NewDEAL Welcomes Spring 2020 Leader Class of State and Local Officials
WASHINGTON – NewDEAL, a group dedicated to developing exceptional American leaders, has selected a new class of 15 elected officials to join its select membership.
Leaders in the 185-person network cover 48 states and are working to enact pro-growth progressive solutions in a diverse array of communities.
They have been chosen from among more than 1500 nominees over NewDEAL’s nine years, and have included Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, and Jason Kander.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., and Delaware’s former Democratic Governor, Jack Markell, are New DEAL’s honorary co-chairs.
In a joint statement, they said, “Our state and local officials play vital roles affecting the prosperity of our country and the quality of life of the American people.
”As so many of them have stepped up in key ways to protect Americans during the coronavirus crisis, we are reminded of the importance of supporting great leaders outside of Washington,” they added.
The new class joins the group at a time when its longstanding members are rising to the challenges of COVID-19 by innovating, convening virtually, and sharing good ideas for effective policies and programs.
A database of these policies can be found here.
The new members hail from 13 states and were chosen for their unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity, as they work to move their communities forward in the new economy and reject the idea that policymakers can or should want to turn the clock back to a prior era.
According to NewDEAL, these officials are fighting for solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing their communities and our nation, from promoting sustainable policies and supporting resilience in Florida to access to higher education and effective workforce training in Texas, as well as reforming the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania.
Moving forward, they will work on a number of NewDEAL initiatives, including the release of a report from the NewDEAL Forum Future of Work Policy Group, and the upcoming release of work by the Climate Change and Education Policy Groups.
The new class of NewDEAL Leaders includes:
- Malia Cohen, State Board of Equalization Chair, San Francisco, Calif;
- Ben Diamond, Representative, St. Petersburg, Fla.;
- Kristin Sunde, Representative, Des Moines, Iowa;
- McKenzie Cantrell, Representative, Louisville, Ky.;
- Pavel Payano, Councilmember, Lawrence, Mass.;
- Garlin Gilchrist, Lt. Governor, Mich.;
- Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis, Mo.;
- Zach Conine, Treasurer, Nev.;
- Elizabeth Walters, Councilmember, Akron, Ohio;
- Shannon Hardin, Council President, Columbus, Ohio;
- Jordan Harris, Representative, Philadelphia, Penn.;
- Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah;
- Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio, Texas;
- Cassie Franklin, Mayor, Everett, Wash; and,
- Marko Liias, Senator, Snohomish, Wash.
“NewDEALers consistently set examples for our country to follow and are prepared to take on more challenges at all levels of government in the future,” said Warner and Markell. “We look forward to promoting the work of the outstanding leaders in this new class and giving them the opportunity to learn from other leaders.”
