Deb Haaland is a fierce leader — repeatedly breaking down barriers for future generations. A 35th-generation New Mexican who organized for President Obama and led the New Mexico State Democratic Party, she made an unprecedented run and win as one of the first Native women to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and then made history when she was appointed to serve as Secretary of the Interior.
In all of her roles, her prolific leadership led to accomplishments that make the lives of working families better. She brings her personal experience as a military kid, a single mom, and a Pueblo woman to stand up for working families, Native and underserved communities, and to address the climate crisis. Today, she’s bringing her fierce leadership in the race to become New Mexico’s next governor.
Abigail Spanberger is a Democratic candidate to serve as the next Governor of Virginia. She previously represented Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House.
Abigail began her career of public service as a federal law enforcement officer — working money laundering and narcotics cases. Abigail then joined the CIA, where she worked undercover her entire time at the Agency as a case officer. Both at home and abroad, she collected intelligence, managed assets, and oversaw high-profile programs to combat terrorism. In 2018, Abigail became the first Democrat since 1968 — and the first woman ever — to be elected to serve the Seventh District in Congress. She served on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
Abigail grew up in Henrico County, Virginia. She attended J.R. Tucker High School and is a graduate of the University of Virginia. She and her husband Adam are the proud parents of three school-aged daughters.
Born and raised in Arizona, Governor Hobbs has spent her life exemplifying hard work and public service. She is a graduate of both NAU and ASU and has used her Masters of Social Work to help unhoused youth in Phoenix and run one of the largest domestic violence shelters in the country.
With over a decade of public service, Governor Hobbs spent 8 years in the Arizona Legislature, including two terms as Senate Minority Leader. She later became Arizona’s Secretary of State where she forcefully defended the votes and voices of every single Arizonan. Seeing her home state at a critical moment in history, she made the decision to run for Governor, and in 2022 was elected the fifth woman, and also fifth Arizona native, to lead the state.
Governor Hobbs sees her role in government as an extension of her social work. In her first term, she has already moved the needle forward on some of our state’s most critical issues, including housing, water security, and economic development. Governor Hobbs approaches every situation and every challenge with a desire to make people’s lives better and give every Arizonan an opportunity to thrive.
Cecile Richards Impact Award Recipient
Senator Mallory McMorrow is a rising star in Michigan and national politics who turned a moment into a movement to flip the state senate in Michigan. Senator McMorrow was elected in November 2018 and is currently serving her second term in her new district SD-8. Mallory is the Senate Majority Whip and is proud to serve in a leadership role as Chair of the Economic & Community Development Committee, Vice Chair of the Oversight committee, as well as a member on the Elections & Ethics, Appropriations, and LEO/MEDC committees.
After being attacked with outrageous accusations by her GOP colleague, Mallory made an impassioned speech that went viral. She leveraged this notoriety to call out hypocrisy and stand up for her constituents – and raise millions of dollars to flip the state senate and lift up Democratic power. She is a new voice in the Democratic party and one that you will be hearing about for years to come.
Mallory’s long term goal is to build Democratic power in state legislatures, starting with Michigan. She believes that state legislatures are where policies are made that impact for far too long, Democrats have neglected statehouses, and ceded ground to Republicans.
McMorrow gained more than a decade of experience in product design, media, and advertising through her work with Mazda, Mattel, Gawker Media, Hearst, and other global brands. She brings a fresh, creative and collaborative approach to addressing and solving some of our state’s most complex issues. She earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame and resides in Royal Oak with her husband, Ray, their daughter, Noa, and their rescue dog, Detroit.
As a Public Policy Advocate & a former Political Strategist, Cindy has utilized the power of her lived experiences to empower communities of color, youth, and leaders across the country through her work in the areas of policy, education, politics, leadership development, and advocacy.
She believes in strengthening voices through civic engagement, education and holistic methods rooted in innovative and transformational leadership practices that guide the creation of conscious policy initiatives that support underserved communities across the country. As a former DACA recipient, Cindy has focused on opening access for immigrants interested in policy and politics to begin a pathway of leadership development and training that creates opportunities for them to serve within those sectors. Cindy marked historical precedent after becoming the first undocumented person to intern for a national political party in Washington, DC, and the first DACA recipient to work as a Majority Pool Analyst for the New Mexico House of Representatives, most recently Cindy served as: as Political Director for U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan, and as Chief Administrative Officer at The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute in Chicago, Illinois.
