Rise Up Weekend

Nancy G. Abudu is the Deputy Legal Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Voting Rights Practice Group. In that role, she leads a team of lawyers, community organizers, and technical experts in protecting and strengthening the voting rights of people of color and other politically vulnerable populations.

Prior to joining SPLC, Nancy was the Legal Director for the ACLU of Florida and a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. She has litigated a variety of civil rights and civil liberties issues in federal and state courts, including legal challenges to state felon disfranchisement, proof of citizenship, and voter photo ID laws; and has pushed for greater enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, and other federal laws. Her practice areas also have included prison conditions, free speech, reproductive rights, immigrants’ rights, LGBT rights, privacy and government surveillance, and education issues.

In addition, Nancy has worked as a staff attorney with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, and an associate with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York. She served as an international election observer in Albania, is a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law, and is a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program based in Washington, D.C. She also has published numerous articles and two book chapters, including in the most recent fourth edition of the ABA’s America Votes.

She received her B.A. from Columbia University, her J.D. from Tulane Law School, and has won several awards and honors of recognition for her civil rights work. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Georgia, New York, the U.S. Supreme Court, and several other federal and state courts.

Mo is the Director of Communications at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. With a passion for youth empowerment, civic engagement, and social progress, Mo brings a wealth of experience and creativity to their role, driving the organization's mission and programming to new heights. Collaborating closely with AGF staff, students engaged in the programs, university staff, and fellow nonprofit leaders, Mo fosters a network of change-makers dedicated to promoting youth electoral and civic engagement on university campuses nationwide. Mo is also the host, editor, and producer of the "Live The Legacy Podcast." Through this platform, Mo engages in compelling conversations with influential activists, community leaders, and scholars who share their experiences, expertise, and ideas on various social and political issues.

With over five years of dedicated service in the progressive movement space, Mo has been a steadfast advocate for positive change and believes a robust digital strategy is a key factor in leveraging progressive wins, increasing accessibility in our movement spaces, and transforming narratives in service of cultural shifts. They spend their free time listening to podcasts, watching basketball, and battling their wife and 4 kids in Mario Kart.

Originally from Grenada, Mississippi, Jarvis graduated with honors from the University of Mississippi with degrees in International Studies and Spanish. His passion for social justice came while serving as a community organizer for the non-profit Mississippi Votes and overseeing the largest voter registration effort in the state since the Freedom Summer of 1964. Jarvis currently lives in DC where he organizes around Black, feminist, and queer issues.

Ari Berman is a senior reporter at Mother Jones, covering voting rights. His stories have also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Politico and The Guardian. He is a frequent guest and political commentator on MSNBC, NPR, PBS and C-Span. Ari’s work has earned him an Izzy Award for outstanding achievement in independent media and a place on the FD200 – 200 awardees whose work embodies Frederick Douglass’s enduring legacy of social change.

Ari is the author of GIVE US THE BALLOT: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America (finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction), HERDING DONKEYS: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics, and the forthcoming MINORITY RULE – about efforts by white conservatives to entrench power in the face of a massive demographic and political shift.

GIVE US THE BALLOT was named a best book of 2015 by the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, the Boston Globe and Kirkus Reviews, and was nominated for the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.

Speaking topics include national voting rights issues; the history of voting rights in America; modern racialized voter suppression; partisan gerrymandering; American politics; the state and future of democracy; the intersection of money and politics; the 2020 census.

MacKenzie Bills is a 2016 graduate of Simpson College, where she majored in Political Science and International Relations and minored in French and Religion. While at Simpson, MacKenzie also served as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador from 2014-2016. Since graduating, she was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Pahang, Malaysia, worked as a Report Editor for the International Religious Freedom Reports covering sub-Saharan Africa, and now works as a Research Analyst in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. State Department. In her free time, you might find her subcontracting as a dialogue facilitator, doing stand-up comedy, or putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you did and damned if you don’t.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Alan Bond is originally from San Jose, California, and is currently studying Political Science at Baylor University. Previously serving as the External Vice President for Student Government, he is highly committed to serving students and others to make sure all voices are heard. He is a part of many on-campus organizations including Pre-Law Society, as his graduation plan is to attend law school with future aspirations to be a prosecutor at his local District Attorney’s office.

Laura Bowser is the Founder of Vaud Consulting—a HR and Diversity and Inclusion management consulting firm as well as a DEI subject matter expert at Manageroo's Global Marketplace. Prior to launching Vaud Consulting, Laura was the CEO of an award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion firm. During her tenure as CEO, the company was recognized as a Best for the World diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) solutions provider by B Lab as featured in the NYT. Laura is also Chair of the Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Commission, Vice Chair of Data Friendly Spaces, board member at Read to Them, previous founding member of the Burke-Paine Society, and twice published HR author through Owl Publishing.

Recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change and a Forbes Under 30 Honoree in Law and Policy, Jamira has made it her mission to employ her personal experiences as the driving force to improve the lives of others. From implementing anti-violence programs throughout the City of Philadelphia when she was just a high school student to organizing youth trainings around the world as an appointee to the United Nations Global Education First Initiative; Youth Advocacy Group, Jamira’s ardor for personal and social advancement is undeniable.

Jamira leads with expertise in workforce development, social justice, youth engagement, education reform, and corporate social responsibility to authentically reshape communities and disrupt the status quo. In 2018, Jamira was the first United States citizen awarded the Global Leadership Award for Vital Voices and selected as an MIT Media Lab Fellow. Today, she works as a next-gen social impact strategist, founder of "I AM HERE TO" and Head of Youth Engagement and Skills for the Global Business Coalition for Education.

Rachel Campbell is serving as the Interagency Committee Facilitator. Rachel graduated from Louisiana State University in 2019, where she served as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for two years, Geaux Vote Vice-President for two years, and as Vice-President of LSU’s Student Body. She currently works in management consulting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has plans to attend law school in the fall.

“The challenge of maintaining a free and fair democracy is an active, ongoing one – one that requires each person to not only participate, but to advocate for the people around them who lack equal access to the ballot.” - Rachel Campbell

Julián Castro served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2014-2017. Before that, he was Mayor of his native San Antonio, Texas — the youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city at the time. In 2012, he gave a rousing keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, during which he described the American Dream as a relay to be passed from generation to generation. After his historic campaign for president in 2020, Secretary Castro launched People First Future in May to help elect bold, progressive candidates whose campaigns are focused on improving the lives of all people they hope to represent. In September, Secretary Castro launched "Our America with Julián Castro," a podcast with Lemonada Media that puts a spotlight on vulnerable communities and takes a humanizing and hopeful look at how drastically the American experience shifts from one person to the next.

