2022 Ideas Summit Attendance – NewDEAL

Anthony Foxx

Rachel Walsh — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:16:30 +0000

Anthony Fox

Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Foxx, a former mayor of Charlotte, was sworn in as the 17th U.S. Secretary of Transportation after receiving a 100-0 confirmation vote and entered an agency under distress. Congress had not approved a long-term surface transportation bill in more than a decade. The entire government faced sequestration funding and, within six months, was shut down entirely for 16 days. Rather than scale back the agency’s ambitions, Foxx plowed forward and, as a result, had one of the most consequential runs in the history of the Department.

Foxx developed the Obama Administration’s first surface transportation bill and worked on a bipartisan basis to get its congressional incarnation, the FAST Act, passed. He consolidated the Department’s innovative financing programs and accelerated permitting policies into a new Build America Bureau and put a new executive director in place before my departure. He embraced technology by pushing forward new rules governing the commercial use of drones, blueprinted the most comprehensive national policy on autonomous vehicles in the world, and launched the Department’s first, and the Administration’s most successful, Smart City Challenge, engaging more than 70 cities to develop their own strategies to incorporate new technologies into their transportation networks. He placed nearly $30 billion in discretionary federal grants around the country, giving rise to a national pipeline of projects now poised to seek innovative financing, including the NY-NJ Gateway Project, Chicago Union Station, Florida East Coast High Speed Rail, and Texas Central Railway.

Foxx currently commutes between Chevy Chase, Maryland and New York City but still calls North Carolina home.

Quentin Hart

join.us — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:28:05 +0000

Quentin Hart

Mayor | Waterloo, IA

Mayor Quentin Hart is the first African American elected to the office of Mayor for the City of Waterloo, Iowa. Mr. Hart is currently seeking reelection. Preceding the election, Mr. Hart was the Associate Director of Multicultural Affairs for Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa, providing leadership for multicultural initiatives and promoting awareness and appreciation for diversity on campus and in the community. In the eight years preceding his mayoral election, Mayor Hart represented the citizens of Waterloo as Ward 4 Councilman and was the first African American-appointed Mayor Pro-Tem for the City of Waterloo.

Hart currently is a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He received his MAE in Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa and is also a 2013 graduate of the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership. Hart is happily married to Cassandra Hart, a 2007 Gold Star Award Teacher, and is the father of two sons, Quentin Jr. and Quenden; and one daughter, Halayah.

Antonio Hayes

join.us — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:24:27 +0000

Antonio Hayes

Senator | Baltimore City, MD

Senator Antonio Hayes was first elected to the Maryland Senate in 2018, and has represented the 40th Legislative District of Maryland since January 9, 2019. His legislative service prior to being elected State Senator was as a Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015-2019.

Through legislation he sponsored, the West North Avenue Development Authority was established in 2021. The West North Avenue Development Authority, created through legislation, brings together state, local, and community partners to develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy for the West North Avenue Corridor in Baltimore. The first comprehensive community development effort in the State of Maryland lead by a Historically Black University, the West North Avenue Development Authority plan will focus on revitalization efforts that will benefit residents, housing, neighborhoods, economic development, and transportation in communities located between educational anchor institutions, Coppin State University, and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Sarah Elfreth

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 18:31:54 +0000

Sarah Elfreth

U.S. Representative | MD-03

Elected in 2018 to represent Annapolis and southern Anne Arundel County, Senator Sarah Elfreth is the youngest woman ever elected to the Maryland Senate. She is passionately committed to serving her constituents both in the State House and in the community. Sarah worked with colleagues across the aisle and around the State to pass 39 bills she sponsored in her first three legislative sessions. These new laws range from creating Maryland’s first Office of Statewide Broadband, investing in libraries, small businesses, and critical prenatal care for healthy Maryland mothers, and protecting oysters and clean water.

Sarah serves on the Budget & Taxation Committee, Chair of the Anne Arundel County Senate Delegation, and as one of two senators representing Maryland on the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Commission. Despite serving in her first term, the Senate President has also given Sarah the leadership roles of Chair of the Pensions Subcommittee, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Administrative, and Legislative Review, as a member of the Senate President’s Workgroup on Equity & Inclusion, and as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area.

Scott Kawasaki

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 17:16:20 +0000

Scott Kawasaki

Senator | Fairbanks, AK

After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedicine, Scott Kawasaki immediately started his political career when he was elected to the Fairbanks City Council in 1999. Being one of the youngest members serving and recent graduate he offered a unique perspective that secured him another term. Shortly after he defeated the Republican incumbent and became the state representative for House District 9, in 2006. As the youngest member of the legislature at that time, he again showed exceptional leadership with unique solutions to solve problems Alaska was facing. This ultimately led to him continuously winning reelections in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Using his robust experience in legislation Kawasaki ran and won for Senator in 2018 to serve District A.

