Introducing the 30th BILLD Class

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 Aug. 22-26 in Madison, Wis.

This marks the 30th 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.

2025 BILLD FELLOWS

Illinois
Rep. Mary Beth Canty
Rep. Michael Crawford
Sen. Graciela Guzman

Indiana
Sen. Cynthia Carrasco
Sen. Brett Clark
Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser

Iowa
Rep. Cindy Golding
Sen. Scott Webster
Rep. Elizabeth Wilson

Kansas
Sen. Mike Argabright
Rep. Robyn Essex
Rep. Kirk Haskins

Michigan
Rep. John Fitzgerald
Rep. Kristian Grant
Rep. Jason Hoskins

Minnesota
Rep. Bobbie Harder
Rep. Liz Lee
Rep. Bernie Perryman

Nebraska
Sen. Jason Prokop
Sen. Victor Rountree
Sen. Tanya Storer

North Dakota
Sen. Jose Castaneda
Rep. Austin Foss
Rep. Eric Murphy

Ohio
Rep. Christine Cockley
Rep. Angie King
Rep. Elgin Rogers, Jr.

Saskatchewan
MLA David Chan
MLA Megan Patterson
MLA Nathaniel Teed

South Dakota
Rep. Josephine Garcia
Rep. Erik Muckey
Rep. Nicole Uhre-Balk

Wisconsin
Rep. Russell Goodwin
Rep. William Penterman
Sen. Melissa Ratcliff

Alberta
MLA Myles McDougall

Manitoba
MLA Kathleen Cook

Ontario
TBA