Maria del Rosario "Rosie" Castro is an activist and educator in San Antonio, Texas and the mother of Congressman Joaquin Castro and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro. During the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement of the 1970's, Rosie worked to advance the civil rights of Mexican Americans, working with the Mexican American Unity Council, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the City of San Antonio. Rosie served as president of the Bexar County Young Democrats and as Bexar County party chair of La Raza Unida Party. In 1971, Rosie ran for the San Antonio City Council, under the banner of the Committee for Barrio Betterment. Following her run for city council, Rosie served in various education roles at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Palo Alto College. Rosie retired from Palo Alto College as interim dean of student success in 2013. Rosie currently serves on the advisory board for the Texas Right to Vote coalition and the Texas Organizing Project.

Meet Jeffrey Clemmons!

A native of Dallas, Jeffrey Clemmons is a senior studying Political Science at the historic Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. On campus, he serves in a number of leadership roles including president of the NAACP and Chief Justice for the Student Government Association. Off campus, he chairs the Austin College Student Commission, representing over 100,000 students from across the city’s five major universities at City Hall with policies that address issues such as campus food insecurity, gun violence, and student housing. Jeffrey has, now, brought his passion for youth civic engagement and desire to uplift underrepresented communities within the organizing space to his role as an HBCU Ambassador with The Andrew Goodman Foundation.

Brandon L. Daye is an Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management double major student under the highly acclaimed Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics and College of Agriculture and Environmental Systems at North Carolina A&T State University. During his tenure at North Carolina A&T, he's held leadership positions in various organizations on campus. Most notably, SGA Senate Chairperson for the Campus Life Committee, Lead of the GOTV & Excitement Workgroup for the University Wide Civic Engagement Coalition, and Development Coordinator of the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement L.E.A.D.s. Mr. Daye is beginning his 2nd year an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for North Carolina A&T and he is overly excited to continue his goal of continuously educating and promoting the power of voter, social, and civic engagement. Upon graduation, Brandon hopes to obtain his MBA from Howard University, MISE from Florida A&M University, and PhD from Hampton University. Throughout the work of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, he promises to ensure 100% campus engagement, registration, and voting. Brandon preaches the great words of Barack Obama, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Anna Del Castillo graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2018 from Tufts University with a B.A. in International Relations and Colonialism Studies. At Tufts, she served as the Student Body Vice President, the Senior Baccalaureate Speaker, and the lead Campus Ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere Program. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity as a Dean’s Fellow at Harvard Divinity School where she studies at the intersection of politics, spirituality, and social justice. On-campus, Anna is a Proctor for first-year students and serves as the Divinity School Representative on the Harvard Graduate Council. She is a member of Harvard’s Prison Education Program, working with incarcerated students through Partaker’s College Behind Bars. As a Harvard Presidential Public Service fellow, she researched and helped launch a Movement Chaplaincy Curriculum with the Faith Matters Network. Anna Currently works for IGNITE National, the nation’s largest political organization for young women, as the Boston Fellow. Anna is a proud Mississippian, second-generation Peruvian-Bolivian immigrant, and faith-rooted activist for justice. She intends to use this fellowship and other opportunities to bridge the gap between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be.

David J. (Dave) Dennis, Sr., interrupted his collegiate experience during his freshman year in 1961 at Dillard University in New Orleans LA to work in the 60s civil rights movement in the South, particularly Mississippi and Louisiana, where he was arrested over 30 times in relation to his activities to register disenfranchised voters. He was on the first freedom bus ride from Montgomery AL to Jackson MS in 1961. He served in both states as field secretary for CORE (Congress on Racial Equality). He was a co- director of COFO (Council of Federated Organizations) and of the effort to organize Freedom Summer 1964. He worked closely with Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney who were murdered along with Andrew Goodman as Freedom Summer began. Dave spoke in Mississippi at the funeral for James Chaney, delivering a eulogy that will long be remembered. He returned to Dillard University in 1965 where he graduated in 1968. Continuing his education, Dave left for law school at the University of Michigan; there he graduated in 1971. In 1972, he was an organizer of a successful challenge to the Louisiana Democratic Party structure that resulted in an African American chairman and a majority African American delegation being sent to the national convention, the first time since Reconstruction.

Dave’s practice of law gave way in 1991 to his work with Bob Moses--a fellow veteran of the civil rights movement in Mississippi--and the Algebra Project. In the 60s, the most pressing need for African American residents in Mississippi for citizenship was to be able to register to vote unobstructed. Dave became committed in the early 90s to the pressing need of quality education as necessary for first class citizenship, joining Bob in his work to increase participation of low- performing students in the gatekeeper course Algebra I by or before the eighth grade. Without early access to Algebra I, students cannot complete a heavy mathematics program in high school enabling them to go into careers in science and technology. Dave and Bob have begun to pursue “quality education as a constitutional right”. The current climate in which the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is under assault underscores that citizens must be ever vigilant in our efforts to maintain safeguards to our citizenship already hard-won and to continue the pursuit of those necessary elements for full citizenship that are yet to be secured.

Dave has been interviewed and recorded in numerous documents, articles, books, newspapers, magazines, and documentaries over the years. He has also received many awards and recognitions.

Marc Elias is a nationally recognized authority and expert in voting rights, redistricting, and campaign finance. He is the Chair of Perkins Coie’s Political Law Group and the founder of Democracy Docket, the leading platform for progressive advocacy and information about voting rights, elections, redistricting and democracy.

As a litigator, Marc has handled hundreds of cases involving politics, voting rights, and redistricting. He has successfully argued and won four cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as dozens of cases in state supreme courts and U.S. courts of appeal.

He represents the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Campaign Committees, as well as dozens of U.S. senators, governors, representatives, campaigns, and other Democratic and progressive organizations.

In 2020, Marc represented the Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee in dozens of post-election lawsuits and in several statewide recounts and contests. He also represented several House and Senate candidates in post-election litigation and challenges.

Marc launched Democracy Docket in March 2020 when it became clear that voting rights were going to be central to the November election and the future of democracy. That month, Marc laid out the four safeguards to protect voting rights—the Democracy Docket Four Pillars. The Four Pillars, and the trailblazing voting rights litigation that followed, were transformative to the way millions of Americans cast their ballots and led to record voter enfranchisement in the 2020 election.

As we approach a once-in-a-decade redistricting process, Marc is already fighting Republican gerrymandering and is continuing to defend voting rights from suppressive laws and practices.

Marc is an alumnus of Hamilton College and Duke Law School and is a proud owner of a Portuguese Water Dog named Bode.

Tamia Fowlkes is a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin – Madison majoring in Journalism and Political Science with certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies and Leadership. On campus, she serves as the Big 10 Voting Challenge Intern for the Morgridge Center of Public Service, as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Tamia serves as an Investigative Reporting Intern for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and has written for The Wisconsin State Journal, Isthmus, and The Madison Commons. Driven by her passions for politics, education, and youth activism, Tamia co-created The Student Civic Immersion Program which aids high school students in crafting service projects centered around civic engagement and policy issues like environmental justice, racial equity, and voter suppression. She also co-hosts a podcast called Pod-Cast Your Vote which aims to mobilize and empower youth voters. All of her experiences have heightened her passions for politics, journalistic writing, and activism.

