News

The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s 4th Annual National Civic Leadership Training Summit to Be Largest to Date

(Upper Saddle River, NJ)—The Andrew Goodman Foundation will welcome members of its Vote Everywhere and Puffin Democracy Fellows programs, as well as notable guest speakers, to its fourth annual National Civic Leadership Training Summit. A six-day event, the Summit will be hosted from Monday, July 9th – Saturday, July 14th at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, New Jersey.

This year marks the first time that the Summit will be held at one of Vote Everywhere’s partner campuses. Christopher Romano, Ed.M., Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Ramapo College, will deliver a welcome address to all participants, as will David Goodman, President of The Andrew Goodman Foundation and brother of Andrew Goodman.

Nearly 60 Vote Everywhere Ambassadors, several Vote Everywhere alumni and Vote Everywhere Campus Champions, and our five Puffin Democracy Fellows will attend a variety of training sessions, related to alliance building, voter registration and getting out the vote, enhancing voter access, nonpartisanship, and campus action planning. Participants will learn from each other in primarily student-led sessions, which will offer inaugural beginning- and advanced-level tracks. Campus Champions, attending the Summit for the first time, will share their experience and expertise as featured speakers.

Panels and keynotes, designed to address the Summit theme “Defending Our Democracy,” will feature honored guests, including Ginna Green (ReThink Media), Dale Ho (ACLU), Natasha Merle (NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.), Nancy Thomas (Tufts University), Sue Udry (Defending Rights & Dissent), and Clarence Jones, Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal counsel, advisor, speechwriter, and close friend.

The Summit is an annual opportunity for the national network of Vote Everywhere Ambassadors to receive civic and leadership training, share proven ideas and practices, connect with their peers and AGF staff, and recognize accomplishments. On the final evening of the Summit, the Hidden Hero Award Ceremony will honor five student leaders for outstanding achievement in making young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy.

The following participants are attending this year’s Summit:

Vote Everywhere Ambassadors

Keirra Cromer Alabama A&M University
Alexa Rodriguez Arizona State University
Adrian Costa Bard College
Kathy Gaweda Bard College
Ava Mazzye Bard College
Richard Harrison Carter Bowling Green State University
Alyssa Tomins Bowling Green State University
Michael Golden Cornell University
Jenna Oliver Cornell University
Kourtney Birks Dillard University
Jamya Robinson Dillard University
Meghan Edwards East Carolina University
Thomas Armooh Elon University
Ellie Snyder Elon University
Becky Garcia Fairleigh Dickinson University
Ari Jones Georgia State University
Evan Malbrough Georgia State University
Anna Determann Grand View University
Shanna Yarush Kutztown University
Rachel Campbell Louisiana State University
Zoe Williamson Louisiana State University
Weston Gale Mesa Community College
Kimberly Morrow Mesa Community College
Rebecca Diaz Miami Dade College – Wolfson
Makenzie Mercer Miami University
Jessel Martinez Midway University
Marla Teixeira Pace University
Claudia Wetzel Ramapo College of New Jersey
Danielle Bates Simpson College
Abby Schulte Simpson College
Taylor Roberts Spelman College
Phariha Rahman SUNY Binghamton
John Restuccia SUNY Binghamton
Leah Christman SUNY Geneseo
Shaheer Ahmad Khan SUNY Stony Brook
Elif Fatma Onay SUNY Stony Brook
Jazmine Baylor Tougaloo College
Latrice Johnson Tougaloo College
Sophie Bertrand Towson University
Jonathan Townes Towson University
Matthew Tolbert Tufts University
Stephen Grover University of Alabama
Alana Glover University of Baltimore
Willow Goode University of Baltimore
Corban Gotcher University of Central Arkansas
Anna Rose Redgate University of Dayton
Allison Saracina University of Dayton
Shae’Erica Horne University of Florida
Jenna Tingum University of Florida
Brittany Greenwell University of Louisville
Clara Wilson University of Louisville
A’Mya Jones University of Mississippi
Mya Woods University of Mississippi
Amaya Fox University of San Francisco
Ariana Robert Martinez University of San Francisco
Michaela Lemen University of Utah
Fiona Buchanan Western Carolina University
Hannah Fraser Western Carolina University

Vote Everywhere Alumni

Jonian Rafti Bard College
Joseph Hill CUNY Queens
Rachael Cohen Hamilton Kutztown University
Louis Gremillion Jr. Louisiana State University
Abree Dominguez University of San Francisco

Vote Everywhere Campus Champions

Amy K. Somchanhmavong Cornell University
Duane Oakes Mesa Community College
Dr. Mariel Pagán Montclair State University
Karen Booth Ramapo College of New Jersey
William (Bill) Waldman Rutgers University
Steven Adelson SUNY Stony Brook

Puffin Democracy Fellows

Valencia Richardson Louisiana State University alumna
Maydee Martinez Miami Dade College alumna
Usjid Hameed Towson University alumnus
Dana Sweeney University of Alabama alumnus
Megan Newsome University of Florida alumna

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

Established to continue the legacy of Andrew Goodman, a civil rights worker murdered during Freedom Summer 1964, The Andrew Goodman Foundation partners with America’s colleges and universities through its Vote Everywhere program which provides student leaders with a platform to register and mobilize voters, organize campuses, and collaborate with their peers. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org.

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