Equality Group 50-50 in 2020 Announces 2013 Equity for Women Award Winner

A news release from 50-50 in 2020:

The first woman to be elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church will be recipient of this year's Equity for Women Award presented by 50-50 in 2020.

The award will be presented at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines. The reception, which will be at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., is a fundraiser for 50-50 in 2020, the bipartisan initiative whose goal is to encourage more women to seek elected office in Iowa.

"The challenges faced by Bishop Jefferts Schori as she traveled the path to priest, bishop and presiding bishop are not unlike those facing women who run for a political office," said Maggie Tinsman, co-chairperson of 50-50 in 2020 and a former Republican state senator from Davenport. "It is truly fitting that we should honor her for being an example to women in every segment of our society."

"Katharine Jefferts Schori is a compelling speaker and strong advocate for women's rights," said Jean Lloyd-Jones, 50-50 in 2020 co-chairperson and a former Democratic state senator from Iowa City. "We are so honored that she is willing to step away from her many responsibilities to come be with us in Iowa and add her support for our cause."

Jefferts Schori, the 26th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, is the first woman to be elected primate in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Previously bishop of Nevada, she is chief pastor to the Episcopal Church's 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses, one of 39 Anglican Provinces worldwide.

Jefferts Schori was elected at the Episcopal Church General Convention in Columbus, Ohio, in June of 2006 and was invested at Washington National Cathedral the following November. She was appointed by President Obama to his Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership, with a focus on ending human trafficking.

The Bishop is the second recipient of 50-50 in 2020's annual award, a 14-inch stainless steel sculpture created by Dubuque artist Gail Chavenelle, whose works are featured in galleries nationwide.

The goal of 50-50 in 2020 is to recruit and elect enough women so that by 2020 – the 100th anniversary of the year women acquired the right to vote in the United States – half of Iowa's Legislature will be female, a woman will be governor and the state will be represented by two women in the U.S. House and one woman in the U.S. Senate. Currently, 23 percent of the Iowa Legislature is female, and Iowa and Mississippi continue to be the only states that have never elected a woman governor nor sent a woman to Congress.

For more information about the initiative, visit the group's website at www.50-50in2020.org.