Arizona AG Kris Mayes
Mayes began her career as a journalist focused on holding the powerful accountable. She served a senior role in Governor Janet Napolitano’s administration and later was elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission where she served as chair. There Mayes helped create thousands of good-paying jobs, saved consumers billions and authored Arizona’s first renewable energy standard. Today, Mayes serves as Arizona’s 27th Attorney General and is continuing to protect the people of her state. She’s standing up for our democracy, shutting down scams, prosecuting fraud, and going after criminals who put families at risk.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald
Karen McDonald grew up in a working-class Michigan family that taught her the value of hard work and standing up for others — lessons that shaped her career as a teacher, attorney, judge, and now Oakland County Prosecutor. From the classroom to the courtroom, she’s fought for kids, families, and justice with compassion and common sense. In the wake of the Oxford High School tragedy, Karen made history by securing landmark convictions, but it was not enough. Karen’s actions sent a clear message: as a state and a country, we can do more to prevent gun violence. A mother of five, she’s dedicated to building a safer, fairer future for every Michigan family — and she’s just getting started.”
Founder of Worthy Strategy Group Gretchen Barton
Gretchen Barton is the founder of Worthy Strategy Group and former Research Director at Future Majority. A deep-listening researcher and strategist, she has led studies on how Americans think about poverty, the youth vote, immigration, gender, political parties, presidential leadership, and truth itself. Her work spans swing-state deep dives in Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, and the rural Midwest, as well as national studies on foreign policy and support for Ukraine. She has advised campaigns from the presidential to the local level and now leads the American Leadership Project, expanding the stories we tell about women in society. She also advises Johns Hopkins’ History Wars initiative, exploring how to build unity around a shared future, and has recently served as a guiding voice on efforts to reduce antisemitism nationwide. A graduate of Cornell University, Barton has published in leading journals and co-authored The Science of Winning with Stories. She is also the author of Making Americans the Hero of the Story, a guide to crafting narratives that inspire action.
Center for American Women and Politics Director Debbie Walsh
Debbie Walsh is director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. CAWP is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about the role of women in American politics, enhance women’s influence in public life, and expand the diversity of women in politics and government. Walsh joined the Center staff in 1981 and became director in 2001.
Philanthropist Meg Robinson
Meg is an experienced executive-level leader of complex non-profit and political organizations. She currently works as an advisor to both philanthropists and organizations to design and implement robust programmatic, staffing, and development plans to meet their strategic objectives. Her previous professional experiences include serving as the founding executive director of Georgia Alliance for Progress; as a donor advisor and social impact director in the private sector; as chief of staff and general counsel to former Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter and senior adviser to his 2014 campaign for governor; practicing law in the DeKalb County, Ga. District Attorney’s office where she oversaw juvenile court diversion programs; and as the first full-time executive director of the League of Women Voters of Georgia.
Catalist Chief Analytics Officer Hillary Anderson
Hillary Anderson is an experienced progressive data professional. As the Chief Analytics Officer at Catalist, she shapes and manages an ambitious research and development agenda. Prior to joining Catalist, she worked as a Regional Targeting Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee where she guided voter contact and polling for congressional races in the Midwest and as a voter file manager for the Indiana Democratic Party. Hillary is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School where she earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy and was Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership.
Viginia Del. Briana Sewell
A lifelong resident of Prince William County, Delegate Briana Sewell represents Virginia’s 25th House District. After earning a Bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Public Administration from American University, Briana launched her career as District Director for Congressman Gerry Connolly. She went on to help found the Virginia Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, where she championed access to quality care throughout every stage of life. Later, she served as Chief of Staff to the Chair At-Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. In 2021, Briana made history as one of the youngest women elected to the Virginia General Assembly. She secured reelection in 2023 and has since earned national recognition as a rising leader committed to service and results. Now in her fourth year of service, Briana continues to press for real solutions. She is driving efforts to establish a statewide paid family and medical leave program, expand affordable housing, strengthen public schools, protect reproductive freedom, and grow good-paying jobs. Her leadership style is direct and grounded: listen, lead, deliver. Delegate Sewell serves on the Education, Transportation, Appropriations, and Counties, Cities, and Towns Committees in the Virginia House of Delegates.
US Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet
Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Kristen McDonald Rivet was raised in a working-class household that valued hard work, education and service to others. For most of Kristen’s childhood, her Mom stayed home to care for Kristen, her twin sister Karen, and her older sister Lisa-Marie. Kristen’s Dad worked construction, often clocking in 70 to 80 hours a week. When the construction season slowed down and it got cold, he worked snow removal to make ends meet. Like many people in this district, he showered at the end of his work day not before. Her dad wasn’t afraid to get calluses on his hands through a tough day’s work. Kristen and her sisters were the first generation in the family to go to college, with their Mom joining them at the same time. Kristen went to Michigan State University and later got her master’s degree at University of Michigan-Flint.
