Welcome to the 2019 Session of Nevada Girls State!

We have named our Cities for some of the inspirational women in the American Legion Auxiliary and for some of our Nevada women who were, or are, active in politics and are role models for all.

BARBARA BUCKLEY CITY is named for the first women to serve as Speaker of the Assembly in the State of Nevada. Prior to becoming the Speaker, she served in the Assembly before serving as Assistant Majority Floor Leader. She was also the first woman to hold the position of Assembly Majority Leader for the Nevada State Legislature.

PATTY CAFFERATA CITY is named for the first woman to be elected to constitutional office in Nevada when she was elected State Treasurer in 1982. An attorney, author, and historian, she has had a diverse career in law and politics. She has also served Nevada as a district attorney in three (3) counties and as a member of the Nevada Assembly.

GERALDINE CONNOLLY CITY is named for our past Nevada Girls State Director. Mrs. Connolly was the Director for more than 30 years and she had on the Board of Directors since 1965. Mrs. Connolly passed away in 2008 leaving Nevada Girls State as her legacy. She has left us with some big shoes to fill. We will do our best to honor her.

BERNICE MATHEWS CITY is named for the first African-American woman elected to the Nevada Senate. She served in the State Senate from 1995 to 2010. During that time, she served as Assistant Minority Floor Leader. Additionally, she served as a member of the Reno City Council. Bernice Mathews holds a Bachelor of Science – Nursing and a Masters of Education from UNR.

SUE WAGNER CITY is named for the former Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nevada and was the first woman to hold this office in Nevada. She served in the Assembly and in the Senate before becoming Lt. Governor. She spoke to the Nevada Girls State citizens each year for 21 years, and is dedicated to the program. She is also a Girls State alumna, having attended in Arizona.

SARAH WINNEMUCCA CITY is named for ta Paiute leader who spent her adult life working for the rights of her people, twice meeting with the President of the United States. She also served as a guide and interpreter for those exploring the American West.

The Counties of Nevada Girls State have been named in honor of Nevada’s U.S. Senators.

Catherine Cortez Masto is the Senior U.S. Senator from Nevada. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Catherine Cortez Masto has spent her career fighting for Nevada’s working families. She served two terms as Attorney General of Nevada and in November 2016, she made history by becoming the first woman from Nevada and the first Latina ever elected to the United States Senate. Senator Cortez Masto is a strong advocate for women and children and is working to pass legislation to strengthen women’s healthcare. She is a cosponsor of the Save Women’s Preventive Care Act, which would guarantee coverage for preventive healthcare services, like breast cancer screenings, birth control, and domestic violence intervention support. Additionally, the Senator continues to create more opportunities for young women in technology and science fields. To ensure that they have the support they need to compete in a 21st century workforce, she has introduced the Code Like a Girl Act, which would create two National Science Foundation (NSF) grant programs to encourage young girls to pursue computer science. Cortez Masto earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1986, and a J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1990.

Jacky Rosen is the Junior U.S. Senator from Nevada. Before being elected to the Senate, Rosen represented Nevada’s Third District in the 115th Congress. Rosen served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Rosen has lived in Nevada for nearly 40 years. As the first member of her family to graduate from college, Rosen worked two jobs and took out student loans to make ends meet. She worked as a waitress, including at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and was a proud member of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Rosen received her undergraduate bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in 1979. Rosen also received an associate’s degree in computing and information technology in 1985 from Clark County Community College, now the College of Southern Nevada.

The political Parties at Nevada Girls State are the same as almost every other Girls State in our nation: the Nationalist Party and the Federalist Party. Here you will find our parties with equal membership, unless we have an odd number of delegates in attendance; then one party will have one additional member. The party mascots are Feddy Teddy, representing the Federalist Party, and Nattie Raccoon, representing the Nationalist Party.