A’shanti is a nationally recognized political strategist, who most recently served as Emerge’s Political Director. For over 15 years, she has been a grassroots organizer and activist for women, communities of color and progressive causes. Prior to Emerge, A’shanti served as the National Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Director of African American Engagement for the Democratic National Committee. A’shanti has also served as the Manager of National Partnerships for United Way Worldwide, as a political appointee in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor and as the Director of Public Engagement for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee in Charlotte, NC.
A’shanti was named by She The People as one of the women of color in politics who would play an impactful role in the 2020 elections and beyond. She was featured as a political influencer in CQ Roll Call Magazine, named a top woman of color in policy by Walker’s Legacy, and was awarded the “Changemaker” award by African American Women in Business Careers. In addition, A’shanti serves as a Sisters on the Planet Ambassador for OxFam America, an Equity Advisor for Sephora, and as an Advisory Board Member for Global GAIN. She is also the founder of The Brown Girls Guide to Politics, an award-winning podcast that was featured as one of the top political podcasts by Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Vanity Fair.
Jena Griswold’s term as Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State began on January 8, 2019, making her the youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States. Secretary Griswold grew up in a working-class family in rural Colorado and was the first person in her family to attend a four-year college. After receiving her B.A. from Whitman College, Secretary Griswold went on to receive her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, practiced international anti-corruption law, and worked as a voter protection attorney. She also served as the Director of the Governor of Colorado’s D.C. Office, and was instrumental in securing hundreds of millions of relief dollars to help Colorado communities hit by the 2013 flood. Before her election to Colorado Secretary of State, Griswold ran her own legal practice.
In 2006, Griswold was awarded the Watson Fellowship, and in 2009, the Penn Law International Human Rights Fellowship. Griswold lives in Louisville, Colorado.
Secretary Katie Hobbs has led a life of service. Beginning as a volunteer at her church and continuing with her job as a social worker and chief compliance officer at one of the largest domestic violence centers in the US, the focus of her life has been to help others to gain security, to be heard, and to create better lives. That fundamental motivation inspired her to run for Secretary of State, after serving in the Arizona House of Representatives and Arizona Senate as minority leader. She brought her years of experience to the Office of the Secretary of State to ensure that it runs productively, and that Arizona elections are secure, fair and efficient.
Secretary Hobbs has never backed down from a tough fight, and is a battle-tested leader with the strength and experience to get the job done. Now she is running for governor to deliver real results for everyday Arizonans and finally bring the leadership required to solve the most urgent issues Arizona faces today.
Secretary Hobbs has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. She has been a professional social worker since 1992. Prior to being elected to the legislature, she worked in the areas of domestic violence, behavioral health, and homelessness. Secretary Hobbs met her husband at church in 1992. They live in Phoenix with their two kids, Hannah and Sam, and their dog and cats.
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is mom to two young children and a proud lifelong Oregonian. Secretary Fagan was raised by her dad and two older brothers in small towns in Wasco county. Secretary Fagan has always been open with Oregonians about the challenges her family overcame—Fagan’s dad struggled as a single parent and her mom battled addiction and homelessness during Fagan’s childhood. But Secretary Fagan was encouraged by loving members of her community and the dedicated educators who would not give up on her.
After graduating from The Dalles High School in 1999, Fagan earned a scholarship to play soccer for Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho where she earned her B.A. in Philosophy and Religion. Following college, Fagan worked to save money before attending law school at Willamette University College of Law and earning her J.D. at Lewis and Clark Law School. While working as an attorney at Ater Wynne LLP and later at HKM Employment Attorneys LLP, Fagan received training on campaigning for public office from the Emerge Oregon program. Fagan first entered public service in 2011 when she was elected to the David Douglas School Board. Later, Secretary Fagan served in the Oregon House and Senate before she was elected Oregon’s 28th Secretary of State in 2020. Secretary Fagan is a strong defender of the nation’s most successful vote by mail system and committed to building on Oregon’s tradition of secure and accessible elections.
