Over the next 15 years, Emerge is committed to reaching 100,000 women of the New American Majority (NAM) – Black, Brown and Indigenous women and women of color, LGBTQ+, young, and unmarried women – from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories. We have introduced the Breed Schoenstein Justice Scholarships as an avenue for prospective Emerge recruits to level the playing field and provide opportunities for women in the NAM to attend our trainings free of charge. These scholarships fully cover their tuitions and are funded by generous supporters. We acknowledge that financial burdens may deter certain women from applying to the Emerge program and with these scholarships we hope to remove those obstacles as we all work on our shared mission to provide a more representative and inclusive democracy.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed (Class of 2008)
Mayor London Breed is the 45th Mayor of San Francisco and in June of 2018, she was elected to be the first woman of color and only second woman Mayor in the city’s history. She was re-elected for her first full four-year term in November 2019. Before becoming Mayor, she served for six years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, including three years as President of the Board. Prior to public service, Mayor Breed served as Executive Director of the African American Art & Culture Complex for more than over a decade. Vice President Kamala Harris (at the time San Francisco District Attorney) convinced Mayor Breed to participate in the Emerge program and from that time Mayor Breed has actively supported and encouraged other women to run for office.
Gretchen Schoenstein, Emerge Board Trustee
Gretchen Schoenstein served for seven years as the first Executive Director of Emerge California. She is a co-founding Board Member of Emerge, served as its Chair from 2012 to 2014, and still serves as a Board trustee. Gretchen recently concluded her eight-year tenure as an executive coach and facilitator for Allegory Inc, rising to the position of vice president of content. She founded The 2W Group, a consulting firm specializing in supporting the for-purpose community. Currently, Gretchen is an executive, performance and leadership coach. In what people charmingly used to call spare time, Gretchen is an accomplished distance runner, completing her 100th half marathon in December 2021.