Schedule at a Glance - Young Elected Officials Network
Transcription
Schedule at a Glance - Young Elected Officials Network
EYEBROW SCHEDULE TITLE AT ASUBTITLE GLANCE Schedule at a Glance WASHINGTON COURT HOTEL 525 NEW JERSEY AVE. NW WASHINGTON, D.C. Wednesday, July 22 2:00 PM–8:00 PM: Women’s Pre-Conference Thursday, July 23 8:00 AM–4:30 PM: Registration Open Saturday, July 25 8:00 AM–8:30 AM: Breakfast 8:30 AM–9:30 AM: Empowering and Educating Communities: Serving Students from Cradle to Career 8:00 AM–12:00 PM: Women’s Pre-Conference 9:45 AM–10:45 AM: Empowering and Educating Communities Policy Council Breakout Series 12:15 PM–1:15 PM: New YEO Orientation and Networking Lunch 11:00 AM: Group Photo 1:30 PM–5:00 PM: Day of Service Activity 6:30 PM–9:00 PM: Opening Dinner and Anniversary Celebration Friday, July 24 8:00 AM–8:30 AM: Breakfast 11:30 AM–12:30 PM: Lunch Plenary: Building an Inclusive Society: Tackling Inequity and the Vacuum of Opportunity in Our Communities 12:45 PM–1:45 PM: Building an Inclusive Society Policy Council Breakout Series 2:00 PM–2:45 PM: Skills Workshop Series 8:30 AM–9:00 AM: Opening Plenary 3:00 PM–4:00 PM: Defending Workers and Families: Creating Economic Opportunity and Justice For All 9:30 AM–10:30 AM: Expanding Democracy: Protecting the Value of the Vote 4:30 PM–5:30 PM: Defending Workers and Families Policy Council Breakout Series 10:45 AM–11:45 AM: Expanding Democracy Breakout Series 5:30 PM–6:30 PM: Caucus Meetings/State & Caucus Photos 12:00 PM–12:45 PM: Skills Workshop Series Sunday, July 26 8:00 AM–8:30 AM: Breakfast 3:00 PM–5:00 PM: Obama Administration Panel 8:30 AM–9:30 AM: Opening Plenary 10:00 AM–11:00 AM: Ensuring a Sustainable Future: Building Green and Resilient Communities 11:15 AM–12:15 PM: Ensuring a Sustainable Future Policy Council Breakout Series 12:30 PM–1:45 PM: Closing General Lunch Plenary YEO National Convening | 2015 1:00 PM–2:30 PM: Lunch Plenary: Reforming Justice and Reinvesting in our Communities 2 Detailed Agenda THURSDAY | JULY 23, 2015 8:00 AM–4:30 PM REGISTRATION OPEN 8:00 AM–12:00 PM WOMEN’S PRE-CONFERENCE Montpelier Room 12:15 PM–1:15 PM NEW YEO ORIENTATION AND NETWORKING LUNCH Springwood Room 1:30 PM–5:00 PM DAY OF SERVICE ACTIVITY BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER WASHINGTON • RICHARD ENGLAND CLUBHOUSE 14 4103 BENNING RD NE, WASHINGTON, D.C. 6:30 PM–9:00 PM OPENING DINNER AND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Grand Ballroom Secretary Julián Castro Julián Castro was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 28, 2014. In this role, Castro oversees 8,000 employees and a budget of $46 billion, using a performance-driven approach to achieve the department’s mission of expanding opportunity for all Americans. As secretary, Castro’s focus is ensuring that HUD is a transparent, efficient, and effective champion for the people it serves. Utilizing an evidence-based management style, he has charged the department with one goal: giving every person, regardless of their station in life, new opportunities to thrive. Before HUD, Castro served as mayor of the city of San Antonio. Castro received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He and his wife Erica have two children. YEO National Convening | 2015 15 Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema ran for elected office because she believes that everyone should get the same shot and that the system should not favor those at the very top. During her years in the Arizona legislature, she worked to pass immigration laws, secure funding for our vets, provide business incentives for job creation, and fought back against attempts to gut basic health care for kids and cut services for the elderly and funding for schools. Sinema is committed to helping our country return to the values that make America great—the same values that have guided her life so far: hard work, access to public education, fairness, and opportunity. Sinema serves Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District and sits on the House Committee on Financial Services. Detailed Agenda THURSDAY | JULY 23, 2015 Congressman Joaquin Castro Congressman Joaquin Castro, a second generation Mexican American, is a proud product of the public school system. Castro has worked hard to seize the opportunities created by the sacrifices of prior generations. After finishing high school a year early, Castro left San Antonio to graduate with honors from Stanford University in 1996. He then went on to attend Harvard Law School, where he received his J.D. Upon his return to San Antonio at 28 years old, Castro joined a private law practice and was elected into the Texas legislature. He served five terms as state representative for District 125. In 2012 Castro was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as representative of Texas Congressional District 20. Now in his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Castro serves on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman Brendan Boyle Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2008, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle represents Pennsylvania’s 170th state legislative district. In 2014, he was elected to Congress by the citizens of the 13th Congressional District, representing northeast Philadelphia, part of north Philadelphia, and approximately half of Montgomery County, PA. Since first entering public service, Congressman Boyle has served as a champion for working and middle class families, in particular issues relating to social and economic justice. Congressman Boyle served as an adjunct professor at Drexel University’s Graduate School of Public Policy. In 2011, he was named an Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellow. He attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. YEO National Convening | 2015 16 Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 8:00 AM–8:30 AM BREAKFAST Grand Ballroom 8:30 AM–9:00 AM OPENING PLENARY YEO WELCOME Grand Ballroom Congressman Keith Ellison Keith Ellison has represented Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since taking office on January 4, 2007. His roots as a community activist and his message of inclusivity show in his Congressional priorities, including promoting peace and prosperity for working families, environmental sustainability, and civil and human rights. Congressman Ellison was elected as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 112th Congress, and Chief Deputy Whip for the 114th Congress. Congressman Ellison currently serves on the Financial Services Committee and his party’s Steering and Policy Committee. 