Treating people with civility is about treating them with respect, NCSL’s Peggy Kerns told  more than 200 men and women during Wyoming's annual Leap Into Leadership event. Attending were many statewide and local elected officials, including former Governor Dave Freundahl and his wife, Justice Nancy Roan of the U.S. District Court for District of Wyoming.

“We seem to be in an increasingly uncivil world,” said Kerns, who is the director of NCSL’s Center for Ethics in Government.

“People mix up what civility is. It is not capitulation. It is not compromising principles. Civility can exist with strong opinions.”

Using the late former Utah Speaker Becky Lockhart as an example, Kerns said that she epitomized civility in one package. “She was a model of civil behavior. She had courage and integrity. Even her opponents called her ‘an icon, a role model and a stateswoman at a time when too many are focused on politics.’ ”

Leap Into Leadership is hosted by the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus, a project of The Equipoise Fund, in partnership with the Wyoming Women’s Foundation. Its purpose is to strengthen civic engagement and leadership in Wyoming.

“Leap into Leadership is a great way to meet and network with other strong women leaders from across the state,” said attendee Britney Wallesch of Cheyenne. “Hosting it at the Capitol was a neat way to meet all of those women at a venue that inspired trust, idea sharing, and open dialogue. I loved seeing the tremendous range in age groups and the diversity of industry represented.”

Kerns and Katie Ziegler, program manager, NCSL Women’s Legislative Network, also presented two sessions on ethics and leadership.