State Rep. Brenda Gilmore was honored to receive the support of her colleagues from around the country, having been elected to two key positions within national legislative organizations in the past two weeks.

Rep. Gilmore was elected to be president-elect of the Women’s Legislative Network at the National Conference of State Legislators’ Legislative Summit. Rep. Gilmore has served as vice president of the organization since 2013.

“As women we are often a majority of the voters but a small minority of the legislators,” said Rep. Gilmore. “By working together to give each other strength and support, I believe we can expand our numbers and give women the voice they deserve in government.”

The Women’s Legislative Network was formally organized in 1985 at the annual meeting of NCSL in Seattle. It focuses on issues unique to women, as well as providing trainings to help women legislators better communicate with their constituents.

Rep. Gilmore was also elected to the board of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) at their first ever national issues forum in Minneapolis. Rep. Gilmore has been an environmental leader in Tennessee, having consistently been ranked as one of the top environmentally friendly legislators by Tennessee Conservation Voters.

“Everyone deserves the right to clean water and breathable air,” said Gilmore. “I have been a staunch supporter of environmental laws that will protect our air and water for those of us here today, as well as future generations to come.”

NCEL was organized in 1996 for the purpose of providing environmentally progressive legislators with an opportunity to coordinate their activities with respect to national legislative organizations, and to share ideas both on affirmative and negative environmental issues.