9:30 AM–10:30 AM EXPANDING DEMOCRACY PROTECTING THE VALUE OF THE VOTE Grand Ballroom This panel will open our policy series with a focus on democratic reforms that undergird our entire political system. The discussion will examine the national landscape, but focus on challenges and opportunities in cities and states to expand access to participation, empower voters, regulate campaign finance, and create impactful change. Nicole Austin-Hillery Brennan Center for Justice YEO National Convening | 2015 17 Nicole Austin-Hillery is the first director and counsel of The Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C. office. She is the organization’s chief liaison to Congress and the Administration and focuses primarily on justice and democracy issues. Austin-Hillery provides both strategic and advocacy counsel ranging from legislative analysis to policy development. She serves as both a media spokesperson and frequent presenter on Brennan Center issues and has written opinion pieces for several publications including Roll Call, The Hill, The Root, CNN.com, and BillMoyers.com and has offered commentary to the New York Times. She has significant litigation experience, having practiced with the law firm of Mehri & Skalet, PLLC as part of the firm’s civil rights employment class action practice, and as the George N. Lindsay Civil Rights Law Fellow at the national office of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Austin-Hillery is a graduate of the Howard University School of Law and Carnegie Mellon University. Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 Marge Baker People For the American Way Foundation As the executive vice president of policy and programs at People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation, Marge Baker oversees the organization’s work on a range of issues, including its campaigns on the courts, nominations, LGBT equality, voting rights, and elections. A long-time activist, she has worked in public service roles throughout her professional career. Prior to her current position she served as staff director for the late Senator Paul Wellstone on the Senate’s Employment, Safety and Training Subcommittee, as chief counsel to Senator Howard Metzenbaum on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and as director of the Consumer Services Division of the New York Department of Public Service. Baker is a graduate of Yale Law School and clerked for the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. John Bonifaz Free Speech for People John Bonifaz is the co-founder and president of Free Speech For People. He previously served as the executive director and general counsel of the National Voting Rights Institute, an organization he founded in 1994, and as the legal director of Voter Action. Bonifaz has served as a voting rights and democracy leader for more than two decades, including pioneering a series of court challenges to the campaign finance system on voting rights grounds, leading the fight in the federal courts in Ohio for a recount of the 2004 presidential vote, and helping to catalyze and lead a national campaign for a 28th Amendment to the U.S .Constitution to reclaim our democracy. He is a 1992 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a 1999 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Bonifaz has written and spoken extensively across the country on pressing democracy issues facing the nation today. Stephen Spaulding Common Cause YEO National Convening | 2015 Stephen Spaulding is policy counsel at Common Cause. He has authored several reports for Common Cause including “Bullies at the Ballot Box” and “The New Nullification at Work,” and his writing has appeared in Salon, Politico, The Hill, and The Huffington Post. Spaulding has appeared on national television and radio programs, including CBS’ “60 Minutes,” NPR’s “All Things Considered,” C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry,” “Up with Steve Kornacki,” and “Politics Nation,” and CNN’s “The Lead” and he has been quoted in numerous publications. Previously, Spaulding was a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter LLP and a law clerk to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Before law school, he was a trial preparation assistant in the Rackets Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Spaulding earned his B.A. from Haverford College and his J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law and Social Justice. 18 Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 10:45 AM–11:45 AM EXPANDING DEMOCRACY BREAKOUT SERIES YEOs should divide by level of office to discuss the priority issues from this session and to create the annual YEO agenda for this Policy Council. • • • • A–State Level • Hermitage Room B–Local Level • Springwood Room C–Local Level • Sagamore Hill Room D–School Board • Ashlawn Room 12:00 PM–12:45 PM SKILLS WORKSHOP SERIES MESSAGING STRATEGIES Springwood Room In this session Lake Research Partners will discuss how to communicate issue positions and policy solutions in ways that will connect and resonate with constituents, based on their cutting-edge polling research. Kristy Pultorak Lake Research Partners Kristy Pultorak joined Lake Research Partners (LRP) in 2013 as a senior analyst. She has extensive experience working with quantitative and qualitative research for both international and domestic political campaigns, issue advocacy organizations, and nonprofits. Pultorak worked on some of the most competitive targeted races on the federal and state level over the last several cycles, including in major swing states like Ohio and Virginia. Prior to joining LRP, she was deputy political director at the Victory Fund and an analyst with Benenson Strategy Group. Pultorak holds a master’s degree in public policy from American University and a B.A. in political science from Siena College. YEO National Convening | 2015 19 Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 NEW MEDIA & BRAND MANAGEMENT Sagamore Hill Room The session will focus on how elected officials can use new media platforms to increase civic engagement and define their public profile. Matt Higginson Medium Matt Higginson serves in writer development for politics, government, and advocacy for Medium, a blog-publishing platform founded by Twitter cofounders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. Higginson’s background is in philanthropy and nonprofit management. Prior to joining Medium, he served as the director of college organizing and youth mobilizing for ONE. org, an