Reports from the States – NewDEAL

Sydney Batch

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 17:03:10 +0000

Sydney Batch

Senator | Raleigh, NC

Senator Sydney Batch is a family law attorney, child welfare advocate, and social worker. Sydney received her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she remained for her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Social Work. Following law school, Sydney entered private practice with her husband, J. Patrick Williams. She is the founding partner at the law firm, Batch, Poore & Williams, PC. Her practice primarily focuses on family law, child welfare law, and appellate work. She was elected to the NC House representing Southern Wake County in 2018 and was later appointed to fill a vacant seat in the NC Senate in 2021.

During her time in the legislature, Senator Batch has continuously served as an advocate for families and small businesses. She currently serves on the Commerce, Pensions, Retirement, and Aging, Education Appropriations, Legislative Ethics, and Flood Resiliency committees. As a legislator, Sydney believes that policy and evidence-based research should inform and guide the legislation passed in the North Carolina General Assembly. She has advocated for a number of common-sense reforms, including paid family leave, affordable childcare, and mental health access. She resides in Wake County with her husband and two sons.

Erika Strassburger

actualize — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:07:57 +0000

Erika Strassburger

City Councilmember | Pittsburgh, PA

Erika Strassburger is a Member of Pittsburgh City Council, proudly serving the residents of the City’s 8th District. She is the first woman elected to this seat. Previously, Erika served as Chief of Staff for her predecessor, former-Councilman and NewDEAL Alumnus Dan Gilman.

In her first year on City Council, she introduced trailblazing legislation to expand employment protections for pregnant workers, those seeking to become pregnant, and their partners, helping to protect workers throughout the City. In addition, she introduced legislation to overhaul and modernize Pittsburgh’s municipal waste and recycling code, which among other provisions, set parameters for residential composting, codified best practices for containment and storage of waste, and built a foundation upon which Pittsburgh can become a Zero Waste City. She has also helped to passed policies to prevent against discrimination based on gender identity and expression citywide.

As the Council Member representing the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Erika was immediately impacted by the October 27, 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. In response, she led the way on a package of ordinances to ban the use of assault weapons and certain firearm accessories in the City, implement red flag policies for those at risk of harming themselves or others, prevent the extreme risk to children by holding gun owners accountable, and increase funding for the City’s violence prevention initiatives.

She has been an outspoken advocate for policies promoting clean water and air, equitable and diverse communities, safe, complete streets, and an open and transparent government, and is passionate about offering new ways for her constituents to be informed involved in city government.

Melisa Franzen

actualize — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:07:23 +0000

Melisa Franzen

Former Senator | Edina, MN

Senator Melisa Franzen was first elected in 2012 to the Minnesota Senate. She represented Senate District 49, including the communities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Edina. Senator Franzen served on the Finance, Health and Human Services Finance and Policy, and Transportation and Public Safety Finance Committees. She was also a member of the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research, and the Co-Founder and President of NewPublica, a public relations and strategic communications firm.

She began her career as an attorney at Target Corporation for eight years where she held several roles, titles, and responsibilities in Government Affairs and Community Relations divisions. Senator Franzen holds a Masters of Public Policy with a concentration in Economic and Community Development from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota and holds a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.

Senator Franzen grew up in Puerto Rico, where she was active in volunteering, Girl Scouts, and in 4H. Today, she is part of the HOPE Latinas Binational Fellowship Program, an executive leadership program for outstanding Latina professionals, and was recently selected nationwide to join the Class of 2018 Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership amongst 24 national leaders. She is the former President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and Regional Vice President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys as well as Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES). She also received a 2020 Hispanic National Bar Association Top Lawyers Under 40 Award this year.