Alicia believes that Black communities deserve what all communities deserve — to be powerful in every aspect of their lives. An author, political strategist, organizer, and cheeseburger enthusiast, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics. She is the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, serves as the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and is a co-founder of Supermajority, a new home for women’s activism. Alicia has become a powerful voice in the media and frequently contributes thoughtful opinion pieces and expert commentary on politics, race and more to outlets such as MSNBC and The New York Times. She has received numerous accolades and recognitions, including being on the cover of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World issue and being named to Bloomberg's 50 and Politico's 50 lists. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart (One World Penguin Random House), and she warns you — hashtags don’t start movements. People do.

Wambui Gatheru is the Director of Programs at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Wambui is a proud first-generation Kenyan-American. She began her career as a grassroots national organizer, quickly working her way into local Massachusetts politics where she successfully managed the 2018 Question 2 ballot initiative supporting a congressional mandate to get big money out of politics. The question had received 80% of the vote on the ballot, making it the winningest question on the ballot that year. Afterwards, she continued her career as a Partnerships and Outreach Manager, where she utilized her experience as a Black woman to form deeply intersectional and inclusive relationships. Now as the proud Director of Programs at The Andrew Goodman Foundation, she supports the visions and power of young voices in our democracy.

Mr. Glover is a critically acclaimed actor and film director. For decades he has also been on the front lines of civil rights and workers’ rights campaigns both in the United States and around the world. While attending San Francisco State University, Glover was a member of the Black Students Union, which not only created the first Department of Black Studies but also the first School of Ethnic Studies in the United States. Mr. Glover champions causes that span from anemia awareness to the AIDS crisis in Africa to mathematics education in the United States. Both the United Nations Development Program and UNICEF have appointed him as a goodwill ambassador. He is a major supporter of the Algebra Project—a math empowerment program developed by civil rights veteran Bob Moses.

Jon Grinspan is curator of political history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, and the award-winning author of The Virgin Vote: How Young Americans Made Democracy Social, Politics Personal and Voting Popular in the Nineteenth Century. His new book is The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915. He frequently writes for the New York Times and elsewhere, and has been featured in The New Yorker and the Washington Post. As a curator, Jon attends elections and protests around the country to collect objects for the Smithsonian's collections. Together, it involves a bit of time-traveling, explaining the past to the present, and the present to the future.

Máxima Guerrero is a native of Morelos, Mexico, and resides on occupied Akimel O'Odham territory [Phoenix, AZ]. Being impacted by being undocumented in the US, she has dedicated her life to advocate and organize for migrant and human rights for the past decade. Máxima has been a part of both national actions and local campaigns which include historical civic engagement campaigns to shift the electorate in Maricopa County, campaigning for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, and a successful campaign in the removal of Police officers in schools. Most recently, after her arrest at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, Máxima has been able to shed light on the excessive use of force brought by police to those advocating for police accountability and to the impacts of police and ICE collaboration.

Alexandria “Alex” Harris is the President of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. In her role, she is responsible for activating the Foundation's goals and vision through the strategic and sustainable growth of the organization. Alexandria first became passionate about voting when she was in elementary school. She participated in many local and national campaigns, organized and registered students to vote on campus, and successfully lobbied the Georgia State Legislature to enact a law that allowed a voter to cast a provisional ballot if they believed they were entitled to vote. The law was the precursor to the Provisional Vote Law enjoyed across the United States today. Alexandria practiced corporate law for nearly a decade. She left the law to become a social entrepreneur, opened a school, and has since helped nonprofits around the world scale. She earned a B.A. from Spelman College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Alex typically spends her free time playing outside with her husband, two small boys, and Mini Schnauzer, Langston Hughes.

What if you could combine the poetic social commentary of James Baldwin, the prophetic fire of Bob Marley, and the contemporary sounds of John Legend? Andre’s alternative R&B music would be at that intersection. His unique “Future Reggae” sound combines a little Atlanta and a little Montego Bay. As an award-winning singer-songwriter and music producer, Andre uses music to sing about Black life and social justice with elements of pop, reggae, electronica, and rock, and a dash of hip-hop.

After college, Andre moved to New York City to chase the musical dream and stumbled into the company of legendary songwriters Ashford & Simpson. They took him under their wing, honing his chops in their home studio on records featuring the likes of Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. His song Don’t Say You Love Me (It’ll Ruin My Day) was featured on Cliff Richard’s Soulicious album in 2011, which hit the #1 spot on the UK charts in its first week. Later that year, the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP) awarded him the Reach Out and Touch Award in honor of Nick Ashford. Andre went on to perform at prestigious venues like the Lincoln Center, New York and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.

Andre incorporates the insights he’s gleaned from his experiences as an activist and his studies into his music. Make no mistake about it, Andre Henry is trying to incite a revolution.

Mondaire Jones is serving his first term as the Congressman from New York’s 17th District, encompassing all of Rockland County and parts of central and northern Westchester County.

A product of East Ramapo public schools, Rep. Jones was raised in Section 8 housing and on food stamps in the Village of Spring Valley by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to provide for their family.

After graduating from Stanford University, Rep. Jones worked in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy, where he vetted candidates for federal judgeships and worked to reform our criminal legal system to make it more fair and equitable. He later graduated from Harvard Law School.

Prior to running for Congress, Rep. Jones worked as a litigator in private practice, where was awarded by The Legal Aid Society of New York for his pro bono service investigating claims of employment discrimination and helping families defrauded during the Great Recession recover funds. Subsequently, he served as a litigator in the Westchester County Law Department.

Rep. Jones began his activism in high school through the Spring Valley NAACP Youth Council. He would go on to serve on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors. Rep. Jones is a co-founder of the nonprofit Rising Leaders, Inc., which teaches professional skills to underserved middle-school students in three American cities, and has previously served on the board of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jones continues his lifelong advocacy for civil rights and civil liberties, and the strengthening of our democracy. In Congress, Rep. Jones is fighting for COVID-19 relief, a living wage for all, universal health care, racial justice, climate action, and restoration of the SALT deduction.

Rep. Jones serves as the Freshman Representative to Leadership in the 117th Congress, making him the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership team. He also serves as a Deputy Whip for the Congressional Progressive Caucus and as a Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus.

Rep. Jones was raised in Rockland County and resides in Westchester County.

Aklima Khondoker is the Chief Legal Officer at the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing civic participation through voter registration, community organizing, advocacy, and litigation.

