Rock Island Today

Morrison lawyer Michelle Buckwalter-Schurman has worked her way up the ranks of the Republican Party and now stands near the top – a little more quickly than she expected.

Buckwalter-Schurman was recently nominated as first vice president of the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW).

"I've been working for at least 15 years in Carol County and Whiteside County, Illinois, and with the Carol County Republican Women," Buckwalter-Schurman told Rock Island Today. "I started as a scholarship chairwoman for a committee, and then I served as secretary and then as president of my local club, and then I applied to be the secretary at the state level with the Illinois Federation of Republican Women. I served one term there and applied to the the president of the Illinois Federation, and I was nominated and then elected,"

Michelle Buckwalter-Schurman. | Courtesy of www.nfrw.org

Although she applied for the fourth vice president position in the NFRW, the organization had other plans for her.

"I was pleasantly surprised when I was called and asked if I would agree to be nominated as the first vice president," Buckwalter-Schurman said. 

During her two terms as the president of the state federation, Buckwalter-Schurman had the opportunity to work with other state party leaders as well as national leaders. Her involvement at the national level spurred her to run for member at large at the national level, a position chosen by the state president, executive board and standing committee chair.

Buckwalter-Schurman now fills the role of legislative liaison from the NFRW executive board to the organization's state committee, in addition to being Region 1 director.

"I have six states – primarily the western states," Buckwalter-Schurman said.

If elected, Buckwalter-Schurman has big plans for the organization, beginning with supporting the state president.

"It's a hard job, it's a great job, but they need all the support they can get," she said.

At the national level, the organization wants to increase its operations and influence, Buckwalter-Schurman said.

"We're looking to do a more long-range business plan as part of the federation and also look to increase membership, and most importantly continue to encourage and increase the number of women who run for office on the Republican side," Buckwalter-Schurman said.