ST. PAUL, MN - State Representative JoAnn Ward (DFL – Woodbury) is leading efforts to carry out the work of a bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators. The Civility Caucus was formed in 2017 and has had 40 legislators participating in activities, in addition to a sub-group of more than 10 legislators actively involved in planning the 2018 professional development activities.
The 2018 program has three components, all held at the State Capitol:
· a bipartisan, bicameral lunch held today to lay a foundation for a productive session and kick-off the other events
· every-other week lunches with brief activities to foster relationship building and the exchange of ideas
· training on Negotiation and Collaboration by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law on March 13th
The program’s goal is to deliver professional development tools that are commonly available to others in the workplace, but not to legislators. The purpose is to continuously improve the ability to serve Minnesotans by opening channels of communication, building relationships and increasing skills frequently used at the Capitol, such as negotiation and collaboration.
“I look forward to the opportunity to bring a new level of bipartisanship to the Capitol as a leader in civil discourse,” said Rep. Ward. “Only when we work together can we achieve more effective results across the board for all Minnesotans.”
Rep. Ward encourages constituents to contact her with any questions, comments, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Ward can be reached by phone at 651-296-7807 or by email at rep.joann.ward@house.mn.
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