Prior to joining the New Georgia Project, Khondoker worked as a Staff Attorney and the Senior Manager for the Voting Access Project at the ACLU of Georgia, a project she created to open pathways to the ballot through effective litigation and advocacy.

During the 2020 election, Khondoker worked as the Georgia State Director at All Voting is Local, a campaign of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. While there, Khondoker increased voting access through targeted initiatives, including adding ballot dropboxes statewide, opening early vote sites in communities of color, and advocating for equitable ballot access through effective election administration locally and nationwide.

Khondoker holds a B.A. from Stony Brook University and J.D. from the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. She is committed to local and national initiatives that both serve the community and gives everyone a voice through their vote.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is the first woman elected to represent the State of Minnesota in the United States Senate. Throughout her public service, Senator Klobuchar has always embraced the values she learned growing up in Minnesota. Her grandfather worked 1500 feet underground in the iron ore mines of Northern Minnesota. Her father, Jim, was a newspaperman, and her mother, Rose, was an elementary school teacher who continued teaching until she was 70.

Senator Klobuchar has built a reputation of putting partisanship aside to help strengthen the economy and support families, workers and businesses. In 2016, an analysis by Medill News Service ranked her first among all 100 senators in sponsoring or cosponsoring bills that were enacted into law in the 114th Congress.

Senator Klobuchar has always understood that her first duty is to represent the people of Minnesota. She acted quickly to obtain full funding to rebuild the I-35W bridge just thirteen months after it tragically collapsed into the Mississippi River. She worked across party lines to expand education and job opportunities for returning service members, fought to ensure that Minnesota National Guard members received the full benefits they earned, and helped turn Minnesota's ground-breaking "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon" program into a national model. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Klobuchar worked to pass the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill to strengthen Minnesota’s rural economy and give farmers the certainty and support they need.

Since arriving in the Senate, Senator Klobuchar has worked with Democrats and Republicans to get things done. She led the effort to pass landmark pieces of legislation to end human trafficking and to combat the opioid epidemic. She fought to pass the most significant consumer product safety legislation in a generation, keeping foreign toxic products off our shores and out of our stores, and pushed the cell phone companies to enact more consumer-friendly policies. Additionally, her efforts to protect consumers have resulted in the largest furniture recall in American history as well as millions of defective airbags being taken off the road.

As a member of the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Klobuchar has been a leader in working to implement a competitive agenda to ensure businesses have the tools they need to grow and create good jobs in their communities. She has authored legislation to lift the trade embargo with Cuba as well as legislation to help small businesses tap into new markets abroad. She has successfully advocated to take action to combat illegal steel dumping. She has also passed a significant amendment aimed at boosting funds for STEM education for American students and led national initiatives to boost American tourism, including a series of regulatory reforms adopted by the Obama Administration.

Senator Klobuchar also serves as the Ranking Member on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, where she has worked to advance policies that protect consumers from anti-competitive behavior and make sure businesses are able to compete on a level playing field. She has introduced legislation to lower prescription drug prices by cracking down on “pay-for-delay” agreements, the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market.

Senator Klobuchar is also the Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, where she works to ensure fairness, transparency, and efficiency in government. She helped pass the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate and has authored legislation to automatically register eligible voters when they turn 18. She has also led efforts to improve election security and prevent foreign interference in our democracy, and successfully secured $380 million to strengthen states’ election infrastructure and help protect them from future attacks by foreign adversaries.

Before serving in the Senate, Senator Klobuchar headed the largest prosecutor’s office in Minnesota for eight years, making the prosecution of violent and career criminals her top priority as well as an increased focus on white collar crime. She led the effort for successful passage of Minnesota’s first felony DWI law, and received the leadership award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Her safe schools initiative, community prosecution efforts, and criminal justice reforms earned national awards from both the Bush and Clinton Justice Departments. She worked with the Innocence Project to advocate for videotaped interrogations across the country as well as innovative eyewitness processes to protect against false identifications. As a private citizen and before being elected to public office, Senator Klobuchar was the leading advocate for successful passage of one of the first laws in the country guaranteeing 48-hour hospital stays for new moms and their babies.

Her work has gained national recognition. Vogue magazine described her as “personable, popular, and pragmatic,” the New York Times described her as a “former prosecutor with made-for-state-fair charms,” and Working Mother Magazine named her as "Best in Congress” for her efforts on behalf of working families. She has received numerous awards from the National Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union for championing farmers and rural communities. She has been recognized for her work on behalf of children and consumers, and Refugee International gave her the Congressional Leadership Award for her work to support refugee communities. She received an award from the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) for her work to fight sexual assault in the military, and the Disabled American Veterans honored her work to improve the lives of America’s veterans. She has also received the “Outstanding Member of the Senate Award” from the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition and the “Above and Beyond Award” from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for her commitment to developing a supportive work environment for employees serving in the Guard and Reserves.

Senator Klobuchar was the valedictorian of her Wayzata High School class. She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School. Her senior essay in college, published as the book "Uncovering the Dome," chronicles the 10-year-history behind the building of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and is still used at colleges and universities across the country.

Senator Klobuchar is married to John Bessler, a native of Mankato, who attended Loyola High School and the University of Minnesota. Senator Klobuchar and John have a daughter, Abigail.

From Memphis, La Toria Lane is a senior Political Science and Urban Studies double major at Tennessee State University. At the University she is a member of the Honors College, University ‘Aristocrat’ of Bands, Phi Eta Sigma, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has been an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for the last two years and wants to continue advocating for student civic engagement. Upon graduating in May, La Toria would like to continue her education by obtaining her Masters of Public Administration and later attend Law School.

John Leguizamo is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright, and screenwriter.

Sabrina Lynch is D&I consultant, providing strategic counsel for blue-chip brands, start-up businesses and philanthropic organizations including Parsons School of Fashion, Intel and New York City Mayor’s Office. A member of the United Nations Communications Corps, her TED Talk in LA discussed the urgent need to bridge the gap in social equity. She is a champion for diversity and inclusion, leading to her being selected by Yahoo Finance! as a 2020 Women Executive Role Modell & ‘Superwoman’ by Pitch Magazine. In addition, Sabrina is an Adjunct Professor at Manhattan College teaching Advanced Communications/Strategic Planning and a Facilitator at Fordham University. She is a contributor to HuffPost, Forbes and CultureBanx on important issues affecting people of color today.

