A stunning discovery that Iowa voters have never elected a woman to Congress or the governor’s office motivated Regenia Bailey (BM ‘82/MA ’88/MBA ‘95) to get involved in politics.

Bailey, currently serving a second term on the Iowa City City Council, was executive director of the Iowa Women’s Foundation when the agency conducted a joint study with the Women’s Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., on the status of women in Iowa.

Study results in the political involvement category showed that Iowa women vote in high percentages and are actively involved in volunteer causes, but they don’t run for office, Bailey said.

“The statistics shocked me,” she said. “I’d been approached a few times about running for council, but I always said the timing wasn’t right. Then I thought, ‘I’m always encouraging women to challenge themselves, and it’s time I ask myself to do the same.’”

Bailey said accessibility and the process of government are for her the two most important aspects of being on the city council. Voters can call her, offer input through her website, or stop by during her regular office hours twice a month at the Iowa City Public Library.

“I’ve also tried to make the process of government transparent,” she said. “It’s important that people know the council conducts substantial discussions on issues. People need to understand why something is happening.”

Bailey said she’s especially proud that the council developed a youth advisory commission designed to encourage young people to vote and get involved in politics. During the 2005 election season, she advised women candidates for city council and the local school board.

Amy Correia (BA ‘89/MSW ’98), who was elected to the Iowa City City Council in November, said Bailey’s support was instrumental in her decision to run.

“Regenia’s support of strong, smart, and progressive women’s leadership has inspired me,” Correia said.

Patti Fields (BA ’95) described Bailey as a role model in her successful election bid to the Iowa City School Board in September.

“She encouraged me to believe in myself and that I could run as a woman, even though most school boards in Iowa are made up of men,” Fields said.
Bailey attributed her family’s background of church activities in her hometown of Iowa City as the primary factor that led her into community involvement as she got older.

“I think everyone wants to make a difference, and I think that’s one of the reasons I went into teaching,” she said. “I’ve always known that I wanted to have an impact.”

Bailey taught music for seven and a half years before deciding to change careers. She based her next move on the things she’d always enjoyed about teaching.

“Besides the interaction with kids and the music, I liked the nonprofit aspects of it, things like planning, marketing, budgeting,” she said. “So I decided to get an M.B.A. at Iowa with the intent of working with small businesses and nonprofit groups.”

Bailey now runs her own business as a consultant and personal coach primarily for nonprofit organizations. Her husband, Jay Berry (MA ’83), works in test development for ACT, Inc.

The future may include higher public office.

“I would like to be involved in some political activity on the state level,” she said. “I’ll just have to see how that unfolds, but I’m especially interested in encouraging more women to run for office and in helping them develop the tools and skills they need to do that.”

–by Joe Nugent