Cindy served as Executive Director of Transform Education NM from 2021- 2022 and most recently obtained an unprecedented White House Presidential Appointment making her the first former DACA recipient in the U.S. to become a political appointee. Cindy currently serves as a national housing and education consultant and this past November 5th won the election to NM Senate District 9 as the Democratic candidate becoming the 1st Former DACA recipient in the United States to win elected office.
Amanda K. Edwards is an attorney, non-profit leader, and former City Council Member committed to empowering communities through solutions, engagement and service. Amanda serves as General Counsel for Houston Parks Board. She is also President & CEO of The Community Based Solutions Firm, and she is the Board President of Be The Solution: Community Empowerment Organization. Amanda previously served as the Houston City Council Member in At-Large Position 4. As a City Council Member, Amanda served as the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee Vice Chair, and she served on the Economic Development Committee and the Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee. Amanda is now running to serve the historic 18th Congressional District in the United States Congress.
While on City Council, Amanda initiated and led the Mayor’s Technology & Innovation Task Force to cultivate a stronger innovation economy in Houston. Her work led to the creation of Houston’s innovation district. She also led the High Capacity Transit Task Force for the Houston Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council. Amanda also launched and led Houston’s Women and Minority-Owned Business Task Force to assist women and minority business owners with gaining access to capital. She also led national efforts to address the future of work. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Amanda mobilized hundreds of volunteers to render aid to residents in Harvey recovery efforts. Finally, Amanda launched her Community Empowerment Signature Series to empower residents to be the solution in their communities.
Amanda attended Eisenhower High School in Aldine I.S.D.. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University, where she served as president of the undergraduate student body and was later inducted into the Emory University Hall of Fame. After graduating from Emory, Amanda worked for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in Washington, D.C. Amanda then earned her juris doctor from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, Amanda was awarded the Elaine Osborne Jacobson Award for serving underserved populations in the healthcare law arena.
Amanda relocated to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. While in New Orleans, Amanda served as a judicial law clerk for Federal District Court Judge Ivan Lemelle and founded Project NOW: The New Orleans Writing Project, which inspired New Orleans youth to empower themselves and their community through the power of writing.
Amanda returned to Houston, and practiced law at both Vinson & Elkins LLP and Bracewell LLP as a public finance attorney. She solved complex issues relating to tax-exempt bond financings, public-private partnerships and non-profit organizations. She helped her clients navigate challenges and issue over 2 billion dollars in tax-exempt debt to build hospitals, universities, and public infrastructure and facilities.
Amanda has served as President of the Board of Directors for Project Row Houses and on numerous other boards, including the National League of Cities and Texas Lyceum. Amanda serves on the Advisory Council of Accelerator for America. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., as well as the Houston Chapter of The Links, Inc. Amanda has been featured by multiple media outlets, including: NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox Business, Essence, Black Enterprise, The Root, The New York Times, NPR, Politico, The HILL, The Houston Chronicle and The Texas Tribune, among others.
Amanda has been named a Rising Texas Star by Super Lawyers, 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates by the National Bar Association, Top 30 Influential Women of Houston, Houston Woman Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Women, Emory University’s 40 Under 40 Award, the Houston Lawyers Association Aloysius Wickliiff Community Service Award, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 68th Boule Vanguard Award, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Leader Award, National Bar Association Power 50 List, and Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals Advocacy Award, among others. While Amanda has received many accolades for her legal and community work, she finds empowering communities to be her greatest reward.
A’shanti Gholar is the President of Emerge. In this role, she leads the organization and steers its overall strategy and direction, overseeing a national staff as well as affiliates across the country. Her relationship with Emerge started in 2006 when she was a founding board member of Emerge Nevada. She then joined the national staff as our first Political Director and was the architect of Emerge’s national expansion from 15 to 27 states. Today, A’shanti is a nationally recognized political strategist with over two decades of experience as a grassroots organizer and activist for women, communities of color and progressive causes. Prior to coming 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.
In all her spare time, 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. She also sits on the Engagement Committee of Heart of a Nation, an organization that empowers the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