international campaigning and advocacy organization working to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases around the world. Gabe Kleinman Medium Gabe Kleinman, previously head of people ops and product marketing, does a bit of everything at Medium. Prior to Medium, Kleinman was at IDEO, a design and innovation consultancy, where he co-led the Design for Learning practice, helping organizations tackle large-scale challenges in education. Kleinman began his career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) working across marketing, the CAA Foundation, and strategic initiatives including the renowned Agent Training Program. From 2008–2011 he served on the inaugural board of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Kleinman received a B.A. in philosophy and anthropology from Cornell University. He lives in Oakland with his wife, Molly, and one-year old daughter, Ripley. Stuart Shapiro iConstituent YEO National Convening | 2015 Stuart S. Shapiro is a visionary who has spent his career producing, directing, writing, and creating innovative entertainment and e-communications content and technologies. A pioneer in the field, Shapiro is responsible for many cutting-edge breakthroughs. He was among the first to use email as a form of mass marketing and communication for government. As an entrepreneur, he founded several successful internet communication ventures, including Woodstock.com, Firstlook.com, ArtistEnt, and Patronet with Todd Rundgren, one of the first internet artist music subscription services, and AskDrMao.com, The Natural Health Search Engine. Shapiro is also credited with producing the 72-hour live webcast of Woodstock99, the largest internet live music event in history at that time. Bringing his vast body of knowledge, experience, and entrepreneurial spirit, he cofounded iConstituent in 2001 with the goal of creating a more interactive democracy through the application of creative technology. Today, iConstituent is one of the leading providers of online communications to members of Congress. Mr. Shapiro speaks frequently on the topic of legislative e-communications at the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a graduate of Union College, Institute American in France, and Worcester Academy. 20 Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 MANAGING BUDGETS AND ASSETS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS Hermitage Room The session will focus on best practices for progressive budget management and administration of assets. Simon Greer Cambridge Heath Ventures Simon Greer has been involved in social change work for the past 25 years. Considered to be a serial entrepreneur in the nonprofit world, he has three times served in a CEO role in “turnaround” undertakings where the organizations’ missions were as noble as ever but their impact and approach needed an overhaul. Today, as the founder of Cambridge Heath Ventures, he works with private sector companies, purposedriven organizations, and governments to help them overcome their most pressing challenges. Greer has worked at the local, national, and international levels to address issues ranging from poverty to lack of energy access and other forms of injustice through philanthropy, advocacy, and direct service. Throughout these efforts he has been known for a commitment to innovation, risk, and unconventional thinking. Greer has led organizations through periods of dramatic institutional growth, including mergers, joint ventures, high profile campaigns, programmatic innovation, and increased philanthropic impact. These successes include launching the Jewish Social Justice Matching Fund and helping to launch the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable. Greer also moved millions of dollars in low-interest loans to help businesses and homeowners revive the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. 1:00 PM–2:30 PM LUNCH PLENARY REFORMING JUSTICE AND REINVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES Grand Ballroom YEO National Convening | 2015 21 This panel will create a dialogue around the racism, violence, militarization, and misconduct that plague our criminal justice system. It will also look at interconnected issues of growing inequality and poverty, the school-to-prison pipeline, and mass incarceration, as well as the systemic reforms, reinvestment, and restorative models that can counter these failures of justice. Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 Van Jones Dream Corps and CNN Van Jones is the president and co-founder of Dream Corps. Current initiatives, #cut50 and #YesWeCode, create innovative solutions to “close the prison doors and open the doors of opportunity.” A Yale-educated attorney, Van has written two New York Times Bestsellers: The Green Collar Economy, the definitive book on green jobs; and Rebuild the Dream, a roadmap for progressives. Van is a correspondent for CNN and regular guest on political talk shows. In 2009, Van worked as the green jobs advisor to the Obama White House. There, he helped run the inter-agency process that oversaw $80 billion in green energy recovery spending. Maria Chappelle-Nadal Missouri State Senate Maria Chappelle-Nadal is a member of the Missouri State Senate, representing District 14. She was first elected to the chamber in 2010. Beginning in the 2015 session, Chappelle-Nadal serves as minority whip. On April 6, 2010, Chappelle-Nadal was elected to the University City School Board. Chappelle-Nadal earned her B.A. in political science/sociology from Georgia State University. Her professional experience includes working as director of communications for Lieutenant Governor Joe Maxwell. In August 2014, Chappelle-Nadal took to the streets to challenge the police response in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown. ChappelleNadal joined protests in Ferguson and has regularly tweeted about the events. Marc Mauer The Sentencing Project YEO National Convening | 2015 Marc Mauer is one of the country’s leading experts on sentencing policy, race, and the criminal justice system. He has directed programs on criminal justice policy reform for more than 30 years and serves as executive director of The Sentencing Project, a national nonprofit organization engaged in research and advocacy on criminal justice policy. Mauer has written extensively and testified before Congress and other legislative bodies. His critically acclaimed book, Race to Incarcerate, was named a semifinalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and he is the co-editor of Invisible Punishment, a collection of essays that examine the social costs of incarceration. Mauer frequently lectures before a broad range of national and international audiences, appears regularly on television and radio networks, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University and Payne Theological Seminary. Mauer is the recipient of the Donald Cressey Award for contributions to criminal justice research, the Alfred Lindesmith Award for drug policy scholarship, and the Maud Booth Award for correctional services. 