Evan Malbrough, a native of Smyrna, Georgia, is an honors graduate with a degree in Public Policy from Georgia State University. He was a Research Fellow at the Department of Defense, where he was in the Office of Legal Policy & the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness. Evan was a research assistant in extremist media studies in the Global Studies Institute at Georgia State University. He analyzes the media of groups such as ISIS, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Boko Haram. Evan has previously interned for the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Council, and the Office of Congressman David Scott. He is the recipient of the Alonzo F., and Norris B. Herndon human rights scholarship, and the PMAP Leadership award has served as the 2017-2018 President of the Young Democrats of Georgia State University, an Amazon Prime Student Ambassador, and an Andrew Goodman Ambassador. Evan was a member of the Clinton Global Initiative where he works on Prison Education reform, which includes working in a writing studio for inmates at Metro Reentry Facility. He is a founding member of Vote Everywhere GSU, an organization that organized the first-ever student-run polling location in the state of Georgia. As a graduate, Evan is the founder of the Georgia Poll Youth Poll Worker Initiative and the founding coordinator of the Georgia Civic Campus Network.

Sean Patrick Maloney has proudly served New York’s 18th district in the U.S. House of Representatives since his election in November 2012.

In 2020, Sean won a historic election to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, becoming the highest-ranking LGBTQ member of Congress in American history. As Chair, he will to work to defend and expand the House’s majority ahead of 2022.

In Congress, Sean also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Agriculture Committee. A bipartisan leader, Sean’s priorities in Congress include improving our infrastructure, fighting for good-paying jobs, and keeping the United States safe and free.

Before coming to Congress, Sean served as a senior advisor in President Bill Clinton’s White House and was part of a team that balanced the budget and paid down the debt. When Sean left the White House, he built his own business from scratch. His distinguished background in business and public service informs his effective and pragmatic approach to legislating.

During his tenure he has introduced and passed 40 pieces of legislation into law, brought nearly $1.8 billion in federal investments to the Hudson Valley, returned over $25 million in taxpayer dollars to Hudson Valley families, including over $11 million in veterans’ benefits, and hosted more than 100 town halls. Sean works across the aisle at all levels of government to deliver results for the Hudson Valley and make New York a better place to live.

Sean and his husband, Randy, have 3 children together. They reside in Cold Spring, New York.

Representative Lucy McBath is a mom, a wife, an author, and an advocate.

On Black Friday in 2012, McBath’s son, Jordan Davis, was sitting in the back seat of a friend’s car at a gas station. A man pulled up next to them, complaining about the “loud music” they were playing. The man pulled out a gun and fired 10 shots into the car, hitting Jordan three times, and killing him.

After Jordan’s death, McBath dedicated her life to preventing other families from experiencing the same pain she did.

McBath left her 30-year career as a flight attendant at Delta Airlines to become the national spokesperson and faith and outreach leader for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

In 2017, after the mass shooting that killed 17 high schoolers at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, McBath knew she had to stand up and run for Congress

Since taking her oath of office in January of 2019, McBath has sought bipartisan solutions to end gun violence, uplift small business and our economy, protect and serve our nation’s veterans, and lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.

A two-time breast cancer survivor, Representative McBath knows how important it is to protect those with pre-existing conditions and ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable care. McBath has supported H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, a bipartisan bill to ensure that everyone with preexisting conditions is covered. McBath also introduced legislation requiring Medicare to cover hearings aids, and her bill was included in H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. This landmark, bipartisan legislation would lower the cost of medication, stop big pharmaceutical companies from ripping off families, and reinvest billions in innovation and the search for new cures and treatments.

McBath has also made protecting small businesses a priority, supporting legislation like the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which would strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program, provide more funding for SBA disaster lending, and ensure that more small businesses have access to the money they need.

In August of 2019, McBath’s bill, the HAVEN Act, which protects veterans in need, was signed into law by President Trump. The Washington Post called this bipartisan piece of legislation the “biggest bill passed” by a freshman this Congress. She has been called “an effective lawmaker” during her first year in Congress, and “one of the House Democratic Caucus’ most important voices.”

To protect the education of our children, five measures led by McBath were included in the landmark Higher Education Act, a bill to improve the quality of education, lower the cost of college, and expand opportunity for students across America.

McBath also led bipartisan legislation in December of 2019 to modernize data collection practices and improve epidemic preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control. In March, she secured the $500 million she requested as part of the COVID-19 relief package.

In addition, she also successfully requested that $25 million in federal funds be allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health for gun violence prevention research, the first of its kind in twenty years.

Representative McBath has made securing federal funds for Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District a priority, helping obtain a $5 million grant to fund the Akers Mill ramp project in Cobb County, as well as supporting a grant to improve the safety and security of Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs, which was awarded in November of 2019.

The Congresswoman proudly represents Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District, but the most important title she will ever hold is Jordan’s Mom.

Shaniqua McClendon has spent a decade working in politics and and currently serves as the Political Director for Crooked Media, home to the popular podcast, Pod Save America. In this role, Shaniqua led the creation of their voter engagement program, Vote Save America and volunteer engagement program, Adopt a State, which has educated millions of voters, recruited hundreds of thousands of volunteers and raised millions of dollars for progressive causes and candidates. Prior to Crooked Media, Shaniqua began her career as a White House Intern for President Barack Obama. She then went on to Capitol Hill, serving as a policy advisor to Senator Kay R. Hagan and Legislative Director to Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, where she spearheaded the creation of the first-ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. Shaniqua is originally from North Carolina and earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Service. Shaniqua is also a Fund Her Board Member and was a fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future.

Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, and a Ford Global Fellow.

Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, Desmond presently leads efforts to empower and civically re-engage local communities across the state, and to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies. His work has resulted in being named Floridian and Central Floridian of the Year 2019.

As President and Executive Director of FRRC, which is recognized for its work on voting and criminal justice reform issues, Desmond led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida.

A sought-after speaker, Desmond has made numerous appearances on radio and television, and has spoken before national organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bread for the World. Desmond has testified before Congressional members and staffers and was a part of a delegation to the United Nations where he gave testimony regarding disenfranchisement in Florida. Desmond orchestrated a historic meeting at the White House between returning citizens and the President Obama’s administration. Most recently, Desmond served as a Commissioner on treh National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice which was co-chaired by former U.S. Attorney Generals Loretta Lynch and Alberto Gonzalez. He is also a member of the Council on Criminal Justice. He has appeared on numerous shows such as Al-Jazeera, Democracy NOW, MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid, FOX News with Dana Perino and Tucker Carlson, Samantha Bee, and All In with Chris Hayes. He is a guest columnist for the Huffington Post in which one of his articles about the death of Trayvon Martin garnered national attention. Desmond has been featured in several newspaper and magazine articles and was chosen as a “Game Changer” by Politic 365, as well as being recognized as a “Foot Soldier” on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC. Desmond is married and has five beautiful children.

Skylar is a 23-year-old journalist based in Washington D.C. who uses her foundation in Black Feminist Thought and civic organizing to inform her perspective as a writer and commentator. Working at CNN, she redirects what she previously used as a college student, Spelman College Social Justice Fellow, and Andrew Goodman Foundation Vote Everywhere Ambassador to seek and tell stories of marginalized communities. She is particularly interested in issues of health equity, housing access, and voting protections within Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities. Skylar is driven by the belief that our stories signal the sociopolitical agenda that determines which groups receive access to resources and vessels of power.

