Wisconsin Democratic officials elected UW-Madison junior Analiese Eicher as national chair of the College Democrats of America Women's Caucus during the CDA National Convention last week in Denver.
Eicher said educating women about their option to be vaccinated against HPV and challenging students around the country to do their part and vote are major priorities.
I am eager to work with a great team of women across the United States to reintroduce the program 'ABCs of HPV' on campuses around the nation,"" she said, adding she is excited to be the national chair during the 2008 presidential election.
Eicher said she thinks it is important to be ""advocating for things like adequate health care for women, equal pay for women and access to birth control on our campuses.""
Eicher is a political science major and most recently served as the College Democrats of Wisconsin's women's issues director for the past two years. She previously held the position of campus outreach director for the CDA Women's Caucus before her election to national chair.
Eicher's peers said her previous success in the organization prepared her for the new role.
""When HPV legislation was brought up in the state Legislature, Analiese was quick to mobilize students across the state to get them informed by reaching out to female legislators and really making sure that the women's voices were heard loud and clear,"" Wisconsin College Democrats Chair Jason Rae said. ""She is so energetic and gets other students engaged and excited to be involved.""
Students for Barack Obama State Coordinator Bryon Eagon agreed Eicher is a strong advocate for women's rights.
""Eicher's experiences fighting for choice, access to birth control and equal pay for women has made her a national leader on issues in support of women's rights,"" he said. ""We look forward to working with her in electing Democrats across Wisconsin and the country.""
Awais Khaleel, national vice president of the College Democrats and recent superdelegate for the Democratic National Convention, praised Eicher's selection.
""It means a lot to Wisconsin to have someone like Analiese representing our state,"" he said. ""It also means a lot to the College Democrats from all over the 50 states, as well as the territories, to have someone like Analiese helping.""
