Quad-City Times: Former Iowa state legislator Elesha Gayman has been selected as executive director of The Women’s Connection, a nonprofit organization with about 800 members in western Illinois and eastern Iowa. The Women’s Connection, established in 1997, offers monthly programs aimed at achieving its mission to “inspire, educate and connect.” The news was reported in a newsletter to members and comes after the announcement earlier this month that Colleen Rafferty and Nancy Renkes would step down as co-executive directors effective March 31.