City Councilor redoubles her commitment to empowering women & local community service
Submitted
Jocelyn Vare, Fishers City Councilor At-Large and local business owner, recently joined the 2023-2024 class of Hoosier Women Forward (HWF).
HWF is a political and civic leadership training program designed to empower Democratic women to become more active in politics and their local communities. The 2023-2024 HWF is the sixth class in the organization’s history.
Known for its rigorous application process, HWF requires candidates to demonstrate leadership in their places of work and/or in the community and have a strong commitment and desire to serve the public good. Twenty-two women from across Indiana, including Vare, have been selected for the HWF class of 2023-2024.
As a Fishers City Councilor, Vare champions access, balance, transparency and good government, a mission which aligns closely with HWF.
“I’m honored to be in the company of such diverse, impressive and committed women who share a vision to improve our local communities,” Vare said. “The results of this year’s primary election prove that political change is well underway in Fishers. We need more Democratic women to step forward to lead. Hoosier Women Forward is a training ground for those future leaders.”
Since its inception in 2018, over 100 women have participated in the prestigious program, six of whom have been Fishers residents. The experience gained by previous HWF graduates has already paid significant dividends to the community. Eighty percent of HWF alumnae who have run for office in primary and general elections have won their races. In the 2023 Indiana primary elections, 16 HWF graduates won mayoral, city, town council and clerk races. Other graduates are actively addressing important community issues, including but not limited to poverty, food insecurity, climate change and healthcare access.
The list of past and current HWF class members from Fishers includes:
- Julie Chambers, former member and president of Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of Trustees (Class of 2019-2020)
- Dayna Colbert, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair (Class of 2020-2021)
- Freedom Kolb, executive director of The Milk Bank (Class of 2021-2022)
- Crystal Neumann, Fishers City Councilor for the North Central District (Class of 2022-2023)
- Meredith Fox, Hamilton County Democratic Party Communications Team Chair (Class of 2023-2024)
- Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn, Fishers’ Indiana State Representative (Class of 2021-2022)
About Jocelyn Vare
Jocelyn Vare is an at-large member of Fishers City Council and currently serves as the first Democrat ever elected to Fishers municipal office. She is running for re-election in 2023 to continue serving the sixth-largest city in the state.
Vare ran for Indiana State Senate in 2022 to represent her community at the statehouse and earned over 16,000 votes from Fishers residents.
Vare was born and raised in South Bend and has been a Fishers resident for 25 years. She is the mom of two adult kids – a public school teacher and a Disney costumer. She is a local small business owner, a volunteer, and a champion for the community she loves.
Vare is a member of the Fishers Finance Committee and vice-chair of the Fishers Arts + Culture Commission. She served as a committee chair for the successful HSE Schools referendum in 2016. She is a graduate of Fishers City Government Academy, Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Ball State’s Economic Development Course and Community Development Course.
In 2021, Vare was recognized as an Impact Award nominee, one of 30 alumni designated in the Hamilton County Leadership Academy’s 30-year history.
Learn more about the candidate at JocelynVareForFishers.com.