U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp served as the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013 – 2019. During her six years in the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp quickly became a proven senator who worked across the aisle to fight for North Dakotans. She personally showed that if senators work together, it can lead to real solutions.

All throughout her time in the senate, Heikamp championed the people of North Dakota. Throughout her time in public service, Heitkamp has stood up for Native American children; fought for working families; worked to stop human trafficking; pushed for affordable health care; helped address the detrimental impact exposure to trauma can have on children; helped craft and pass meaningful bank reform and fought for a true all-of-the-above energy strategy. Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp engaged in other ways to serve the North Dakotan people. Earlier in her professional career, Heitkamp served as North Dakota’s Attorney General as well as the state’s Tax Commissioner.

Now, she serves on numerous boards including the McCain Institute and the Howard Buffett Foundation. Additionally, Heitkamp is the founder and Chair of the One Country Project. In light of Heitkamp’s dedication to the people, this organization focuses on addressing the needs and concerns of rural America. Further, she is a Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University and also serves as a contributor to CNBC and ABC News.

About the Network

Our Civic Mentorship Network is a network comprised of rural civic leaders who serve as mentors for new women who are pursuing public service. This network provides a coordinated method for aspiring leaders to make the person-to-person connections that give access to resources that are valuable to enduring success. At 100 Rural Women, we find that success in recruiting more rural women to serve in public service leadership roles is essential to keeping our democracy strong.