A new bipartisan group of legislators from the Midwest has been selected to take part in a one-of-a-kind leadership program offered by The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference.
The Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, or BILLD, is designed for legislators from this region in their first four years of service. A list of the state and provincial legislators selected to take part in the 2025 institute can be found below. The program will be held July 17-21 in Madison, Wis.
This marks the 31st year in which the MLC has offered leadership training to its members: legislators from 11 member states, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and three Canadian affiliate provinces. CSG Midwest provides staff support to the MLC and its various products and services, including BILLD.
Selections were made in May by the BILLD Steering Committee, a bipartisan group of legislators from 11 Midwestern states. More than 1,000 current or former state and provincial legislators have graduated from BILLD; many have gone on to serve as leaders in their legislatures and state executive branches, while others are now members of the U.S. Congress.
BILLD’s highly interactive curriculum includes a series of leadership training courses and professional development workshops in areas such as conflict resolution, negotiation, consensus building, public speaking and time management. The program also includes expert-led policy seminars as well as sessions led by the region’s legislative leaders. Along with advancing leadership and policymaking skills among the region’s newer legislators, BILLD provides the opportunity for networking and relationship building across partisan, state and international lines.
2026 BILLD Fellows
ILLINOIS
Sen. Chris Balkema
Rep. Lisa Davis
Rep. Yolanda Morris
Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl
INDIANA
Rep. Cory Criswell
Rep. Ethan Lawson
Sen. La Keisha Jackson
IOWA
Rep. Brett Barker
Rep. Dan Gehlbach
Sen. Kara Warme
KANSAS
Sen. Jeff Klemp
Rep. Suzanne Wikle
Rep. Dawn Wolf
MICHIGAN
Rep. Emily Dievendorf
Rep. Morgan Foreman
MINNESOTA
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Kimberly Hicks
Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart
Rep. Anquam Mahamoud
NEBRASKA
Sen. Dunixi Guereca
Sen. Margo Juarez
NORTH DAKOTA
Sen. Ryan Braunberger
Rep. Nels
Christianson
Rep. Ty Dressler
OHIO
Rep. Rachel Bake
Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio
Rep. Jodi Salvo
Rep. Kevin Ritter
SOUTH DAKOTA
Rep. Eric Emery
Rep. Keri Weems
WISCONSIN
Rep. Margaret Arney
Sen. Sarah Keyeski
Rep. Sequanna Taylor
SASKATCHEWAN
MLA Kim Breckner
MLA David Chan
MLA Barret Kropf
ALBERTA
MLA Jennifer Johnson
ONTARIO
MPP Alexa Gilmour
MANITOBA
MLA Jennifer Chen
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