Program History

History of the Alene Moris NEW Leadership Program

NEW Leadership is a national nonpartisan program developed in 1991 by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. In 2000, spearheaded by Professor Christine Di Stefano with support from the Women’s Center, the University of Washington Department of Political Science received one of the original 12 National Network partnership awards made possible by a Kellogg Foundation grant.

The first NEW Leadership Puget Sound Institute was held in June 2001 on the University of Washington campus in association with the Center for Women & Democracy. In 2008, the Women’s Center became solely responsible for the program and soon after named it in honor of Alene Moris for her tireless work nationally to bring women into leadership.

Alene Moris

During the Vietnam War, Alene Moris anguished over the terrible violence and looked for a solution. She came to believe that better representation of women in leadership positions would lead to a more peaceful world. During this time, Moris worked with Dorothy Strawn, Dean of Women at the UW to start the Continuing Education for Women program. For over 40 years, Moris has worked nationally on behalf of women on career leadership in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She also consulted with businesses across the nation on affirmative action implementation and investigations, as well as created and directed a Seattle-based residential retreat program for seniors facing major life decisions and. We are proud that the program will be an enduring part of her legacy.