22 Detailed Agenda FRIDAY | JULY 24, 2015 Patrick J. Nolan American Conservative Union Right on Crime Patrick J. Nolan serves as director of the Criminal Justice Reform Project at the American Conservative Union Foundation, and works closely with Right on Crime and the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He is a former California state assemblyman and the author of “When Prisoners Return.” Nolan understands the inside of a prison well, having served 29 months in federal custody after pleading guilty to a charge of racketeering. He earned a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Southern California. Heather Rice-Minus Justice Fellowship Heather Rice-Minus serves as director of government affairs for Justice Fellowship (JF), the advocacy arm of Prison Fellowship. She brings a wealth of experience in policy development and advocacy as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. As staff lead on JF’s federal and state legislative strategy, RiceMinus works with the faith community, think tanks, and other stakeholders to advance criminal justice reforms, including policies addressing sentencing for drug offenses, prison conditions, victims’ rights and services, and reentry programming, among others. Prior to joining JF, RiceMinus worked as director of U.S. prisons policy for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and also spent a year in East Africa teaching English and volunteering in orphanages. Rice-Minus was commissioned as a Centurion by the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview in May 2014. She holds a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law and is a member of the Virginia Bar. She and her husband Paul reside in Southeast D.C. 3:00 PM–5:00 PM OBAMA ADMINISTRATION PANEL Grand Ballroom YEO National Convening | 2015 23 ROMAN BOED Photo credit Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 8:00 AM–8:30 AM BREAKFAST Grand Ballroom 8:30 AM–9:30 AM EMPOWERING AND EDUCATING COMMUNITIES SERVING STUDENTS FROM CRADLE TO CAREER Grand Ballroom This panel will focus on approaches to education that support children and families from early childhood through professional life. The discussion will cover parent and community engagement, as well as issues of equity in opportunity and achievement. It will look at alternatives to high-stakes testing, wraparound services, and discipline reforms for improved student outcomes. Melvin Carter Minnesota Department of Education Office of Early Education Melvin W. Carter III was appointed director of the Office of Early Learning at the Minnesota Department of Education in July 2013. Prior to joining the department, Carter served on the Saint Paul City Council from 2008 to 2013. In that capacity, he sponsored legislation to address some of the city’s most pressing issues, including forming the city’s Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity, “banning the box” to eliminate employment discrimination against people with criminal backgrounds, requiring landlords to notify tenants of a pending foreclosure on their property, and prohibiting the sale of candy cigarettes and toy lighters to reduce “practice smoking” among children. In 2009, he created a partnership between city, county, school, and grassroots leaders to support high quality education outcomes which later became the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood. He has trained with and for several national organizations, including Wellstone Action, People For the American Way Foundation, Black Organizing for Leadership & Dignity, and Progressive Majority. For his committed service to community, Carter received the 2011 Barbara Jordan Leadership Award from the Young Elected Officials Network and was recognized in Ebony Magazine’s “30 Under 30” issue in 2008. Center for Popular Democracy Evie Frankl is the Senior Organizer of Education Justice Campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD). She works with CPD’s partner organizations to create and promote a progressive education agenda. Frankl brings decades of education experience to CPD. She has led an educational equity coalition to end tracking in Montgomery County, MD and served as deputy director at The Next Step Public Charter School in Washington, DC. Frankl worked as a high school teacher at Bell Multicultural High School and she served as a bus driver during desegregation busing in Boston. YEO National Convening | 2015 Evie Frankl 24 Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 Michael Frerichs Illinois State Treasurer Born and raised in the small farming community of Gifford, Illinois, Mike Frerichs is the Illinois State Treasurer. He graduated from Rantoul Township High School and four years later from Yale University (1995). After graduating, Frerichs returned home with a desire to serve his community. He was elected to the Champaign County Board and was Champaign County auditor, where he became a certified public finance officer and was awarded the Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting for his work in bringing transparency and strict oversight to the county’s budget. In 2007, Frerichs was sworn in as senator for the 52nd district of Illinois. As Chairman of the Higher Education Committee, he funded improvements at the University of Illinois while fighting to reduce Illinois’ disparities in education funding. He also co-chaired a special committee designed to preserve and extend Enterprise Zones which kept Illinois’ business climate competitive with neighboring states while hundreds of thousands of jobs have been preserved and created in Illinois. Frerichs currently resides in Champaign and has a daughter named Ella. John King Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education John B. King, Jr. is the senior advisor delegated duties of deputy secretary of education at the U.S. Department of Education, a position he assumed in January 2015. In this role, he oversees a broad range of management, policy, and program functions. Prior to his arrival at the Department, King served as the commissioner of education for the state of New York, having been appointed to that position by the New York State Board of Regents in May 2011. In this role, he served as chief executive officer of the State Education Department and as president of the University of the State of New York (USNY). King was one of the nation’s youngest state education leaders at the time of his appointment and the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State education commissioner. 