12-06-2024
Sheila Klinker has been an Indiana State Representative since 1982 and was re-elected for another two-year term in November. A member of the Democratic Party in a state long controlled by Republicans, Klinker says the secret to longevity is simple.
“You have to work in bipartisan ways to make any meaningful change,” said Klinker, who has a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Purdue. “You need to make friends with people on the other side of the aisle and be willing to be flexible. Keep an open mind. If your legislation needs to be changed or improved to make it work, then you do it.”
Klinker spoke to the Daniels School’s Leadership in a Changing World class taught by organizational behavior/human resources lecturer Joél Muñoz, who had Klinker as a teacher when he was in elementary school. She is one of several guest speakers in the class, which examines best practices in leadership.
“I thought it would be important for students to hear how someone can bring people together who might not necessarily follow their stances on all issues,” Muñoz says. “I’m trying to have students observe different models and principles of leadership and to see what they look like in the real world.
“Leadership is a journey, not a destination. You have to be adaptable and willing to learn as you go along.”
Klinker taught in the Lafayette School Corporation for 34 years and served as an outreach liaison for Purdue’s School of Education and its Reading Recovery Program for 15 years. Her passion for education drove her into politics, although it took an outside nudge to make her a first-time candidate.
“I was the president of the Lafayette Education Association, and I saw people not going into education or leaving the profession because of the salaries. Jim Riehle, who was mayor of Lafayette, thought I could do more for education as a state representative than as a principal of just one school,” she said.
Klinker acknowledged the increased polarization in politics today, reminding students that President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill regularly met for drinks in Washington, D.C., despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Despite the acrimony, she encouraged students in the class to think about governmental service as a career.
“Young people can make a tremendous difference, and I hope some of you will consider running for office someday,” Klinker said. “You have the ability to drive change and make a tremendous difference in people’s lives.”
