About

Marcelia Nicholson is an award-winning activist, and the first Black woman and Latina elected as Chairwoman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Prior to her election as Board Chair, she served as 1st Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Economic & Community Development and Intergovernmental Relations committees. She sits on the board of directors of several community and national organizations, including Local Progress, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Milwaukee Public Museum. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Chairwoman Nicholson works to make opportunities that were given to her as a young woman growing up in 53206—one of the nation’s poorest and most incarcerated ZIP codes—available to others. Chairwoman Nicholson is a champion for working people, public education, economic development, and community empowerment. Her past work as a union activist, community organizer, and educator informs her policy and community work. She has authored and sponsored several significant pieces of legislation, including a $15 living wage ordinance, an eviction reduction program, a resolution establishing Juneteenth Day as a major holiday, and a declaration of racism as a public health crisis (Milwaukee County was the first county or municipality in the United States to do so). She has also secured funding for County parks, advocated on behalf of women of color seeking entrepreneurship, and fought for criminal justice reform. Chairwoman Nicholson is a proud product of Milwaukee Public Schools and is an honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to her first election to the Board of Supervisors in 2016, she taught 4th grade at Milwaukee Public Schools. As a member of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), she worked to organize MTEA members and community groups for better teaching and classroom conditions. She earned recognition for her activism and dedication to Social Justice Unionism with a feature profile and cover story in the Fall 2016 edition of the National Education Association magazine. Chairwoman Nicholson is also the Director of Civic Engagement and Independent Political Power at the Center for Popular Democracy. In her spare time, Marcelia serves as a national trainer for the Progressive Governance Academy, where she trains progressive elected officials across the country on various skills, including transitioning to public leadership and setting an agenda. She also has a passion for baking and owns her own business baking cookies, cakes, and sweets.

Gabriela Santiago-Romero (sher/her) is an immigrant from Mexico and a Southwest Detroit native. She’s the former Policy and Research Director at We The People MI based in Detroit. She earned her master of social work studying Social Policy and Evaluation with a focus on Community and Social Systems from the University of Michigan. She has made history by becoming the first out female LGBTQ Detroit councilmember and the first queer Latina legislator in the state of Michigan. She’s a community activist and organizer who has extensive experience working for Detroit nonprofits and local government. Love and food fuel her work.

Yterenickia ‘YT’ Bell (she/her) is currently the Georgia State Director for The Southern Poverty Law Center. Previously, she served as the Senior Director, And Still I Vote for the Leadership Conference Education Fund. She also held the role of the National Organizing Director at Care in Action/National Domestic Workers Alliance supervising the state directors and program managers in seven core states, while developing electoral and legislative strategy for state and federal campaigns. Prior to that, she was the Director at the Progressive Governance Academy, a project between the State Innovation Exchange (SiX), Local Progress, and re:power to build and develop the leadership and governance skills of progressive state and local elected officials across the country. She was also the Deputy Director of a statewide public policy coalition table, Georgia Engaged (now America Votes Georgia), where she provided strategies and best practices for successful programmatic implementation. She is a native Georgian and graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political Science and a Master’s in Social Work and Public Administration with a focus in Economic Development and Planning. Bell has worked as a social worker and public policy professional serving vulnerable communities and solving complex problems for over a decade. She is also a Councilwoman in the City of Clarkston, Georgia.

Johana currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem on the Las Cruces City Council. MPT Bencomo has focused on policy priorities aimed at addressing systemic inequities. Johana migrated to the United States with her family when she was 8 years old. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Government and Masters in Social Work from New Mexico State University. Johana also works with Electing Women Alliance-NM, where she gets to support other women running for public office. Prior to this she served as the Executive Director for NM CAFé, a faith-based community organizing non-profit in Southern NM. Johana has committed to a career in social justice and building power with historically excluded communities, primarily focusing on immigrant and workers’ rights and supporting other women in politics.

Kendra Brooks is a Councilmember At-Large from North Philadelphia and the first Working Families Party member ever elected to City Council. She has a background in organizing for social movements, public school advocacy, gun violence prevention, and restorative justice, all of which inform her priorities as an elected official. Some of her recent accomplishments include championing eviction prevention and reforming the rental application and screening process; guaranteeing emergency paid sick time to frontline workers; expanding protections for survivors of domestic violence; and protecting neighborhood-led community gardens.

