vocabulary and frameworks to address problems. Our program will focus on strategies for managing collaboration across all levels of government (local, state, federal) as well, and on developing effective solutions, with an understanding of the impact local policies can have on communities in other countries. 

Take Office’s inaugural Paris edition provides a new and exciting platform for our growing community to drive impactful policy. We know from experience that when you combine rich policy lectures, cutting-edge skills training, and a dynamic mix of women from all backgrounds, we create an unparalleled opportunity for women to accelerate pathways to power and leadership. We look forward to sharing more updates in the near future!

Jeri Powell is the Founder of Take Office. Take Office supports women leaders of all backgrounds who wish to explore pathways to senior leadership in public policy, including running for public office. To learn more about Take Office, visit takeoffice.org. Visit our event page to learn more about enrolling in our Paris Advanced Accelerator.