9:45 AM–10:45 AM EMPOWERING AND EDUCATING COMMUNITIES POLICY COUNCIL BREAKOUT SERIES YEO National Convening | 2015 25 YEOs should divide by level of office to discuss the priority issues from this session and to create the annual YEO agenda for this Policy Council. • • • • A–State Level • Hermitage Room B–Local Level • Springwood Room C–Local Level • Sagamore Hill Room D–School Board • Ashlawn Room Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 11:00 AM GROUP PHOTO 11:30 AM–12:30 PM BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY TACKLING INEQUITY AND THE VACUUM OF OPPORTUNITY IN OUR COMMUNITIES Grand Ballroom The national landscape from the past year has been marred by the realities of inequality and inequity–the brutal boiling points of Ferguson and Baltimore; the persistent poverty of our urban and rural centers in California, Wisconsin, New York, and the South; and the fatal hate crimes against the Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in the Midwest. While pundits play the race card, our communities are hurting. This panel will address the systemic inequities faced by all of our marginalized communities, and will strive to offer a dialogue amongst YEOs and allies who have worked to illuminate and heal the traumas. Sasha Ahuja New York City Council Policy & Innovation Division YEO National Convening | 2015 Sasha Neha Ahuja is a community organizer and advocate from New York City. Ahuja has devoted her work to political education projects with South Asian and Indo-Caribbean youth, organizing for justice in the labor movement, policy formation that is generated by directly-impacted communities, and social work practice from an accountable, anti-racist framework. Ahuja currently serves as deputy director of the Policy & Innovation Division within the Speaker’s Office at the New York City Council. In this role, she works with many stakeholders to tackle complex projects in the areas of lifting up low-wage work, sustainability and climate change, infrastructure, housing, education, civil/human rights, and more. Ahuja also supports the development and implementation of innovation projects including the largest in the nation participatory budgeting process and an initiative dedicated to girls and women of color. She is an alumna of the Young People For (2009) and Front Line Leaders Academy (2012) programs. Ahuja holds a B.A. from Hunter College of the City University of New York, where she is also an adjunct instructor, and a M.S. in social work from Columbia University. 26 Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 Antonio French St. Louis Alderman Antonio French is a dedicated husband and father to his wife and threeyear-old son. Born and raised in the city of St. Louis, French is in his second term on the city’s Board of Aldermen, representing the community he grew up in. He recently graduated from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis with his Executive Master of Business Administration. Prior to being elected in 2009, French served as the committeeman for his ward. He has managed numerous winning political campaigns as the president of his own consulting firm. During his time on the Board, French has earned a reputation for passionately serving his ward and creating new initiatives to improve the quality of life in north St. Louis. In 2012, Alderman French founded the North Campus, an ambitious education initiative modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City. His vision is to coordinate a vast array of partnerships to provide the approximately 1,800 children of North Campus with a world-class education and an enriching childhood experience in a safe, supportive environment. Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez United We Dream Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez was born to a single mother in Brazil, who sent him at age 14 to Miami, Florida where he first dreamed of becoming a teacher. He started organizing on immigrant rights issues in 2007 while student government president at Miami Dade College. He walked on the Trail of Dreams in 2010 to draw attention to the need for the DREAM Act and to push for an end to deportations. Sousa-Rodriguez has become a leading voice on the intersection of LGBTQ issues and immigrant rights. At GetEQUAL, he served as national field director and co-director. Now he is the deputy managing director at United We Dream. He holds an A.A. in international relations from Miami Dade College and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in business studies and a minor in economics from St. Thomas University. Sousa-Rodriguez was awarded the “Freedom From Fear” award from Public Interest Projects in 2011 for his work on the Trail of Dreams, he was named one of the “Top 15 Civil Rights Leaders of the 21st Century” by News One and “20 Queer People of Color You Should Know” by Out Smart Magazine. Rashida Tlaib Former Michigan state Representative and Take On Hate Campaign YEO National Convening | 2015 27 Rashida Tlaib was the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan legislature. Politically, her legacy is largely her accomplishments fighting budget battles and shaping legislation on numerous social justice issues. For Tlaib’s constituents, her legacy centers on her creation of a neighborhood service center that provided direct advocacy on issues and anti-poverty services to thousands of people. Currently, she is the community partnerships and development director at the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice and manager of the Campaign to Take on Hate, a racial justice movement to prevent the increase of hate crimes. The first to attend college in her family, Tlaib received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Wayne State University and her law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School. She lives in southwest Detroit with her family. Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 12:45 PM–1:45 PM BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY POLICY COUNCIL BREAKOUT SERIES YEOs should divide by level of office to discuss the priority issues from this session and to create the annual YEO agenda for this Policy Council. • • • • A–State Level • Hermitage Room B–Local Level • Springwood Room C–Local Level • Sagamore Hill Room D–School Board • Ashlawn Room 2:00 PM–2:45 PM SKILLS WORKSHOP SERIES CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT: REPRESENTING THE LATINO/HISPANIC COMMUNITY Sagamore Hill Room In this session YEOs will learn best practices for representing increasingly diverse communities, with a specific emphasis on the Latino/Hispanic community–one of the fastest growing demographics in America. YEOs will discuss ways to engage the Latino/Hispanic community in their capacities as legislators and public servants to ensure their interests are reflected in public policy. Laura Maristany National Organization for Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund MOVEMENT BUILDING: SUCCESSION PLANNING Ashlawn Room There comes a time when all elected officials move on to another office or leave public service altogether. In this session presenters will discuss what progressives can do to plan for their legacy and fill the leadership vacuum that is created when they leave their current elected positions. YEO National Convening | 2015 Laura Maristany is the director of policy and legislative affairs for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, where she serves as the organization’s chief federal advocate and director of the Washington, D.C. office. NALEO Educational Fund facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. Prior to joining NALEO Educational Fund, Maristany served as the executive director of legislative affairs for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). Maristany currently serves as a commissioner in Arlington County’s Commission on the Status of Women. She has also served as president of the Hispanic Leaders Association, an organization with over 150 members across the United States committed to strengthening the bonds between the Hispanic community in the U.S., Spain, and Latin America. Maristany holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus and a master’s degree in international commerce and policy from George Mason University. 28 Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 Melvin Carter Minnesota Department of Education Melvin W. Carter III was appointed director of the Office of Early Learning at the Minnesota Department of Education in July 2013. Prior to joining the department, Carter served on the Saint Paul City Council from 2008 to 2013. In that capacity, he sponsored legislation to address some of the city’s most pressing issues, including: forming the city’s Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity; “banning the box” to eliminate employment discrimination against people with criminal backgrounds; requiring landlords to notify tenants of a pending foreclosure on their property; and prohibiting the sale of candy cigarettes and toy lighters to reduce “practice smoking” among children. In 2009, he created a partnership between city, county, school, and grassroots leaders to support high quality education outcomes which later became the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood. He has trained with and for several national organizations, including Wellstone Action, People For the American Way Foundation, Black Organizing for Leadership & Dignity, and Progressive Majority. For his committed service to community, Carter received the 2011 Barbara Jordan Leadership Award from the National Young Elected Officials Network and was recognized in Ebony Magazine’s “30 Under 30” issue in 2008. Sal Pace Pueblo County Commission Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace has held numerous public positions in Colorado. He has been a state representative, the Minority Leader of the Colorado State House, a candidate for U.S. Congress, an aide and campaign manager to former Congressman John Salazar, and a former staffer for his national political party and its Senate campaign committee. In 2012, Pace lost a hotly contested race for U.S. Congress, despite raising a whopping $2 million. After the election, Pace was appointed to the board of Pueblo County Commissioners in January of 2013. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Fort Lewis College and his master’s degree in American political theory from the Louisiana State University. Lateefah Simon Rosenberg Foundation YEO National Convening | 2015 29 Lateefah Simon is program director for the Rosenberg Foundation, which seeks to change the odds for Californians through statewide grantmaking to support policy change. A longtime advocate for low-income young women and girls and for juvenile and criminal justice reform, at the age of 19, Simon was appointed executive director of the Center for Young Women’s Development (CYWD) in San Francisco. CYWD is the nation’s first economic and gender justice organization solely run for and by lowincome and formerly incarcerated young women. After an 11-year tenure as executive director, Simon then led the creation of San Francisco’s first Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 reentry services division under the leadership of then District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. In 2009, Simon was appointed executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. An avid speaker, Simon lectures across the country. She has served on numerous boards of directors and has received awards for her efforts including the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, inclusion in O Magazine’s first ever “Power List,” and the New Frontier Award from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. DEFENDING AGAINST PREEMPTION Springwood Room State legislatures around the country are passing legislation that is encroaching on county and municipal governments’ ability create policy on a range of issues, from nondiscrimination ordinances to paid sick leave and the minimum wage. Learn strategies to effectively combat preemptive legislation. Jon Hoadley Michigan State Representative State Representative Jon Hoadley was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives in 2014. Hoadley is also the president and owner of Badlands Strategies LLC, a progressive strategy firm focusing on coalition management, complex project management, and campaigns. Current and past clients include the successful Bridget Mary McCormack for the Michigan Supreme Court campaign; We Are Michigan; the Michigan Election Coalition; the Unity Michigan Coalition, which focuses on nondiscrimination protections; the Federal Agency Project; and others. Hoadley