The Campaign School at Yale Marks 30 Years of Training America’s Women Leaders

The Campaign School at Yale is celebrating its 30th Summer Session intensive campaign training

Applications Open for 2026 Summer Session at Yale Law School

When we started, most students were in their 50s and exploring public service after raising families. Today, the average age is mid‑30s, and our recent classes have been majority Women of Color.”

— Patricia Russo, TCSYale executive director

NEW HAVEN, CT, UNITED STATES, March 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the nation enters one of the most consequential political eras in modern history, The Campaign School at Yale (TCSYale) is opening applications for its 30th annual Summer Session; a milestone year for the nation’s longest-running, nonpartisan program dedicated to increasing gender parity in political leadership.

For three decades, TCSYale has been training the women who step forward to lead, and the men who support their leadership. The five-day intensive program held June 8–12 at Yale Law School, will equip up to 80 emerging leaders with the skills needed to run effective, ethical campaigns, and govern with integrity.

“From the beginning, our founders knew that when more women lead, our democracy is stronger,” said Patricia (Patti) Russo, longtime executive director of TCSYale. “Women tend to be more collaborative, more community-centered, and more focused on solving problems that affect everyday lives. However, they still face barriers to running, including less access to funding, misogyny, and increasingly, threats and harassment. Our job is to prepare them to win anyway.”

Since TCSYale’s founding, the percentage of women in the U.S. Congress has more than doubled, rising from 10 percent in 1996 to 28 percent in 2025. Five current members of Congress are TCSYale alumni, alongside hundreds of state legislators, mayors, commissioners, and senior campaign staff across the political spectrum.

The profile of participants has evolved dramatically over the school’s 30-year history. “When we started, most students were in their 50s and exploring public service after raising families,” Russo said. “Today, the average age is mid‑30s, and our recent classes have been majority Women of Color. They’re stepping up earlier, with urgency and purpose, even as the threats and vitriol aimed at women candidates grow.”

The Summer Session is designed for individuals of all political parties who have some experience in politics and are preparing to run for office or take on senior roles in campaign work. Participants receive intensive instruction in fundraising, communications, digital strategy, field organizing, polling, ethics, and crisis response, all taught by nationally recognized practitioners.

For those not yet ready for this advanced level of training, TCSYale also offers one day The Basics sessions throughout the year, including March 21 in Washington DC and March 27 in Providence, RI.

Applications and additional information on the Summer Session are available here. The deadline to apply is April 13.

About The Campaign School at Yale
The Campaign School at Yale endeavors to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. It is a not-for-profit nonpartisan, issue-neutral political campaign-training program unaffiliated with Yale University.

Judy Hartling
Hartling Consulting for The Campaign School at Yale
+1 860-798-9014
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Learn more about The Campaign School at Yale's Summer Session 5-day intensive campaign training.

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