The National League of Women Lobbyists (NLWL) was founded in 2021 by Sherry Nickerson to connect women across the country who practice government affairs. What began as an effort to link a small group of professionals working in relative isolation across different states quickly grew into a national network built on shared experience, mutual support, and the recognition that women in lobbying rarely had a dedicated community of peers to turn to.

In November 2021, NLWL hosted its first live event at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Tampa, Florida, bringing together women lobbyists and state elected officials for the first time under the League’s banner. The event marked NLWL’s public debut and set the tone for the kind of direct, relationship-driven convening that would come to define the organization. An advisory board was also established that year to help guide NLWL’s direction, and membership grew quickly as word spread among government affairs professionals looking for exactly this kind of network.

As the organization matured, NLWL refined its internal structure to support its growing membership and launched a website to help recruit and onboard new members. By 2023, the League’s work and impact had earned it recognition at the national level.

Today, the League has grown to include corporate members, associate members, and principal members in more than 40 states — with plans to expand into all 50 soon. NLWL is governed by a seven-member leadership board. Members convene monthly to build the relationships, share the knowledge, and open the doors that help women in government affairs — and the clients they serve — navigate the complex maze of bureaucracy at every level of government.

Our mission remains what it was at our founding: to create a cohort of high-powered female advocates, building connections, extending business opportunities, and breaking down the barriers that have too often stood between women in this profession.