MADISON, WI — Wisconsin State Senator Melissa Ratcliff has been selected as a 2025 Fellow for the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD), a prestigious program offered by The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference.
Senator Ratcliff will join a distinguished group of early-career legislators from across the Midwest for an intensive leadership training program held August 22–26 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Now in its 30th year, BILLD equips promising state legislators in their first four years of service with essential skills in areas such as negotiation, consensus building, public speaking, and policy analysis. The program also fosters bipartisan collaboration and cross-border networking among lawmakers from 11 Midwestern states and several Canadian provinces.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as a 2025 BILLD Fellow,” Senator Ratcliff stated. “This is an incredible opportunity to grow as a legislator and to collaborate with other elected leaders from across the region. I look forward to bringing back valuable insights, strategies, and perspectives that will help me better serve and represent the diverse communities of Senate District 16.”
Senator Ratcliff is one of three Wisconsin legislators named to this year’s class. More than 1,000 lawmakers have graduated from BILLD since its founding in 1995, with many going on to hold key leadership positions in their state legislatures and beyond.
For more information about BILLD, visit csgmidwest.org/billd.
