League of Municipalities kicks off Women’s History Month with Women in Government Luncheon
Myla Calhoun, vice president of Alabama Power's Birmingham Division, delivers the keynote address at the Alabama League of Municipalities' annual Women in Government Luncheon. (Carrie Banks / Alabama League of Municipalities)
The Alabama League of Municipalities got Women’s History Month started last week with a celebration of female public officials at its annual Women in Government Leadership Luncheon.
Dozens of women who hold public office or serve in public positions at the city, state and federal levels gathered at the Capital City Club in Montgomery to recognize the accomplishments of women and challenge each other to keep setting higher goals.
Gov. Kay Ivey encouraged more women to get into politics and run for elected office.
Keynote speaker Myla Calhoun, vice president of Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division, challenged female leaders to be more intentional in their support of each other and female colleagues in general.
“If there is going to be continued progress – more open doors and higher heights for women in the professional world and in government – it will only come when those of us who are in positions of leadership are thoughtful, intentional and persistent about mentoring, supporting and championing other women,” Calhoun said. “What makes this a priority for me is that I see such great potential and possibility in so many of the women I know, who are bright and passionate, who are undaunted. And they give me great hope and often, courage.”
Calhoun said that when she first became a young lawyer, there were very few women in the profession and even fewer Black women.
“It wasn’t just figuring out how to get through the door, it was finding the door in the first place,” she said. “Wearing pants to work was an act of defiance. For me, it was a time of radical compliance – I wore a skirt, kept my head down and worked very hard.”
Calhoun said when she joined Alabama Power six years ago, she was struck by the number of women in leadership roles and young women on the cusp of it. She was struck, she said, by their depth of talent and by the openness and desire to nurture that talent.
Calhoun embraced that nurturing spirit and made it central to her mission as a leader at the company.
“If I am to have a legacy, what will it be? It is for me the desire to be thoughtful, intentional and persistent about opening doors, greasing the tracks, offering support and speaking up for other women in the workplace,” she said. “I’ve worked my entire career to make that my legacy. And that’s my challenge and my hope to each of you as women leaders in Alabama.”
The Alabama League of Municipalities is a nonpartisan membership association of nearly 450 incorporated cities and towns. Kayla Bass, the League’s director of External Affairs, said the League was thrilled to kick off Women’s History Month with its annual Women in Government Leadership Luncheon.
“Each woman represented at the luncheon plays a vital role in local, state and federal government, working to ensure that Alabama is a place where citizens can live, work, play and prosper, and where businesses can invest,” she said. “We appreciate Gov. Ivey and Myla Calhoun for taking the time to join women from across the state to deliver remarks.”