Hali Lee, Founder, Donors of Color Network
In 2025, Hali Lee was named to the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy in recognition of her work building collective giving. In 2021, she was named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Impact in recognition of her work as a founder of the Donors of Color Network, the first-ever national network of wealthy folks of color, Philanthropy Together, a national collective giving support organization, and the Asian Women Giving Circle. Today, she leads a boutique consulting practice, Radiant Strategies, whose clients include Fidelity Charitable, the Bill Gates Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Hali is a frequent public speaker, who in the last year has made appearances at more than thirty conferences and events. Her work has been covered by the Washington Post, New York Times, and Good Housekeeping, who called her “The Mindful Giver” and one of “10 Women Over 50 Who Prove It’s Never Too Late to Change the World.” She lives in Brooklyn with her family, a big love of a dog, and rooftop honey bees.
US Sen. Angela Alsobrooks
Angela Alsobrooks is a lifelong Marylander who was elected to the United States Senate in 2024. She has always followed the lesson her great-grandmother taught her — that we all have a responsibility to get off the sidelines, go farther, and do better. Angela has spent her career in public service, advocating for working families and safer communities. She made history as the youngest and first woman elected State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, where violent crime dropped by 50% during her tenure. In 2018, she was elected County Executive and became one of Maryland’s top job creators Angela is committed to expanding opportunity and is the proud mother of her daughter, Alex.
Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro
Nicole Cannizzaro was born and raised in Las Vegas, where her parents worked as a bartender and a waitress. She was the first in her family to go to college, attending University of Nevada, Reno and UNLV’s Boyd School of Law. Cannizzaro served as a prosecutor in the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for eleven years, including as Chief Deputy in the Gang Unit. First elected to the State Senate in 2016, she became the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader during the 2019 session. She and her husband, Nate, live in Las Vegas with their three sons.
Heidi Nel, COO, New Theory Ventures
Heidi Nel is a family office executive and seasoned cross-sector operator with experience spanning private capital, public policy, media, and strategic communications. As Chief Operating Officer of New Theory Ventures, she built and now leads a single-family office for an exited female entrepreneur, directing capital to women through early-stage investments in female founders and next-gen investor engagement. Heidi brings over 15 years of general management experience and is known for building infrastructure, managing complexity, and leading across mission-driven and growth-stage environments. She brings operational depth and narrative fluency to capital strategy—aligning investments with long-term value creation and generational stewardship. Before transitioning into venture capital and private wealth, Heidi served as Managing Principal at The Raben Group, where she launched the firm’s Impact Entertainment division. She was a Partner at Picture Motion, where she opened the Washington, D.C. office and advised studios, platforms, and creators—including Sony Pictures Television and YouTube—on storytelling and systems change. She was the founding Executive Director of Represent Justice, the campaign for Warner Bros.’ acclaimed film Just Mercy. Heidi started her career in Hollywood—first for Suzanne Somers, then at Lionsgate Films, where she co-produced digital content for emerging platforms. She has been featured by CNN International, Fast Company, Forbes, HuffPost, and Variety, and is a Media Impact Award recipient from the United Nations Office for Partnerships and PVBLIC Foundation. She serves on the board of Startup Virginia and was an adjunct instructor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Heidi graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts, and holds certificates from Wharton Executive Education in Private Wealth Management and Private Equity, and from Berkeley Law’s Venture Capital University. Originally from South Africa, she lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her family.
Cathy Duvall, Founder, Democracy Ascent Advisors
Cathy Duvall is the founder of Democracy Ascent Advisors, a consulting firm focused on strategic outreach and engagement to create a more functional democracy, particularly for historically underrepresented communities. Currently, she advises funders on census, redistricting and voting rights issues, and serves as the managing consultant for the Fair Representation in Redistricting Initiative at New Venture Fund where her focus is to build a collaborative funding space around redistricting issues, strengthen diverse coalitions, and provide strategic advice on building community power.
Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton
Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton was first elected in 2015 to serve communities in west and southwest Philadelphia, as well as Yeadon and Darby in Delaware County. As a state lawmaker, she has made history three times! First in 2018 when she became the first woman and first African American to be elected as House Democratic Caucus Chair, and again in 2020, when she was the first woman elected House Democratic Leader in the institution’s 244-year history. In 2023, McClinton was elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House – the first woman to serve in that position in the nation’s oldest legislature. A lifelong resident of southwest Philadelphia and graduate of Grace Temple Christian Academy, she studied Political Science and Leadership in Global Understanding at La Salle University and later Villanova School of Law. Before her election to the legislature, she served as an assistant public defender and as Chief Counsel to her State Senator.”