A Queens native and queer Latina, Tiffany spent years as a public defender fighting the brutal system of mass incarceration before running for office. In 2021, she became the City Council Member representing District 22, including Astoria, Rikers Island, and parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside, and East Elmhurst. In her time in the Council, she has introduced and passed legislation to support survivors of gender-based violence, protect abortion care in NYC, move homeless New Yorkers more efficiently from shelters to permanent homes, and much more. She is the co-Chair of the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus and a member leader in Local Progress, serving on the Public Safety Steering Committee. She lives in Astoria, Queens with her two rescue pups Natalie and Ducky.

Ashley Dwire is the Director of State & Local Programs at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) where she works with SEIU locals and state councils to drive progressive issue campaigns at the state and local level that empower workers and improve the quality of life for their communities. After spending nearly a decade in the labor movement in Tennessee working with the Tennessee Labor Management Center and TN AFL-CIO Labor Council, Ashley knows the importance of workers having a voice not just at their jobs but also in their communities. Ashley has also worked to lift up the voices of low income workers through supporting progressive candidates on both the state and local level in her home state of Tennessee as well as across the country- seeing the importance of having electeds who mirror the values of their communities. In addition to serving on the Local Progress Board Ashley serves on the National Conference of State Legislators Foundation Board of Directors and works closely with SiX to support state/local electeds in their efforts to expand the right to organize and collectively bargain through traditional and new forms. Outside of work Ashley enjoys spending time with her partner, Michael and their 11 year old husky, Lily camping, hiking and taking in DC city life as well as splitting time with family in Tennessee and Vermont.

Megan Ellyia Green was elected to represent the 15th ward of St. Louis in 2014. Since assuming office, Alderwoman Green has become the progressive champion of St. Louis, fighting for a $15 minimum wage, civilian oversight of our police department, reproductive rights for women, and responsible development with community benefits. She has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement to address racial disparities that exist within the St. Louis Community, and nation. She also currently sits on the Continuum of Care to end homelessness in the St. Louis Region. After being a surrogate for Bernie Sanders’s Campaign for President, in 2016, Alderwoman Green was elected to represent Missouri as a Member of the Democratic National Committee for the next four years and also sits on the Executive Committee for the Missouri Democratic Party. In such roles, Alderwoman Green ensures that the needs of St Louis are heard at both the State and National levels.

Alderwoman Maria Hadden is the first Black, queer woman elected to Chicago City Council. A servant-leader with a background in community organizing and participatory democracy, Maria is an independent, progressive champion of the people in the City Council. She represents the 49th Ward – dubbed, “Little Chicago,” because of the racial, ethnic, and economic demographics that most reflect Chicago’s diversity. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus and Chairwoman of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy. She is also a member of both the Aldermanic Black Caucus and the LGBTQ Caucus – the nation’s largest. Maria lives in Rogers Park with her wife Natalia and their two dogs, Finn and Lola.

Jillian Johnson is a former Durham City Councilmember, a long-time grassroots organizer and activist, and a mother of two. Elected in 2015, she was the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the council and was unanimously chosen to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore from 2017-2021. She championed Durham’s first participatory budgeting initiative, is a strong advocate for affordable housing and helped secure the city’s $95 million affordable housing bond, and continues to push forward work to reimagine public safety. Jillian is a co-founder of Durham for All, serves on the board of Southern Vision Alliance and is the North Carolina State Advisor for Movement Voter Project.

Sherri Jones is a seasoned professional in early childhood education, with over 20 years of experience in child care, nonprofit management, Arizona government systems, and community partnerships. She has dedicated her career to enhancing educational opportunities for young children and advocating for teachers and families in Arizona’s rural, urban, and tribal communities. Elected to the Florence Unified School District Governing Board in 2020, Sherri has demonstrated her commitment to educational excellence. She is an active board member of Leading for Change, a leadership development organization, and the Community Action Human Resources Agency in Pinal County, addressing rural community needs and promoting social and economic well-being. Sherri advocates for gender equity and inclusive decision-making in politics. As the former Co-Chair for Local Progress’s Women’s Caucus, she supports women in leadership and governance roles. In addition to being recognized as a Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Fellow, she also contributes to various other state and national leadership initiatives. Sherri holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Resources and Human Development from Arizona State University.

