Members You Need to Meet
September, 2010
Teresa M. Jenkins
About two years ago, Teresa Jenkins, Cheryl Temple and Betty Sulfridge led the rescue of the Charlotte County League of Women Voters from imminent demise. An article in the local newspaper sparked these three individuals into action. Teresa became President, taking the League from seven members just two years ago to forty-five today.
Teresa quoted Tip O’Neill who said, “All politics is local.” Needs and concerns of counties and cities should affect the actions of our representatives in Washington. The League helps to get local needs and concerns recognized at the state and federal levels.
This is a busy year for the League as it is an important election year. Teresa has partnered with the Student Government at Edison College in Punta Gorda to hold Candidate Forums before the Primary and the General Elections to spur students and others to vote. The League hosted a Candidate Forum at Edison in July; the General Election Forum will be held September 21
at 6 p.m. at Edison, and will include the pros and cons of the many proposed Florida Constitutional Amendments. The Candidate Forums are broadcast on Comcast 20. Dates and times are posted on the League’s website www.lwvccfl.com.
No novice to politics, Teresa’s career was with the federal government in Washington, D.C. She carried out federal labor management relations policies for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, wrote pieces of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security and testified before Congress on three occasions.
Teresa is also a reporter for the business section of the Port Charlotte Herald. She and her husband Steve Nelson started a consulting firm called “JenNel”, assisting federal departments with their human resource needs. They are working with the Department of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. Teresa recently began working with the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa following her trip there in August.
It is often said that if you want something done, give it to a busy woman. This certainly is true of Teresa.
If you would like more information about the League of Women Voters or are interested in joining, please e-mail the League at lwvcc@comcast.net or visit their website