You can follow her work via twitter at @skylarmitch

Ross Morales Rocketto is the co-founder of Run for Something, which recruits and supports the next generation of young, diverse, and progressive political leaders. To date, Run for Something has worked with over 75,000 potential candidates and made over 1700 endorsements. Before starting Run for Something, Ross spent 15 years in electoral politics having worked for candidates from school board to President. He was previously a Principal at the STG, a progressive consulting firm, where he helped both candidates and organizations run effective campaigns. In 2016, Ross was an advisor with For Our Future, a multi-million dollar SuperPAC that does field and organizing work in swing states. Ross lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Jess, his dog Nacho, and his two cats Mister President and Baby Kitty.

Philip Murphy took the oath of office as New Jersey’s 56th governor on January 16, 2018.

Since taking office, Governor Murphy has focused on building a stronger and fairer New Jersey that works for every family. Under his leadership, New Jersey has made strides in creating and expanding economic opportunity while shrinking long-standing inequities, restoring fiscal responsibility, delivering real property tax relief, growing the state’s economy, and investing in its people.

When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, Governor Murphy committed to protecting lives while ensuring that New Jersey emerges stronger, fairer, and more resilient.

He has guided New Jersey from being the epicenter of the national pandemic to a model state for restart and recovery with a focus on careful statewide and regional planning to protect residents and save lives. He has built broad partnerships for aggressive COVID testing and vaccinations. And, his administration has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in direct relief to small businesses, schools, tenants and landlords, and middle-class families.

Under Governor Murphy, and before the COVID pandemic, New Jersey had reemerged as a national leader in securing the dignity of working families by moving to a $15-per-hour minimum wage, guaranteeing earned sick days, and expanding paid family leave. The governor has enacted initiatives to provide a tuition-free community college education for qualified students and in-state tuition assistance to Dreamers. He has expanded protections for the state’s immigrant and LGBTQ communities. He has also enacted numerous laws to strengthen and update New Jersey’s gun laws to combat the scourge of gun violence.

Governor Murphy has also made New Jersey a model state for social justice, signing legislation enacting among the country’s strongest automatic voter registration measures and restoring voting rights to residents on parole or probation, expunging the records of numerous nonviolent offenders, and creating the nation’s strongest provisions for environmental justice, alongside other new laws.

He has put a special emphasis on making New Jersey more welcoming to both established high-tech enterprises and start-up companies in the innovation economy. In January 2021 he enacted a new set of state economic incentives, focused on promoting the growth of new small businesses and innovative startups, enacting the state’s first tax credits for historic preservation, and expanding credits for brownfields reclamation and redevelopment, among other initiatives.

Under the governor’s leadership, New Jersey has also emerged as a leader in the deployment of offshore-wind energy technologies with one of the nation’s most-aggressive proposals for the development of offshore wind. Under his leadership, the state has also forged partnerships that will see the first wind-energy component manufacturing facility in the United States as well as a wind port purpose-build for moving those components to market.

The youngest of four children of the late Walter F. Murphy, Sr. and Dorothy Murphy, Governor Murphy was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 16, 1957, and was raised in both Newton and nearby Needham, Massachusetts.

The Governor is a graduate of Needham High School, Harvard University, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has been awarded numerous honorary degrees.

Governor Murphy and his wife, Tammy Snyder Murphy, are the parents of four children: Josh, Emma, Charlie, and Sam. The family resides in Middletown, Monmouth County.

Anusha Natarajan is a student at Arizona State University, studying sociology and history with a minor in Spanish and certificates in human rights and international studies. Driven by change and hard work, Anusha likes to be involved in her community domestically and internationally. She is currently serving as the civic-engagement coalition chair and an Andrew Goodman Ambassador at her university, advancing voter education. As the Director of Advocacy of her honors college council, Anusha worked extensively with the Deans to increase civic engagement and racial justice across the campus. She helped develop the first racial justice Task Force at the honors college, which brings together faculty, staff, and students to come up with solutions to improve diversity and inclusion on campus. Passionate for culture and education, Anusha helped create an educational non-profit called Culture Talk, which provides resources for teachers and schools to use to diversify their curriculum in social studies.

Nancy Pelosi is the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Now in her third term as Speaker, Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency, the first person to do so in more than 60 years. As Speaker, Pelosi is fighting For The People, working to lower health care costs, increase workers’ pay through strong economic growth and rebuilding America, and clean up corruption for make Washington work for all.

For 31 years, Speaker Pelosi has represented San Francisco, California’s 12th District, in Congress. She has led House Democrats for 16 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women’s rights movement.

Under the leadership of Pelosi, the 111th Congress was heralded as “one of the most productive Congresses in history” by Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein. President Barack Obama called Speaker Pelosi “an extraordinary leader for the American people,” and the Christian Science Moni- tor wrote: “...make no mistake: Nancy Pelosi is the most powerful woman in American politics and the most powerful House Speaker since Sam Rayburn a half century ago.”

Working in partnership with President Obama, Speaker Pelosi led House passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in early 2009 to create and save millions of American jobs, provide relief for American families, and provide a tax cut to 95 percent of working Americans. With the House Democratic Caucus, Pelosi continues to focus on the need to create jobs in America and prevent them from being shipped overseas.

Speaker Pelosi was the architect of the landmark Affordable Care Act which has guaranteed pro- tections for all Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, ended annual and lifetime limits on health coverage, and provided affordable health coverage for tens of millions more Americans while lowering health care costs over the long term.

In the 111th Congress, Speaker Pelosi also led the Congress in passing strong Wall Street reforms to rein in big banks and protect consumers as well as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which expands educational opportunities and reforms the financial aid system to save billions of taxpayers’ dollars. Additional key legislation passed into law included the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to restore the ability of women and all workers to access our judicial system to fight pay dis- crimination; legislation to provide health care for 11 million American children; national service legislation; and hate crimes legislation. In late 2010, Pelosi led the Congress in passing child nutri- tion and food safety legislation as well as repealing the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

As Speaker, Pelosi has made the climate crisis her flagship issue, enacting comprehensive energy legislation in 2007 that raised vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years and making an historic commitment to American home grown biofuels. In 2009, under her leadership, the House passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act – a comprehensive bill to create clean energy jobs, combat the climate crisis, and transition America to a clean energy econ- omy. The legislation was blocked by Republicans in the United States Senate, but sent a strong signal to the world about the United States’ commitment to fighting the climate crisis.

A leader on the environment at home and abroad, Pelosi secured passage of the “Pelosi amend- ment” in 1989, now a global tool to assess the potential environmental impacts of development. In San Francisco, Pelosi was the architect of legislation to create the Presidio Trust and transform the former military post into an urban national park.

