State Senator John McCollister Awarded Fellowship for Midwestern Leadership Institute

Nebraska State Senator John McCollister of Omaha was among 33 select lawmakers chosen to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.

Senator McCollister met with fellow lawmakers from Nebraska and 10 other Midwestern states, and four Canadian provinces on August 12-16 in Madison, WI for The Council of State Governments’ 22nd annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) (www.csgmidwest.org).

Since 1995, more than 700 lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute. State legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are chosen to participate through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process.  Members of the Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.

A program of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office, BILLD is held in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Courses and seminars are conducted by La Follette faculty, Midwestern legislative leaders and professional development experts. In addition to courses designed to develop leadership skills, the program analyzes a variety of public policy issues, including the economy, education and corrections policy.