Jerry Maldonado, Vice President of Programs, oversees PolicyLink’s cross program leadership team working to advance racial equity in our democracy, economy, and built environment. With over two decades of experience working at the intersection of civic engagement, research, policy advocacy, and philanthropy, Jerry supports the development of integrated, cross-program strategies that advance the creation of thriving communities and center the voice, vision, and dignity of low-income and BIPOC communities across the country. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Jerry served as the Director of the Ford Foundation’s Cities and States program and played a leadership role in shaping the development of the Foundation’s place conscious and equitable development grantmaking. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his master’s from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. An avid traveler and hiker, Jerry and his family call New York’s Hudson Valley and Santurce, Puerto Rico home.

Eddy is the founder and principal at Morales Public Relations, where he cultivates long-term and trusted relationships with industry leaders, elected officials, funders, media sources, and influential decision makers. He has held key positions at the United States Student Association, Center for Community Change, VotoLatino, Crossroad Campaigns, and the Democracy Alliance. He currently serves as Council President for the city of Gresham, Oregon’s fourth largest city; the Treasurer for the Democratic Party of Oregon; and plays a pivotal role as a board member of the Community Catalyst, Midwest Academy, National LGBTQ Task Force, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, Local Progress, Participatory Budgeting Oregon, Oregon Recovers, Battleground Texas, East Country Rising, and the University of Oregon Alumni Association. He studied Planning, Public Policy, and Management and Spanish at the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gresham with his husband Hugh and their rescue dog Besitos.

Stephanie Morales was the first woman to be elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in her city in 2015. A month after taking office, she created sustainable programming aimed at reforming the criminal justice system. She has engaged over 150 youth which she calls “Junior Commonwealth’s Attorneys” under her “Future Leaders Initiative” program and has formed the “Social Media by the Statutes” program where her team enters the public schools to keep students on the right track. Under her “Ctrl+Alt+Del Program” she has held dialogue and taught effective re-entry strategies in seminars held in the community and inside state prisons and has helped reduce recidivism by working with formerly incarcerated citizens to restore their voting rights and help them become productive community members. Three months into Morales’ first term an officer in her city killed an unarmed teen. Morales secured an indictment and led the prosecution at jury trial, leading to a voluntary manslaughter conviction of the officer, and resulting in police accountability in her city. She is a fierce advocate for justice and a wife and mother of four children.

King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is a progressive leader who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of working people across Washington state. Over and over, she has united diverse groups from the labor, business, housing, transportation and environmental sectors to pass impactful policy that has earned public support and buoyed the local economy. Councilmember Mosqueda comes to Council after serving six years (elected to two terms) on the Seattle City Council, where she doubled investments in affordable housing, improved worker standards and protections for domestic workers and hotel workers, ensured sick leave for drivers, and supported small business opportunities especially for women and people of color. Before that, she served over half-a-million union workers in the state while working at Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO for almost a decade. Mosqueda advocated for progressive state legislation to improve labor standards, protect immigrant rights, create healthy and safer workplaces, and promote health care for all. Critically, she also helped lead the state-wide passage of I-1433 to provide paid sick leave and increase the minimum wage for all.

A’Dorian is a proud champion of children and strong public education systems. In 2019, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Newark School Board, the state’s largest public school district. Last year she made history again as the youngest person ever elected to the Essex County Commission, where she now works to ensure young people see themselves as having a seat at the table. She has been a member leader in Local Progress, playing a critical role on the network’s inaugural School Board Steering Committee.

Elliott began his time in work in city government in 2016 as a member of the Office of Performance and Innovation before being elected to the City Council in 2021. During his first term, he led the charge on expanding alternative responses to public safety through budget amendments to expand the city’s mental health response and to create a Public Safety Ambassador Program. Last year, he was elected as City Council President and secured the passage of one of the most equitable budgets the city has ever had. Elliot has also served on LP’s Public Safety Steering Committee, helping to inform and drive the network’s work on community-led safety solutions.

Thomas Walker is the Assistant to the Vice-President for Communications Workers of America’s Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Sector. He got involved in politics through the anti-war movements of the early 2000s and living wage solidarity organizing, and he went on to be an early member of United Campus Workers, organizing Southern public workers denied collective bargaining rights. He spent nearly a decade as a rank-and-file activist and leader in UCW, before joining CWA staff to develop political and campaign programs–especially in a statewide fight to defeat mass privatization in Tennessee. He has managed numerous local and state legislative campaigns for progressive, pro-labor women of color. His work is focused on building up the independent political power of the working class, and organizing public sector workers especially in the South and Southwest. Thomas is an avid reader, hiker, dancer, and reluctant resident of Washington DC.