05/28/2026
🤓I LOVE to learn… so I am proud to have been chosen as one of just 39 lawmakers - three each from twelve Midwestern states and three more from Canada - to receive a fellowship to attend The Council of State Governments’ Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) in Madison, WI!
Participants are chosen through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process aimed to “identify and assist promising state leaders” with a curriculum designed to develop leadership skills and analyze a variety of public policy issues.
Now that our regular legislative session is over, I am working hard to make this time as productive as possible and prepare for the next session. I am committed in my efforts to meet the needs of my constituents by working to learn more about the issues specifically affecting the Midwest, collaborating with others to brainstorm and exchange innovative ideas, and dig deeply into research on potential policy solutions.
I am really honored and excited for this conference in July!
You can also read the full press release announcing my award below:
⬇️
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura A. Tomaka
630.925.1922/[email protected]
Wisconsin State Senator Sarah Keyeski awarded fellowship to attend acclaimed Midwestern leadership institute
(Lombard, Ill.) May 19, 2026 — State Senator Sarah Keyeski was among 39 select lawmakers chosen to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.
Senator Keyeski will meet with fellow lawmakers from Wisconsin, 11 Midwestern states, and three other Canadian provinces on July 17-21 in Madison, Wis., for The Council of State Governments’ 31st annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD).
“The Bowhay Institute is one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation,” says Iowa Sen. Amy Sinclair, who serves as co-chair of the institute’s steering committee. “The legislatures in the region have benefited greatly from the skills their members have gained through this unique educational experience. Many of the graduates now hold key leadership positions in their state.”
Since 1995, more than 1,000 lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute. State and provincial legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Saskatchewan are chosen to participate through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process. Members of the Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.
BILLD was founded in 1995 to help new legislators meet the demands of increased policy responsibility being shifted to the states and, in many states, term limits and high legislative turnover. These two emerging forces highlight the shortage of training available for legislators — a void that BILLD aims to fill.
A program of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Oice, the 2026 BILLD program will include courses and seminars conducted by policy experts, Midwestern legislative leaders, and professional development trainers. In addition to curriculum designed to develop leadership skills, the program analyzes a variety of public policy issues.
The Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development is named in honor of the late James Bowhay, longtime director of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Oice. The program is funded through grants from foundations and corporate sponsors and an in-kind contribution from The Council of StateGovernments’ Midwestern Office.
Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments has national headquarters in Lexington, Ky., and regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago (Lombard, Ill.), New York City, and Sacramento. The goal of the national, nonpartisan organization is to assist and advance state government by providing research assistance, professional development and educational opportunities, interstate consulting services, and public policy trends analysis.