Representative Leslie Herod (HD-8) was elected in 2016 as the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, while receiving the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. Since then, she has passed over 150 bills, addressing criminal justice reform, mental health, addiction, youth homelessness, business and the arts, and civil rights protections. Her extensive experience in social services, criminal justice,mental health and anti-poverty issues has led her to be at the forefront of setting progressive policy in her state.
She has sponsored legislation to include bias-motivated crimes in state reports and to remove the sales tax on feminine hygiene products and has sponsored a resolution to reaffirm Colorado’s dedication to reproductive healthcare access. Her legislative agenda underscores her commitment to improving the lives of all Coloradans, especially those caught in the cycle of poverty or mired in the criminal justice system. Herod cares a great deal about the future of Colorado’s young people. While a student at CU Boulder, she co-founded New Era Colorado – the state’s leading organization focused on the engagement of young people. She is dedicated to serving the community, having served on multiple organizations, boards and commissions, including serving as Governor Ritter’s appointee to the Judicial Performance Commission, a mayoral appointee to Denver’s Cultural Affairs Commission, the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Board of Directors for Urban Peak – Colorado’s leading homeless youth service agency, and President of Colorado Black Women for Political Action. Herod also served as President Obama’s Deputy Political Director in Colorado during his 2012 Reelection Campaign.
Michelle Wu is the Mayor of Boston. She is a daughter of immigrants, Boston Public Schools mom to two boys, MBTA commuter, and fierce believer that we can solve our deepest challenges through building community. As Mayor, Michelle is working in coalition to deliver bold, systemic change and make Boston a city for everyone.
Mayor Wu has been a voice for accessibility, transparency, and community engagement in city leadership. First elected to the Boston City Council in November 2013 at the age of 28, Wu is the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Council. In January 2016, she was elected President of the City Council by her colleagues in a unanimous vote, becoming the first woman of color to serve as Council President. Wu got her start in City Hall working for Mayor Thomas M. Menino as a Rappaport Fellow in Law and Public Policy, where she created the city’s first guide to the restaurant permitting process from start to finish, and was also a driving force to launch Boston’s food truck program. She later served as statewide Constituency Director in the U.S. Senate campaign of her former law professor, Elizabeth Warren.
In 2016, Councilor Wu was honored as one of Ten Outstanding Young Leaders by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and as part of Marie Claire magazine’s New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America. Mayor Wu graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, and lives in Roslindale with her husband Conor and her sons Blaise and Cass.
Born in the Dominican Republic, City Councilor At-Large, Julia Mejia arrived in the neighborhood of Dorchester when she was five years old. Raised by a single mother who was undocumented for most of her childhood, she was forced at an early age to speak up on behalf of her mother and others who felt ignored by the very institutions that were supposed to serve them.
Driven by a lifelong pursuit of justice and equity, Councilor Mejia has created countless opportunities for others to step into their power and advocate for positive change as a community organizer. Following the 2019 election AND a historic two-month recount, Julia won her seat by a single vote and is now the first Afro-Latina to sit on the Boston City Council. Mejia is currently the Chair of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility as well as the Committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development.
Lateefah Simon is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and racial justice in Oakland and the Bay Area. She has served as President of Akonadi Foundation since 2016. That same year—driven by Oscar Grant’s death—she was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors as President. She was elected to a second term in November 2020. Since 2015, Lateefah also has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the California State University, the nation’s largest public university system, and state officials often turn to her for strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice. In 2022 Akonadi Foundation welcomed Lateefah Simon to the Board of Directors as she transitioned from President of Akonadi to lead Meadow Fund. Lateefah spearheaded San Francisco’s first reentry anti-recidivism youth services division under the then-District Attorney Kamala Harris leadership. Lateefah received the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award in 2003, making her the youngest woman to receive the award —in recognition of her work as Executive Director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center.