Nonpartisan organization helping women navigate careers in Texas politics

When I look back at my career in lobbying, I see so many colleagues, friends and mentors who helped me find the next step forward. I wouldn’t be here without them. In the same way, women who are starting their path in politics today need the connections that will open doors for them. In Texas, building those relationships has gotten a whole lot easier thanks to the Pink Granite Foundation.

After beginning as a blog, Pink Granite evolved into a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission to help women launch and grow their careers in Texas politics. (In case you didn’t know, the Texas Capitol here in Austin is famous for its pink-hued granite.) I’m proud to have joined Pink Granite Foundation in its founding year of 2021, and it’s been beyond exciting to see the group’s impact keep growing.

Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought it would be a great time to catch up with Amy Whited, the founder and executive director of Pink Granite, to talk about how the organization empowers women in Texas to become history-makers in their own right.

 It All Started with a Blog

 Like me, Amy is a lobbyist and a veteran of the public-affairs world. Her previous experience includes leading political campaign teams. In 2017, inspired by her experiences after moving to Texas, she started Pink Granite as a blog.

“I didn’t really know very many people, and had to kind of fiercely network my way around to find the jobs that I found,” she says. “When I was looking, I was naturally going to other women who were in similar fields as I was, and they were all just so incredibly supportive of helping me figure it out.”

Amy created the Pink Granite blog to be a resource to help other women launch their careers in Texas politics. Pretty soon, regular readers started connecting with each other, which evolved into Pink Granite holding in-person events.

Covid-19 put those events on hold, but it couldn’t stop the movement Amy was building. During the pandemic, Amy and others in the Pink Granite community started talking about what Pink Granite could be.

“Hope Osborne, who is now on our Board of Directors, threw out the idea of a mentorship program,” Amy says. “That’s when we realized we needed more infrastructure. We needed funding to have quality programs and to develop a curriculum. So it would make sense to become a nonprofit.” And, in 2021, that’s exactly what they did. 

Programs That Make a Difference

 Since then, Pink Granite Foundation has found so many ways to support career development for women in Texas politics. Members can take advantage of events that help them get their resumes into shape, have a professional headshot taken, and, perhaps most important of all, build relationships.

“We just had our first all-day legislative summit, offering free education in the Capitol,” Amy says. “The programming ranged from Senate Rules 101 to understanding how the state budget works. We try to tackle those big things for new staff members, while also providing exposure to experienced professionals who can become valuable contacts.”

Pink Granite’s programming also addresses challenges that are specific to women. “We focus on encouraging women to not wait to be asked to take on new leadership roles or apply for new jobs,” Amy says. “We also address how to dress professionally, manage assumptions about relationships with other women, and balance work-life challenges.”

One of the foundation’s greatest successes is the mentorship program that Osborne envisioned. A lot of thought goes into matching mentors and mentees.

Recently, “a mentee pulled me aside and said, ‘You need to know that who you paired me with in the mentorship program changed my life,’” Amy says. “The mentor helped with everything from preparing her for a fellowship in DC to providing professional clothes when she couldn’t afford them.”

Finding Common Ground

In these divisive times, Pink Granite stands out because of its nonpartisan approach. The foundation focuses “a lot of energy and time and thought into trying to get that right,” Amy says. “Our board is a great mix of women who come from different political backgrounds.”

 The goal is for women on both sides of the aisle to feel comfortable at Pink Granite. “We don’t have policy discussions,” Amy says. “We don’t bring in sponsors to talk about their bills. Everything is centered around professional development.”

How to Get Involved

 If you’re a woman who works in (or wants to work in) Texas politics, you can join Pink Granite Foundation. Elected officials, staffers, lobbyists, advocates and students are all welcome. This is a great time to get involved, since applications for the mentorship program open on June 1.

 Want to contribute to the foundation’s work? Become a Friend of Pink Granite. The foundation also seeks sponsors, speakers with expertise in public policy and professional development, and in-kind support, such as the use of event spaces.

Looking ahead, Pink Granite’s annual party is coming up in September. The organization is also planning more family-friendly events where members can bring their kids. Those events might just end up cultivating the next generation of women leaders in Texas. Already, members are getting their high school and college-age daughters involved in Pink Granite, Amy says. “That’s really fun to see that multi-generational group at the Capitol supporting each other.”

P.S. Ready to start a lobbying career or looking for your next employer? Check out these resume tips, thanks to Dr. April Willis. She’s been my personal resume writer since 2018!

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