was also the campaign manager of One Kalamazoo, the successful local campaign to defend the sexual orientation and gender identity inclusive Kalamazoo Non-Discrimination Ordinance put before voters in November of 2009. Hoadley regularly consults on nondiscrimination campaigns across the country. Hoadley has served as executive director of National Stonewall Democrats, worked for the Gill Action Fund, and managed South Dakotans Against Discrimination, the campaign that opposed the anti-marriage amendment in South Dakota, winning over 48 percent of the vote in 2006. A graduate of Michigan State University, Hoadley is currently based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. AFL-CIO Abe Silk is a legislative analyst in the AFL-CIO’s government affairs department, where he specializes in state and local labor policy. He joined the AFL-CIO in 2010. In addition to his legislative duties, Silk has managed national, state, and local independent expenditure campaigns around the country, most recently in Louisville, Boston, and Las Vegas. Prior to working for the AFL-CIO, he was a marketing consultant. Silk graduated with a B.A. in history from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He is a native of West Hartford, Connecticut. YEO National Convening | 2015 Abe Silk 30 Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT Hermitage Room Municipal governments are developing ways to invest in building America’s infrastructure for the future. In this framework the country’s investment in broadband deployment in cities has been powered by private investment and public-private partnerships. This session will focus on how public-private partnerships can help expand access to broadband technology and tech employment. Bret Perkins Comcast Bret Perkins serves as vice president of external and government affairs for Comcast Corporation. In this role he is responsible for the headquarters’ government affairs team in Philadelphia, as well as the company’s outreach efforts to third-party groups. Perkins joined Comcast in 2001 and has managed local government affairs while the company grew from operating in 2,500 communities to 6,000 communities. His responsibilities have included implementing the company’s regulatory and legislative initiatives at the local level, managing relationships with state and local intergovernmental associations, developing political strategy, and grassroots communications. 3:00 PM–4:00 PM DEFENDING WORKERS AND FAMILIES CREATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL Grand Ballroom This panel will address threats to working families, including growing income gaps and deteriorating benefits and rights. The discussion will center on reforms to create shared prosperity in a 21st century workforce, looking at basic wages, protections, and innovative benefits. YEO National Convening | 2015 31 Peter Colavito Service Employees International Union Peter Colavito has served as the government relations director for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) since January 2011. From 2004 through 2010, he was at 32BJ SEIU, first as political director and later as chief of staff. 32BJ represents 120,000 property service workers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. He previously served as chief of staff to Brooklyn City Councilmember Bill de Blasio. In 2003, he was campaign manager for Vote No on 3, the effort that defeated a ballot initiative to end party primaries in New York City. Colavito was political director for New Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 York ACORN from 1999 to 2001, where he oversaw successful electoral and legislative campaigns. His other previous work experience included directing a community organizing training institute, serving on Congressmember Nita Lowey’s staff, and organizing environmental issue campaigns. He was raised in the Bronx, attended Yale University, and now lives in Maryland. Nadia Garnett Center for Community Change Nadia Garnett is an astute, high-energy professional adept at cultivating relationships with key influencers, third parties, elected officials, and stakeholders to effectively execute public policy priorities at the local, state, and federal levels. With a record of proven results, she offers over 10 years of experience developing and implementing corporate, issue-based, nonprofit, and political campaigns. She currently serves as the national political director at the Center for Community Change, whose mission is to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to change their communities and public policies for the better. Andrea Cristina Mercado National Domestic Workers Alliance Andrea Cristina Mercado is the daughter of South American immigrants, the mother of two young girls, and the campaign director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She was an organizer at Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), a grassroots Latina immigrant women’s organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, for eight years. At MUA she led the California Domestic Worker Coalition, which successfully passed a statewide Domestic Worker Bill of Rights into law and co-founded the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She has appeared in the New York Times, Breitbart, the Washington Post and on CNN en Espanol, Univision, All In with Chris Hayes, and several international television news programs. She has served on the boards of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, DataCenter: Research for Justice, and Hand in Hand: the Domestic Employers Association. She holds a B.A. from Brown University. She speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese and is based in South Florida. Make It Work Campaign Tracey Sturdivant is co-founder and co-executive director of Make It Work. For the last 20 years, she has worked to strengthen democracy for all. A self-professed “one-woman coalition,” Sturdivant has been a leader and strategist inside progressive organizations and philanthropic institutions dedicated to increasing the civic participation of women, people of color, and youth. She was most recently executive director of State Voices. Sturdivant serves on several boards, including the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Greenpeace USA, and Higher Heights for America, where she is board chair. She loves to travel, pretend she is a contestant on Top Chef, and spend time with her family—especially her two-year-old nephew in Detroit, her hometown. YEO National Convening | 2015 Tracy Sturdivant 32 Detailed Agenda SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2015 4:30 PM–5:30 PM DEFENDING WORKERS AND FAMILIES POLICY COUNCIL BREAKOUT SERIES YEOs should divide by level of office to discuss the priority issues from this session and to create the annual YEO agenda for this Policy Council. • • • • A–State Level • Hermitage Room B–Local Level • Springwood Room C–Local Level • Sagamore Hill Room D–School Board • Ashlawn Room 5:30 PM–6:30 PM CAUCUS MEETINGS/STATE & CAUCUS PHOTOS YEO National Convening | 2015 33 Detailed Agenda SUNDAY | JULY 26, 2015 8:00 AM–8:30 AM BREAKFAST 8:30 AM–9:30 AM OPENING PLENARY Grand Ballroom 10:00 AM–11:00 AM ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE BUILDING GREEN AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES Grand Ballroom This panel will address sustainable and livable development by exploring ways infrastructure and the built environment shape our communities, impact our natural environment, and affect public health in disparate ways. It will look at defensive strategies to protect our natural resources, as well as innovative solutions for smart growth and clean energy. Christopher Coes LOCUS Smart Growth America Christopher A. Coes is the director of LOCUS, a network of real estate developers and investors who advocate for sustainable, walkable development. Prior to joining LOCUS, Coes served as a consultant for government affairs and campaigns at M+R Strategic Services. As a consultant, he worked with various clients including Transportation for America–a broad, diverse, and unprecedented coalition advocating for a national vision for a 21st century transportation system. For nearly three years, Coes served as Transportation for America’s senior campaign advisor and deputy director, where he was responsible for day to day operations and advising the campaign on its legislative and political strategies. In addition to his work on transportation issues, he brings over five years of experience in government relations, political advocacy, and electoral campaigns. Coes received a B.A./M.A. in government and politics from St. John’s University, specializing in public administration and international relations. He can be reached at ccoes@smartgrowthamerica.org. Next City Ariella Cohen is an award-winning journalist with 11 years of experience reporting on urban change, politics, and policy. Prior to joining Next City, she co-founded New Orleans’ first online investigative news outlet, The Lens, and worked as a staff reporter for the Brooklyn Paper in New York. She has reported on community resiliency in Haiti, toxic FEMA trailers on the Gulf Coast, and affordable housing in Brooklyn. She prefers the bus. Follow her @ariellacohen on Twitter. YEO National Convening | 2015 Ariella Cohen 34 Detailed Agenda SUNDAY | JULY 26, 2015 Dominic Frongillo Former Deputy Town Supervisor of Caroline, NY Dominic Frongillo made history at age 22 by becoming the youngest person ever to serve on the town council in Caroline, New York. Internationally recognized for his work in clean energy and sustainability, Frongillo is a five-time delegate to the United Nations. In Copenhagen, he coordinated and delivered a statement from over 100 young elected officials calling on President Obama and Congress to renew America’s leadership in clean energy. In 2012, Frongillo founded Elected Officials to Protect New York, a bipartisan initiative of over 825 elected officials from all 62 counties calling on Governor Cuomo to continue the moratorium on fracking until the drilling method is proven safe for all New Yorkers. A graduate with honors from Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology in 2005, Frongillo earned an independent degree in sustainable community development. Frongillo currently resides in Freiburg, Germany, where he leads international business development for Thomas Daily, a leading market intelligence provider for the commercial property industry with a focus on sustainable development. Vien Truong Greenlining Institute Vien Truong leads the Greenlining Institute’s Environmental Equity team. She has created state programs and policies around the country to direct billions of dollars in funding and resources to the communities most vulnerable to climate change. Truong helped pass a state initiative directing a quarter of California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to disadvantaged communities. She co-led the Charge Ahead Initiative–California’s million electric cars campaign which created clean transportation choices for low-income and working families. In 2013, Truong was featured in the SF Chronicle as one of San Francisco’s “Top Women Leaders.” In 2014, she received Urban Habitat’s “Movement Builder” award and Oxfam America’s “Act Local, Think Global” award. She is also a recipient of the Transform 2015 Leadership, Innovation, Vision and Equity (LIVE) Award. Prior to joining Greenlining, she led Green For All’s state policy and workforce development efforts. Truong holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. She has served on the City of Oakland’s Planning Commission, helping guide the growth and development of her hometown. YEO National Convening | 2015 35 11:15 AM–12:15 PM ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE POLICY COUNCIL BREAKOUT SERIES YEOs should divide by level of office to discuss the priority issues from this session and to create the annual YEO agenda for this Policy Council. • • • • A–State Level • Hermitage Room B–Local Level • Springwood Room C–Local Level • Sagamore Hill Room D–School Board • Ashlawn Room Detailed Agenda SUNDAY | JULY 26, 2015 12:30 PM–1:45 PM CLOSING GENERAL LUNCH PLENARY THE FUTURE OF SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP Grand Ballroom Marilyn Mosby State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn J. Mosby was sworn in as the 25th State’s Attorney for Baltimore City on January 5, 2015, making her the youngest chief prosecutor of any major city in America. A native of inner-city Boston, she is a first-generation college graduate with a B.A. in political science from Tuskegee University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. Mosby has been an avid public servant her entire life and has been named one of the Baltimore Sun’s “50 Women to Watch” both in 2013 and 2014, as well as Baltimore Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” in 2014, and the Daily Record’s “2013 Leading Women.” She currently resides in West Baltimore with her husband, 7th District Councilman Nick J. Mosby, and two daughters, Nylyn and Aniyah. YEO National Convening | 2015 36