In continuing to push for accountability and transparency in government, under Speaker Pelosi, the House passed the toughest ethics reform legislation in the history of the Congress, including the creation of an independent ethics panel, and increased accountability and transparency in House operations, including earmark reforms. As Speaker, Pelosi led the fight to pass the DISCLOSE Act in the House, which fights a corporate takeover of U.S. elections and ensures additional disclo- sure; she continues to fight for this legislation today.

Additional key accomplishments signed into law under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi include: an increase in the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years; the largest college aid expansion since the GI bill; a new GI education bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; and increased services for veterans, caregivers, and the Veterans Administration.

As House Democratic Leader, Pelosi wrested critical legislative victories out of the GOP majority.
In the 114th Congress, she spearheaded a historic bipartisan agreement to strengthen Medicare, ending the cycle of expensive “Doc Fix” patches and transitioning away from a volume-based sys- tem toward one that rewards value, ensures the accuracy of payments and improves the quality of care. Following the Iran Nuclear Agreement, Leader Pelosi orchestrated the effort that secured the votes to uphold a possible Presidential veto of Republicans’ effort to disapprove the Joint Compre- hensive Plan of Action.

Pelosi’s strength at the negotiating table has consistently delivered significant funding increases for key Democratic priorities. In the FY 2016 omnibus, Pelosi won the permanent authorization of the World Trade Center Health Program and a massive five-year extension of expiring wind and solar renewable energy tax credits. In the FY 2018 omnibus, Pelosi won significant increases in vital domestic investments, including a $3.2 billion increase in opioid epidemic funding, a $3 billion in- crease for NIH medical research, and the largest single year funding increase for Child Care Devel- opment Block Grants in the initiative’s history.

In the face of the all out-Republican onslaught against Americans’ health care, Leader Pelosi held House Democrats united through dozens of votes to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act – mobilizing a massive nationwide campaign to block House Republicans’ monstrous “Trumpcare” legislation. Under her leadership, House Democrats also unanimously opposed the GOP tax scam for the rich.

Pelosi comes from a strong family tradition of public service. Her late father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., served as Mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore. She graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi, a native of San Francisco, have five grown children and nine grandchildren.

Christina Pollonais, Esq. is the Senior Program Manager - Growth and Impact Strategist. In her role here she is responsible for measuring program effectiveness and leveraging data to tell the story of our impact and the effectiveness of our program strategy. Christina is also designing and implementing a special Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Cohort that provides a space for HBCUs to thought-partner, highlight their work, and share solutions for the barriers they face with voter registration, education, and voter turnout. Christina’s objective at AGF is to amplify the voices of people who are so often ignored. She believes a key way to ensure all voices are heard is by protecting voting rights and encouraging citizens to exercise these rights.

As a U.S. citizen growing up on the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Christina lived in a very culturally, racially, and politically diverse society. Her multinational and multicultural upbringing taught her that a functional democracy must be rooted in equal voice and inclusion for all. With this exposure, she was motivated to attend Spelman College and earn a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In her spare time, Christina enjoys cooking, traveling, and relaxing at the beach.

Over the past decade, Portugal The Man has established themselves as one of rock’s most prized possessions and a live phenomenon, with over 1,600 shows under their belts and a storied reputation as festival favorites.

Originally heralding from Alaska, the Portland-based band – comprised of John Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O’Quin, Eric Howk, Jason Sechrist and Zoe Manville – soared to new heights in 2017 with the release of their RIAA certified-gold album, Woodstock. The album was marked by the astounding success of their infectious single, “Feel It Still,” which earned the group a plethora of new accolades – including a GRAMMY award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” a 5x RIAA platinum certified single certification, a mind-blowing 20-week residency at #1 on alternative radio, and an inescapable presence on the Top 40 airwaves.

Alongside the shine of their myriad musical accomplishments lies the group’s long-standing passion for social justice. In fact, this is precisely the intersection on which Portugal The Man thrives; throughout their career, the band has consistently exemplified how to deeply commit to both artistry and activism. This dynamic inspired them to officially launch their PTM Foundation in 2020, focused on universal issues related to human rights, community health, and the environment, with an emphasis on causes directly impacting Indigenous Peoples. Their continued passion for activism has also led to recent partnerships with organizations such as Keep Oregon Well (Mental Health), March for Our Lives (Gun Reform) and Protect Our Winters (Climate Change), to name just a few.

Allison Rank is an associate professor of American Politics at SUNY Oswego. A recipient of the John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders (June 2019) as well the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Stand Out Faculty Award (November 2019), Allison is dedicated to emphasizing the curricular and pedagogical opportunities present in voter mobilization work. Her work on the pedagogical value of civic engagement programming can be found in the Journal of Political Science Education, Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, and Journal of General Education. In addition to her work on campus, Allison collaborated with Connor Breese (Oswego ’19) and Emily Giffin of Democracy Works in crafting a student friendly overview of relevant political science research to accompany the popular action planning game Votes & Ballots.

Amaya Rearden is a student at Alabama A&M University majoring in Communications Media with a Concentration in Film & Production and a minor in Political Science. She is a Presidential Scholar and a member of the University’s Honors Program, both which have helped her to develop a passion for civic engagement that she intends to carry into her career. She is thrilled to be a part of The Andrew Goodman Foundation team as an Ambassador and is proud to carry on the work and legacy Andrew left behind.

Congressman John Sarbanes has represented Maryland’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. Congress since 2007.

He currently serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. He serves as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee on Health. Congressman Sarbanes also serves on the House Oversight and Reform Committee and its Subcommittee on Government Operations. He chairs the Democracy Reform Task Force, which has assembled HR1, the For The People Act, to reform and strengthen our democracy.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Congressman Sarbanes has experience working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. He and his family live in Towson, giving him the opportunity to drive home every night and hear from the people he serves in Congress. Listening to their concerns allows him to better represent Maryland and has shaped his work in the House of Representatives.

Gabrielle Slaughter is the HBCU Lead Program Manager at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Gabrielle is a graduate of Spelman College with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Her passions include dancing, social justice, and public interest. She takes pride in being a servant leader and mentor for young black and brown girls in her community. Her long term goals include becoming an attorney and serving as representation for others who desire to implement change in our legal system.

Caroline Smith is the Director of Programs at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Caroline is a proud Jersey girl living in Brooklyn, NY. She received her BA in Sociology and a certificate in Community Action/Public Policy at Connecticut College in 2018. After graduation, she began her organizing career with the Student PIRGs at Rutgers University-Newark, where she trained and mobilized students to run campaigns around voter engagement, affordable textbooks, and environmental issues on campus. She then jumped into national electoral work on Senator Cory Booker's presidential campaign for the 2020 primary cycle. In her third year with AGF, Caroline is excited to continue working with young organizers across the country to institutionalize civic and voter engagement.

