Megan Barry
Former Mayor | Nashville, TN
In 2015, following eight years of service on the Metropolitan Council, Megan Barry was elected the first woman mayor of Metro Nashville on a platform of being a pro-business progressive who would keep Nashville moving forward. In 2016, Barry worked with labor organizations and the business community to create the Nashville Construction Readiness Partnership, a pre-apprenticeship program and employee database that will connect local workers to training for good-paying construction jobs during Nashville’s building boom, while helping developers find local workers for their job sites. To connect youth to opportunity and hope, Barry created Opportunity NOW, a youth employment initiative with a goal of putting 10,000 of Nashville’s youth aged 14-24 into paid, meaningful jobs or internships in the public and private sectors. Barry has also sought to address the lack of affordable housing by investing $10 million per year for low-income housing opportunities and creating the Housing Incentive Pilot Program (HIPP), which is designed to encourage mixed-income rental housing options throughout the community. In addition to these initiatives, Mayor Barry has remained focus on investing in Nashville’s public schools, building better transit infrastructure, and promoting public safety in a way that improves the quality of life for all.
Libby Schaaf
Former Mayor | Oakland, CA
Former Mayor Libby Schaaf was born and raised in Oakland, which she proudly describes as, “The most unapologetic Sanctuary City in America.” During her tenure, Oakland underwent an economic revitalization and building boom, as well as cut gun violence in half.
Her “17K/17K Housing Plan” helped increase Oakland’s affordable housing production, stabilize rents, and decrease evictions. Her innovative public-private partnerships Keep Oakland Housed and Cabin Communities are credited with preventing 1,800 families a year from losing their housing while resolving some of Oakland’s most unsafe street encampments. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Mayor Schaaf to California’s first Council of Regional Homeless Advisors.
She created Oakland’s first Department of Transportation, whose equity-based paving plan is the first of its kind in the nation and will make previously underserved neighborhoods safer while addressing the city’s decades-old infrastructure backlog.
Mayor Schaaf is most proud of launching the Oakland Promise, a bold cradle-to-career initiative to send more low-income Oakland kids to college. The Oakland Promise gives every baby born into poverty a $500 savings account at birth. The Oakland Promise has sent more than 1,400 Oakland students (and counting) to college with scholarships and mentors.
Mark Begich
Former U.S. Senator | Alaska
Founding Chair and Leader Liaison
U.S. Senator Mark Begich- Senator Mark Begich was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008 after serving as the Mayor of Anchorage since April 2003.
After Mark became mayor in 2003, Anchorage went through the biggest building boom in a generation, attracting millions of dollars worth of public and private investment through his leadership. In October 2008, both the Wall Street Journal and Business Week recognized Anchorage as a city well positioned to weather the international economic crisis and the city’s bond ratings were upgraded due to improved fiscal stability.
Senator Begich’s extensive experience in public office, along with service to dozens of non-profits and community groups, all add to his know-how and ability to get things done. As Senator, has was appointed to the Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation, where his service included assignment to the Subcommittee on Competiveness, Innovation, and U.S. Export Promotion. In 2011, Senator Begich also became Chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, where he worked to make sure that voices from outside Washington are heard and that calls for reform are heard within Democratic leadership.
Gavin Newsom
GOVERNOR, CA
Gavin Newsom was elected as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of California in 2010. Lt. Gov. Newsom is the chief architect of California’s Economic Growth and Competitiveness Agenda, which charts a path for better infrastructure, a focus on manufacturing, building up exports, and other pillars of California’s success.
Prior to his seat as Lieutenant Governor, Newsom served as Mayor of San Francisco where he courageously pioneered a number of progressive reforms, including universal healthcare for all city residents, fighting homelessness by providing shelter and programs for the homeless, and declaring San Francisco as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. He also served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2002.
Additionally, he published a book called “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government,” which explains how ordinary citizens can use new digital tools to dissolve political gridlock and transform American democracy.
Mark Warner
U.S. Senator, Virginia
Mark Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008, and reelected in 2014. In his first term in the Senate, Senator Warner established himself as a national leader in efforts to find bipartisan consensus to create balanced solutions to reduce the federal debt and deficit. He also is a leader in Congress in efforts to promote private-sector innovation and to help our nation’s small businesses and start-up companies succeed. From 2002 to 2006, Senator Warner served as Governor of Virginia, where he worked in a bipartisan way to turn record budget deficits into a surplus. Governor Warner also focused on improving public education and expanding economic opportunity in every region of the state. Before entering public office, Senator Warner was an early investor in the cellular telephone business. He co-founded the company that became Nextel, and ultimately made early investments in hundreds of start-up technology companies that have created tens-of-thousands of private sector jobs.