Since his election, Kawasaki has served as Alaska’s Senator promoting progressive ideas and advancing important legislation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he quickly passed a comprehensive economic plan to mitigate the immediate impacts Alaskan families and small businesses faced. Senate Bill 241 helped protect the health of Alaskans and provided economic relief to ensure businesses did not close. In early January this year, he filed Senate Bill 6, to implement a temporary, voluntary retirement incentive program to increase state savings by allowing public employees to retire early. The state could save money by paying pensions for retired employees rather than paying long-serving public employees higher salaries. This solution saved Alaska a ton of money through lower personnel costs. Kawasaki continues to offer creative solutions and provide Alaska with essential legislation that has been improving the lives of thousands.

Kristen Cloutier

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 16:55:08 +0000

Kristen Cloutier

Representative | Lewiston, ME

Rep. Kristen Cloutier is the Assistant House Majority Leader and is currently serving her third consecutive term in the Maine House of Representatives. She proudly represents House District 94, which includes part of Lewiston, her hometown.

This session, Rep. Cloutier cosponsored and passed legislation to create a Paid Family Medical Leave program for Maine. The program is one of the most collaborative and comprehensive in the nation, and will begin collecting contributions in 2025 and the benefits will be paid out beginning in 2026.

During her tenure, Rep. Cloutier has introduced and passed legislation to create a grant program to support family caregivers, to decrease barriers and streamline business licensing so qualified new residents can enter Maine’s workforce, to direct $10 million to aid Mainers experiencing homelessness, to create a more transparent process for reporting known lead paint hazards in housing and to restore funding to the State’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

Rep. Cloutier has served on both the Taxation Committee and the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs. In 2022, she was selected for the Council of State Government’s Henry Toll Fellowship.

Prior to being elected to the legislature, Rep. Cloutier served as the Mayor and City Council President in Lewiston.

Joyce Craig

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 16:12:51 +0000

Joyce Craig

Former Mayor | Manchester, NH

Mayor Joyce Craig was elected on November 7, 2017, as the first woman to be elected to Manchester’s highest office, Mayor Craig has addressed some of Manchester’s most pressing challenges and delivered on the promises she made to voters. A graduate of Manchester public schools, Mayor Craig went on to earn her degree in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. Mayor Craig worked as a marketing director in Boston for 15 years where she developed strategic plans and managed multimillion-dollar budgets. She also worked at a biotech startup, helping take the company public.

Mayor Craig is also an avid runner, who has completed 14 marathons, including 10 consecutive Boston Marathons. Mayor Craig and her husband, Michael, have three children, William, Sarah, and Kathryn.

Krista Griffith

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:05:15 +0000

Krista Griffith

Representative | North Wilmington, DE

Krista Griffith is the State Representative for the 12th District of Delaware. Krista is a parent, attorney, and advocate who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of Delawareans of all ages. Her work has helped ensure that Delawareans, including the most vulnerable, have access to economic and educational opportunities as well as equitable treatment by the justice system. She serves as chair of the House Technology & Telecommunications Committee and vice-chair of the House Judiciary Committee and Natural Resources Committee.

Prior to being elected in 2018, Krista served for nearly a decade as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice under the administrations of Beau Biden and Matt Denn. Krista led Attorney General Biden’s Senior Protection Initiative and was assistant unit head of the Department of Justice’s Domestic Violence and Child Abuse units. She also represented state agencies including the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families. Krista knows first-hand the healthcare challenges confronting Delaware families. When her younger son faced life-threatening leukemia, Krista spent months at his bedside while he underwent successful cancer treatment. Krista’s professional and personal experiences have driven her to champion innovative legislation that prioritizes Delawarean’s access to opportunities and services — from health care to the justice system to higher education.

Sandra Jauregui

join.us — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 21:20:39 +0000

Sandra Jauregui

Assemblymember | Las Vegas Valley, NV

Born and raised in Hacienda Height, California, Sandra moved to Las Vegas in 2009 to complete her bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She began her early political career by interning with Senate majority leader Harry Ried, focusing her efforts on housing and mortgage policy. Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (D-Nevada) took into office in 2016, where she worked on enabling families of Nevada by providing affordable housing and modernizing infrastructure.

Since 2017, she has been a part of multiple committees to rebuild and add additional oversight of Tahoe’s water system and other infrastructure projects to ensure wildlife security and prepare for potential climate-related disasters. Recently, she has become the Chair of Nevada’s Commerce and Labor Committee where she has been working to protect the commercial and property rights of Nevada residents and businesses.

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka

Ben Moore — Thu, 06 May 2021 14:04:12 +0000

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka

Senator | Rockingham, NH

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka currently serves in the NH State Senate, after making history last year as the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to the legislative body. She previously served two terms on Portsmouth City Council and spent over a decade in affordable housing advocacy, resulting in successful, comprehensive zoning changes during her tenue as a City Councilor. As Senator, Kwoka has made supporting working families and small businesses her top priority. She led efforts to pass legislation that expands housing and rental assistance and provides COVID relief for independent live venues and newly-opened small businesses. Kwoka also pushed for bills to invest in offshore wind energy and mandate a sufficient space and break period for nursing mothers in the workplace.

In addition to her legislative work, Kwoka is also Senior Vice President and General Counsel at ReWild Renewables, a small solar company based in her home City of Portsmouth. She lives there with her wife, Katelyn, and their daughter, Logan.