Elise Sturgeon is a student at Simpson College double majoring in Political Science and Applied Philosophy with a minor in Spanish and a certification in the Honors Program. She is involved in speech and debate, theatre, and is a Culver Public Policy Fellow. Elise is from Sioux City, Iowa and has always been interested in politics. She interned on her first campaign during the 2014 midterm elections and has had a passion for political organizing ever since. In the future, Elise wants to continue working in politics and empowering Iowa voters.

Nicole Taylor is the Senior Program Manager - Partnerships at the Andrew Goodman Foundation. She graduated from Hamilton College with her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Government. Nicole began organizing students around voter engagement and leadership development while with the Campus Vote Project as an intern and 2018 Student Advisory Board Secretary. She used the skills gained from these experiences to partner with Hamilton College faculty and administrators to found Hamilton’s voter engagement organization, HamVotes. She chaired the HamVotes Student Ambassador Team and led their voter registration, education, and turnout efforts throughout 2018. Nicole is passionate about civic and voter engagement, particularly among students, and is excited to empower Vote Everywhere Ambassadors to make the ballot more accessible on their campuses.

Tina Tchen serves as president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now and the TIME’S UP Foundation, overseeing the organizations’ strategic plans to change culture, companies, and laws in order to make work safe, fair, and dignified for women of all kinds. In 2017, Tina co-founded the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund with Robbie Kaplan, Fatima Goss Graves, and Hilary Rosen; since then, the Fund has connected thousands of people to legal or public relations support for sexual harassment across dozens of different industries.

A former assistant to President Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Tina has worked to advance gender equality, particularly for working women. At the White House, Tina spearheaded the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families and helped form the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

Prior to taking the helm at TIME’S UP, Tina was a lawyer specializing in workplace culture, advising companies on gender inequity, sexual harassment, and diversity. She has served on numerous strategic advisory boards for organizations, businesses, and nonprofits, including the United State of Women, which she continues to co-chair.

As an Asian American woman who juggled work as a single mother, Tina understands the importance of diversity in the workplace and leadership. Tina believes diversity manifests itself, especially right now, not only in the color of our skin — but in our situation at home and more.

Alyssa Tomins is a student at Bowling Green State University studying Economics with a minor in Business Pre-Law. She is a scholar in the President's Leadership Academy at BGSU and hopes to further develop as a leader on campus through service. She is also a member of NAMI and enjoys making a difference in her community. After graduating from BGSU, Alyssa hopes to attend law school. She is honored and excited to work for The Andrew Goodman Foundation as an Ambassador and hopes to leave a lasting impact on her campus.

Angeline is the Campus Champion at the University of San Francisco and oversees the University's undergraduate public service programs and supports community-engaged learning across the institution. She has a diverse background in the public sector, specializing in immigration, economic, and community development issues for government agencies and non-profit organizations. Most recently she worked with UNICEF to design mentorship and education programs in Vietnam and at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., managing social and economic policy analyses for communities of color. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Trinity University. Angie is a seasoned organizer and community development and policy strategist with over ten years of experience working on social justice, civic engagement, and equity issues. A native of Texas, she currently lives in San Francisco.

Jorge Ivan Gomez Wei is a Chinese-Hispanic Jew who engages with each of the cultures of his background and he likes to be called Ivan. Ivan holds associates degrees in business administration and horticulture from Bergen Community College; and his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey reflects his commitment to saving the environment for generations to come through the practice of sustainability. Ivan is a Rutgers trained New Jersey Environmental Steward, an Al Gore trained Climate Reality Leader; he is a founding member of Fair Lawn's community garden and the Sustainable Jersey Bergen Hub. He is also a fellow of the NJ Learns program of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Sustainable Jersey.

The essential importance of social justice and equity are hard-wired into Ivan’s personal concerns. His destiny was stamped by fate when before he was born, Ivan’s father died by violence on a visit to his native Colombia as a direct consequence of the social inequities in that country. Ivan's grandmother and mother are both lifetime workers in creating positive and enduring change for their families and communities. Embracing these values on his own is what led Ivan to undertake the eighteen-month journey to work through the logistics of rechartering the NAACP chapter at Bergen Community College after 15 years of dormancy and grow it to 90+ members before handing the chapter on to new leadership when he moved on to Ramapo College. Work on the chapter helped him get elected as President of the New Jersey State NAACP Youth and College Division from 2013-2015.

“I am pleased to be part of the Alumni Network and hope we can build an organization doing great work that other alums will want to get involved with.” - Ivan Wei

James White was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Growing up in South Florida, James developed a passion for sports early on and with hard work, perseverance, faith in God, and support of his family and friends, he has been able to live out his dream of playing in the NFL.

At St. Thomas Aquinas High School, James played and lettered in football and baseball. While earning State and National Championship titles for the Raiders’ football program, James picked up the nickname “Sweet Feet” for his speed and swift feet. After receiving numerous offers to attend some of the top programs in the country, and almost being drafted by the Atlanta Braves for his impressive performance playing centerfield for the Raiders, James committed to the University of Wisconsin.

James White attended the University of Wisconsin, rushing for over 4,000 yards during his tenure as a Badger. During the 2010 season, James was named Big Ten Freshman of the year when he rushed for 1,000+ yards splitting the backfield with upperclassmen. James was a key contributor to the success of the Wisconsin football program during his 4 years, helping the team reach the Rose Bowl 3 years in a row. James set a Wisconsin record for longest run from scrimmage (93 yards) during his senior year against Indiana.

James was drafted in the 4th round (130th overall ) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The 3x Super Bowl Champion (XLIX, LI & LIII) is no stranger to sharing a crowded backfield, joining the Patriots’ offense, James continued to work hard and when his number is called he is ready to perform. James had a stellar performance during Super Bowl LI catching a record 14 passes and scoring a record 20 points (3 touchdowns and a 2‐point conversion). He is the first player in NFL playoff history to have 10 catches, 100 receiving yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in a game earning him the Defacto Super Bowl LI MVP.

Christina B. Williams is a Philadelphia, PA native and a rising senior at Clark Atlanta University where she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as a Provost Academic Excellence and Dean's List scholar. She is a leader in the student civic engagement space and has extensive experience serving in various elected student government positions as well as founding and presiding over several campus clubs and initiatives. Christina has held fellowships and internships with several nationally recognized civic organizations including The Andrew Goodman Foundation, Campus Vote Project, Public Citizen, the ACLU of Georgia, and Rock the Vote. She has also been highlighted by a number of media outlets including The National Journal, The Washington Post, and NPR. Christina aspires to attend law school following her undergraduate studies in order to become an attorney and utilize the law as a tool to defend the civil rights & civil liberties of marginalized communities.