WHEELING — West Virginia Sen. Laura Wakim-Chapman has been selected to join the 2025-26 cohort of Future Caucus Innovation Fellows.

The two-year fellowship is bringing together 64 leaders hailing from 34 states “who are committed to bridging political divides and tackling the most pressing issues in their communities,” according to information provided by Future Caucus.

The goal of the program is to get legislators from across the nation together in one place to see what impact can be achieved in their own state, Wakim-Chapman, R-W.Va., explained.

Throughout the year, Future Caucus hosts events for state and national legislators to amplify their bipartisan message and build relationships across partisan lines. Future Caucus representatives contacted her last year about the possibility of participating in the group, and she attended one of its in-person meetings in Washington, D.C. Most of the meetings take place virtually, she said.

“I think it’s important to join other legislators in other states who share the same struggles,” Wakim-Chapman noted. “Sometimes they come up with creative solutions that could help West Virginia.”

Participants get to select from four policy tracks in which to focus — civic innovation, energy and environment, prenatal-to-three and criminal justice. Wakim-Chapman chose the prenatal-to-three track.

“Since I’m a mother to young children, I want to focus on children’s matters and birth-to-three made the most sense,” she said.

Any time legislators can bounce ideas off of each other there is “an opportunity to find solutions to our problems,” Wakim-Chapman continued.

“I’m looking for ways to bring back new solutions to West Virginia,” she said. “I think when you talk with people who have similar issues, and they have tried something that didn’t work, not doing that here can save our taxpayers money.”

The fellowship includes access to briefings with policy experts, a comprehensive library of evidence-based research and networking opportunities with fellow lawmakers tackling similar issues across the country. Fellows will also gain firsthand insights during experiential learning trips to organizations working on the ground in their chosen policy areas.

The program culminates in attendance at Future Caucus’ annual Futures Thinking Forum and Rising Star Awards where fellows will have the chance to further expand their influence and leadership in state and national policymaking.