Dant Chesser awarded fellowship to attend acclaimed midwestern leadership institute

State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser (D-Jeffersonville) was among 38 select lawmakers chosen to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest. 

Dant Chesser will meet with fellow lawmakers from Indiana and 10 other Midwestern states and three Canadian provinces later this summer in Madison, Wisconsin, for The Council of State Governments’ 30th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD). 

"It is certainly an honor to be chosen for the BILLD program this year," said Dant Chesser. "Effective leadership is crucial to dynamic public service, and I’m excited to enhance these skills and to learn from peers and colleagues from throughout the Midwest."

“The Bowhay Institute is one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation,” says Iowa Sen. Amy Sinclair, who serves as co-chair of the institute’s steering committee. “The legislatures in the region have benefited greatly from the skills their members have gained through this unique educational experience. Many of the graduates now hold key leadership positions in their state.” 

Since 1995, more than 1,000 lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute. State legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are chosen to participate through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process. Members of the Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.

A program of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office, the 2025 BILLD program will include courses and seminars conducted by policy experts, Midwestern legislative leaders, and professional development trainers. In addition to curriculum designed to develop leadership skills, the program analyzes a variety of public policy issues.