Warwick Sabin
Former Representative | Little Rock, AR
Warwick Sabin is the President and CEO of Deep South Today, the networked hub of nonprofit newsrooms serving the Southern region of the United States.
Deep South Today includes Mississippi Today, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023 for its investigative series on Mississippi’s sprawling $77 million welfare scandal. The Deep South Today network expanded to New Orleans in 2022 with the launch of the Verite newsroom, which covers inequities facing communities of color, and it plans to broaden its reach into nearby states.
Sabin served three terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2013-19, and in 2014, he was among 24 national political leaders awarded the Rodel Fellowship by the Aspen Institute for his “outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse.”
Before assuming his position at Deep South Today, Sabin was Chief Strategy Officer at Interfaith America, and previously he was the Executive Director of Strategic Engagement at the Aspen Institute. Earlier he was the Senior Director of U.S. Programs at Winrock International and the founding director of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. From 2008-13 he was the publisher of the Oxford American magazine, and in 2009, he was named to the FOLIO:40, a list of the 40 most influential people in the national magazine industry. Sabjn’s additional professional experience includes serving as director of development for the Clinton Foundation, as well as working on Capitol Hill, at the White House, the U.S. Embassy in London, and at Foreign Affairs magazine. He is a Marshall Scholar and a Truman Scholar, and he holds an M.A. (Oxon) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and a B.A. (summa cum laude) in Political Science from the University of Arkansas, where he graduated as valedictorian and was president of the student body.
He received the University of Arkansas Young Alumni Award in 2005 and was named to the Arkansas Business “40 Under 40” in 2003, and he has volunteered and served on the boards of directors for numerous community and nonprofit organizations and projects.
Andrew Platt
Former Delegate | Gaithersburg, MD
Andrew Platt was elected Delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2014 and served from 2015 to 2019. He is a first generation college graduate who worked his way through school. After graduating, Andrew went to work for Donna Brazile, the Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation for the Democratic National Committee. Andrew then got a job on Capitol Hill working for the House Democratic Caucus, the legislative and communications hub for House Democrats. As a staffer for the Caucus, Andrew worked to help advance legislation to create jobs, grow our middle class, and protect Social Security and Medicare from drastic cuts. While working full-time on Capitol Hill, Andrew went to graduate school at night and received his Master’s degree.
Ed Lee
Former Mayor / San Fransisco, CA
The first Chinese-American mayor in the history of San Francisco, Edwin M. Lee was mayor of San Francisco from 2010 until he sadly passed away in 2017. He was proud to represent a city famous for its creative spirit, open and welcoming residents, and long tradition of pursuing creative solutions for the challenges of today.
During his tenure, San Francisco added 140,000 jobs, helping drop unemployment below three percent. In 2014, Mayor Lee pledged to create 30,000 new and rehabilitated housing units by 2020, of which 50 percent would be affordable to working and middle-class families. So far, more than 17,000 units have come online for local residents. Under his watch, San Franciscans approved two major bond measures to help fund transportation infrastructure projects, and he authorized the Transportation Sustainability Fee, which will generate $1.2 billion for public transit initiatives over the next 30 years. He championed responsible pro-growth policies that benefit all residents, from attracting major corporations to San Francisco like Salesforce and Twitter, to supporting local legacy businesses through his Invest in Neighborhood initiative.
Tobias Read
Secretary of State | Oregon
Secretary Tobias Read understands that financial empowerment, wise investments, and sound management are foundational to the quality of life and economic opportunities for Oregonians, and key for the long-term vitality of our state. In 2015, he was a chief sponsor of the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan, which is the first operating state-sponsored retirement program; it launched in mid-2017.
Prior to his election as Oregon’s 29th State Treasurer, Tobias had served for a decade in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he championed legislation to invest in public education, improve state financial management, finance critical infrastructure improvements, and help Oregonians save for a more secure future. He has also worked in the U.S. Treasury and as a liaison between designers, engineers, and manufacturing units for Nike Inc.
Alex Padilla
U.S. Senator | California
Alex Padilla was sworn in as California Secretary of State on January 5, 2015. He committed to modernizing the office, increasing voter registration and participation, and strengthening voting rights.
Padilla previously served in the California State Senate (2006-2014) where he chaired the Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. As chair, he shepherded legislation to combat climate change and create a greener and more sustainable economy. He pursued an ambitious agenda in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid, and broadband deployment.
In 1999, at the age of 26, Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council to represent the same east San Fernando Valley community where he grew up. In 2001, his colleagues elected him to the first of three terms as Council President, becoming the youngest member and the first Latino to serve in this capacity.